Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

So you want asponsor'l By Dede Escribier "I'm fast , I'm 'trick, and I could sure use the help. Unfortunately, that is a thought shared by almost everyone 'you have ever lined up II beside on the starting line. So , if you seriously want to seek h' . . a n d get sponsor~ Ip In some form , you are gomg to have to work at it. Stardom of any kind is no t instantaneous. Behind every " o ver -n ig h t succe ss " are hours , we eks , even years of effort and occasional disappointments. ' Before you apply 20 . To sell yourself to any potential sponsor you need tostand out from the . crow~ . Th e Iirst and .m.ost ObVlO.U~ thing to ~o IS race, finish, and finish well. W~n~ are Important and so are top Iinishers. Keep a record of ~h.ere and when you race, ho~ ,Yo u finish a~d ~ho ¥our compennon was. ThIS IS going to . be useful when ' you st,:1fl co~posmg your _ res,:!me. Also, If you include information .abo.ut yo'-!r e9 Ulpment setup yo~ "':'111 find this diary to be helpful m improvmg your performance at individual track on return visits. Keep copies of any of your race successes that are printed in newspapers, magazines or other publications. You will use these to compile a list of media coverage to include in your resume. (A side benefit of all this preparation is that when you are old and gray and trying to impress your grandchildren you will have proof!) . Off-track appearances are important. Remember that the racing community is small' and cornmunication is good. In other words, there are no secrets. At Any Track, USA you are seen by someone who is in touch to some degree with potential sponsors. You need to be sure you are always making a positive impression. _ . Look like a winner in the pits. Your equipment should always be clean and well ~amtamed. Keep It clean before, during and after competition. Arrive at the ra ces with your eq u ip m ent ready to ra ce. Set up a -defin ed pit area so th at you ca n find tools, parts, and anything else you know you might need. (A sun canopy is a good way to define a pit and . is a . comfort besides. ) This will perh~ps involve more unload.ing and loading but the ease of working WIll make it worth the effort. Not having the last minute panics may even win you a race now and then. Also, there is a cert ain psychological advantage to sharp looking equipment and a composed race effort. Dress for success. All your riding ~ear should be clean and nice appearmg. "Your helmet and gloves should always be ready to go and your shields clean. Never leave that for last minute and ruin your image of composure. Your resume Yes, terrible as it may sound, you need to make a written report. If you are serious about asking a sponsor for assistance, make your pitch in writing. Remember, you are not the only one requesting assistance. Even if you talk to a representative of the company at the races, don't take " so u n d s good " as any kind of commitment. Don't write a novel. You want to give pertinent information to a very. . busy individual. Even though you have a lot of interesting history like how cute you were on .you r ]R50, stick to your current racing career. .The sponsoris interested in you now. A brief personal profile which contains personal data like height, weight, occupation, current equiprnent, current sponsors and a shan " p itch " about drive or special talents is appropriate. Do not list your personal need for financial assistance as a reason for them to help you. A sponsor gives sponsorship on the basis of what you can do to assist him , not as a charitable donation. Now is the time to use all that data you hav e been accu m u la tin g. Give a co ncise listing of ra ces, ch am p io nsh ips. an d! or titles won. List th e number of rac es attended in a season and th e regi on -covered. Accompany this with a su m mary o f top finishes. A potential sponsor wants to know tha t yo u have been o u t there raci n g and doing well. H e wants someone who will repres ent his produ ct favorably in front of a large number of potential custo me rs. Since h is primary interest is th e exposure he will receive from you, include your pl ans for the future. As accurately as p ossible, proj ect your rac e schedule for th e current season, including races you will attend and championships which you will be actively pursuing. The second way the sponsor gets exposure is through the media, so he is interested in how much coverage you have gotten so far . Now is the time to -su mmarize all those clippings and pictures you have been saving. If th ere are several, a listing of publications and dates makes a nice addition to a resume. Make the decision on sending actual copies based on the extent of the coverage. If yo u do send copies, use a highlighter to make your name or coverage. Remember again that you are talking to busy people who do not have th e time or inclination to read things through stacks of clippings. Send pictures of your equipment. The sponsor wants to see a sample of the equipment that will carry