I Want Sponsorship Money, But.......

In this edition of Get Sponsorship, I want to start by proposing a couple of scenarios to you to kick things off.

First, imagine you’re building a new home. You are hoping all the tradespeople are going to work hard for the money and do an incredible job.

It’s going to be your baby, a place you call home, a place to celebrate and love.

Now, imagine if your builder, plumber, electrician, tiler etc. is like: ‘hmmm, is there any easier way I can do this without having to work so much?’

What would you think if your tradespeople had this attitude?

Would it instil you with confidence, or would it start prompting you to start looking around for other tradespeople to complete the work?

Let’s take another scenario.?

You’re getting a haircut. You’re dreaming of looking super fly for your date, your significant other, or for a big occasion.

Your barber or hairdresser says ‘I’m going to take a few shortcuts, so I don’t have to work as hard, or so this will be easier for me’.

Where’s your head at after hearing that?

'What do you mean by shortcuts?'

You’re probably thinking about how drop-dead gorgeous you want to be looking and how you hope the hairdresser is prepared to produce their very best work so that more people will be flocking to check out how hot you look than who go to check out the Mona Lisa.

And rightfully so.

When you’re paying for a service, you expect good results.

You want to know the person is always putting their best foot forward and going above and beyond to deliver great results for you.?

Now let’s get to the crux of today’s lesson.

A very common question I receive is ‘That seems like a lot of work. Is there a less time-consuming way to get sponsorship?’

Now, on the surface, this could be a pretty innocent question.

And, in some cases, yes, there are certainly efficiencies some people could achieve when it comes to sponsorship.

But, in my professional experience working with hundreds of sponsorship seekers around the world, the vast majority of people aren’t even close to doing enough work as it is!?

The truth of the matter is that sponsorship requires work. And it should!

When you pay for a builder, or a hairdresser, you pray that they’ve put years of practice into their craft, and that they are going to deliver great results.

If you’re not willing to do the same in order to secure sponsorship revenue, why on Earth would people be willing to depart with their hard-earned dollars to sponsor you?

Sponsorship is not free money. Sponsorship should be about delivering value for brands in exchange for money.

It’s also why many brands are burnt out when it comes to sponsorship, or are hesitant to invest.

Sponsorship Seekers often put in as little effort as possible to understand brands before they reach out to them.

They will try to say almost anything to try and convince someone to meet with them about sponsorship, but won’t put in the work to actually demonstrate they understand their challenges, or put forward meaningful ideas that will truly add value.

This lazy approach (or perhaps ill-informed approach) is a real burden for everyone in the sponsorship industry.

But, for those of you who are willing to put in the work, who tailor your proposals and approaches, you will be the ones who stand out and secure the big sponsorship deals.

I know this from experience, and time and time again, I see our clients putting in more work than regular sponsorship seekers and nailing great deals.

When there are so many lazy sponsorship seekers, it presents a great opportunity for those of you willing to put in the work, and makes it easier to stand out.

It’s staggering the number of times people have complained over the past couple of years that ‘businesses aren’t investing in sponsorships’, or ‘it’s tough out there at the moment to get sponsorship’.

Do you know what happened despite these statements being made by so many??

Global sponsorship spending still increased, and will increase again this year.?

Multi-year, multi-million-dollar deals still got signed.

Those who were prepared to put in the work managed to outshine, outwork and outperform the lazy sponsorship seekers, and they stole your deals.

Sponsors could see the value they had to offer, the work they were prepared to put in, and were more than happy to spend the money with them to help their business grow.

Next time you think to yourself ‘this sounds like a lot of work’, try to reframe your thinking to one that is going to have a greater chance of getting you the sponsorship money you’re desperately seeking.

Instead, think like the successful sponsorship seekers you’re wanting the same results as.?

‘How can I outwork my competition?’.

‘How can I add, create, and demonstrate real value?’.

‘Have I done enough to win their business?'.

If you’re worried that spending some time researching a brand before you approach them and creating a tailored sponsorship proposal is too much work, ask yourself if you really deserve the money you’re asking for.

With sponsorship being a buyer’s market, and with boardrooms filled with executives scrutinising every dollar spent and asking how it helps the business grow, it will be those who put in the effort that will reap the rewards. Keep up the good fight and outclass your competition!

Don't forget to check out our other additions of Get Sponsorship, right here on LinkedIn.

If you like these, then go ahead and subscribe.

If you need help getting more sponsorship, hit us up.

Mike Wootton.

CEO/Founder - Sponsorship Professional Of The Year Winner

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