his name. Action shots are nice but be sure to include at least one still so he .can see in detail the quality you display. Be sure that the equipment is in top shape when the photos are shot. If you have already obtained some sponsorship, make this known. If yo u have a current sponsor who confli cts with the one you are currently approaching, address this confli ct . . (A re you severing relationship?) . The presentation Unfortunately there is no hard and fast rule dictating resume format. The number of pages, summaries, pictures and clippings obviously depend on how much material you have to send. It is better to work with what you have than to wait another three months for one more picture or article and miss out completely. There are some guidelines that you might consider. Whatever information you have must be presented in a neat and orderly fashion. Typed, no exceptions. Make it easy to read by using headlines, lists, and/or summaries. Be professional and serious. Even . though you want to have an attention-getting resume you do not want it to be bizarre. Action jump shots are okay - you and your honey hugging your bike are not. Use quality paper, clear typing, mounted photos, and reprints that fit on 8lf' x II" paper. A folder or cover makes your resume stand out. Use a standard size so that is it easy for the . sponsor to keep and file your information. Make sure your name , address and phone number are in a prominent location. Put your name on every page in case the materials 'sh ou ld get separated. Be concise but don 't make your resume too short. You are making a statement about yourself. Don't let it get lost on a desk somewhere. I have seen stacks of resumes that were . complete on .one sheet of paper, folded in thirds and mailed to a potential sponsor. They had un for- . tunately found a home with the junk maill Your resume sho u ld arrive on the sponsor's desk in an 8lf' x II " en velo pe so that it is not folded. Whether it is hand delivered or mailed make sure the sponsor's .com pan y nameis correct and properly spelled even if you have to ca ll a nd ask. You never get a second c h a n ce to make a good first impression! After a week or 10 days follow your resume up with a phone call to assure that it was received .a nd to answer any questions the sponsor may have. Being sponsored There are a variety of sponsorships. You may be offered a support ride which may mean simply that yo u will be getting a discount on products provided by that sponsor. You may be offered a sponsorship which gives you a limited amount of product at no charge or one that gives you a virtually unlimited a mo u nt of product Another type of sponsorship gives you product and! or ca s h to finance your racing program. Some sponsors, like a fast food chain, may offer only cash because you don't use their product on your bike. Eventually you may advance to a "factory ride" in which you are paid to ride and the equipment, . travel; and maintenance are provided. The more financially rewarding the sponsorship the fewer there are available. Chances of starting at the top are slim - get used to it. The most common first sponsor is that often times over-looked backbone of racing - your local dealer. Even though he is not the stranger from afar, it is necessary to give him all the same sponsor courtesies. Be prompt in keeping him informed. Actively support his dealership. Do not take undo advantage of his support or his shop facilities. Treating this first sponsor right is not only good training, but will gain you excellent recommendations for 'more sponsors. The road to manufacturer sponsorships is often more easily traveled when you have the help of your local dealer. Remember sponsors are not doing this simply because you are a good kid. You owe them sornething rin return. The obvious is that they would like to see you winning, getting lots of good media exposure, and promoting their product. These are rather general requests but there are specific things that you can do. Many of these will be spelled out in detail with a contract. Some are considered common knowledge and to disregard them is to greatly lessen your chances of getting additional sponsorships or even renewal of the existing one. The "great sticker game" now changes. Remember when you ~ot your first bike? It was covered WIth stickers so that it would look just like the experts in print. You may even be guilty of running stickers for unknown products just because you got your hands on the sticker. No more. These stickers now have real meaning and messages. Sponsors will vie for the best spots on your machine. The more the support, the better the ' sticker location and the more square inches of your bikes are used. If you are a sponsored rider, non-sponsors do not get a sticker location. The exception to this is a race sanctioning body or a contingency program that does not conflict with any of your existing sponsors. Talk to your sponsor about his preferred sticker location. Never run

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