ck1racerx
PR Addict
I am not a pro at this but I do have some successful experience. Others with experience, please add on. This can help us all.
Many racers struggle with financing moto. There is cash available if you know how to look for it.
Sponsorship is all about promotion. Yes, some companies care about your 7 first place trophies, but they care A LOT more about how you will promote their business.
First, you have to promote yourself. Spend $10 and crate a personal website through GoDaddy or any other the other hundred companies that can do this. Go ahead and Google Jeff Gordon or any other NASCAR driver of your choice... I will wait.... See, they ALL have a site in their name. And when you open those sites you see Sponsors. In fact most of the site is about those businesses. ALL of the pictures on those sites show company logos that actually give them cash and or product. You don't see a big Monster logo on his car because it looks cool or because his favorite pro motocross rider is sponsored by them. So why are you paying big money for Monster / Rock Star / Red Bull graphics for your bike?
Promote yourself. Make a site then post a link on here and have all your friends and family click on your site to rise the "viewed" count. (start your counter on a reasonable number. Not 1, it will take to long to bring that up to something valuable. And don't start at 10,000. No one is going to believe you have that much traffic to your site). Post pictures of yourself. STARTING with a head shot. Not in a dirty old "Im with Stupid" t-shirt. And not a school yearbook photo. In a race jersey or a nice pit shirt (with collar) Then peel all the ugly arse graphics off your bike and take some action shots. See this Coppersmith ad to the right? The rider is not wearing FoxAnswerLee clothes, and he does not have MonsterBullStar stickers on the bike. It is a Husky ad and they are trying to promote HUSKY.
Alright, you have your site. Now talk about how you can PROMOTE a company willing to give you $. What are your plans? Where are you going? How many races will you attend? Are you willing to display your bike at their business on a Tuesday? Then show a pic of you doing it. Heck, go to Jim's car wash down the road and tell the owner you would like to take some pictures of your bike in front of his business to use on your site. Jim will say "sure", and may even give you a free wash... BAM... your first sponsor. If really is that easy. All you have to do is ask.
Second step. Make a SHORT one page "resume" to hand out to the businesses. (Of course, your web site should be in BOLD) Anything more then a page then you are wasting their time. Time is money... One or two photo's and a list of promotional ideas that you can do for them. you know, the bike display thing, your website, maybe flyer handouts or product demo, or better yet, proof that you WILL bring them business. (Matt and Dee's café, I will eat at after each race) You should get the idea. Be creative.
Third, and this may be the most important step. Do your due diligence on the company. Instead of surfing porn for an hour, look up Matt and Dee's café. Find out who the owner is. It may be Ricky, and he named the place after his parents. If you looked into his company you would have already known that. Then customize your resume to Ricky and not to "whom it may concern" Go eat at the café a couple times and try your best to get to know the owner well in advance of you asking for cash.
Fourth, Its a business deal. Be prepared to negotiate. (I think this is the part that scares the most people, and can make or break the deal) Ricky may offer you free coffee and a 20% discount off your next meal. And that is fine. It is opening the door. Tell him you are willing to do something for him FIRST, Go to work or school the next day and invite friends to meet you at the café for dinner. Then he may be more open with the wallet. Make a deal with Ricky to give you a 20% cash refund on the money you and your party spend there. Your going to eat anyway.
Many times (from personal experience) the owner will give you $100 or $200 in return for nothing more then a sticker displayed on your bike and a link on your website. You, my friend, have just gotten 8 signups paid for. Do that same thing at Bills BP gas station, Nancy's Red Roof Inn, Rajiv's McDonald's and Patty's Beer-n-wine drive through and you just got a year of racing for free. PLUS, you made a connection that could lead to BP, Red Roof Inn, McDonald's and Beer-N-Wine corporate sponsorship.
Moral to the story. Pick local business that can be impacted by YOU. Businesses in your home town and or in the towns near the tracks you plan on racing. Ricky from Matt and Dee's in Troy don't care about you racing in Toledo. Unless YOU live in Troy.
Many racers struggle with financing moto. There is cash available if you know how to look for it.
Sponsorship is all about promotion. Yes, some companies care about your 7 first place trophies, but they care A LOT more about how you will promote their business.
First, you have to promote yourself. Spend $10 and crate a personal website through GoDaddy or any other the other hundred companies that can do this. Go ahead and Google Jeff Gordon or any other NASCAR driver of your choice... I will wait.... See, they ALL have a site in their name. And when you open those sites you see Sponsors. In fact most of the site is about those businesses. ALL of the pictures on those sites show company logos that actually give them cash and or product. You don't see a big Monster logo on his car because it looks cool or because his favorite pro motocross rider is sponsored by them. So why are you paying big money for Monster / Rock Star / Red Bull graphics for your bike?
Promote yourself. Make a site then post a link on here and have all your friends and family click on your site to rise the "viewed" count. (start your counter on a reasonable number. Not 1, it will take to long to bring that up to something valuable. And don't start at 10,000. No one is going to believe you have that much traffic to your site). Post pictures of yourself. STARTING with a head shot. Not in a dirty old "Im with Stupid" t-shirt. And not a school yearbook photo. In a race jersey or a nice pit shirt (with collar) Then peel all the ugly arse graphics off your bike and take some action shots. See this Coppersmith ad to the right? The rider is not wearing FoxAnswerLee clothes, and he does not have MonsterBullStar stickers on the bike. It is a Husky ad and they are trying to promote HUSKY.
Alright, you have your site. Now talk about how you can PROMOTE a company willing to give you $. What are your plans? Where are you going? How many races will you attend? Are you willing to display your bike at their business on a Tuesday? Then show a pic of you doing it. Heck, go to Jim's car wash down the road and tell the owner you would like to take some pictures of your bike in front of his business to use on your site. Jim will say "sure", and may even give you a free wash... BAM... your first sponsor. If really is that easy. All you have to do is ask.
Second step. Make a SHORT one page "resume" to hand out to the businesses. (Of course, your web site should be in BOLD) Anything more then a page then you are wasting their time. Time is money... One or two photo's and a list of promotional ideas that you can do for them. you know, the bike display thing, your website, maybe flyer handouts or product demo, or better yet, proof that you WILL bring them business. (Matt and Dee's café, I will eat at after each race) You should get the idea. Be creative.
Third, and this may be the most important step. Do your due diligence on the company. Instead of surfing porn for an hour, look up Matt and Dee's café. Find out who the owner is. It may be Ricky, and he named the place after his parents. If you looked into his company you would have already known that. Then customize your resume to Ricky and not to "whom it may concern" Go eat at the café a couple times and try your best to get to know the owner well in advance of you asking for cash.
Fourth, Its a business deal. Be prepared to negotiate. (I think this is the part that scares the most people, and can make or break the deal) Ricky may offer you free coffee and a 20% discount off your next meal. And that is fine. It is opening the door. Tell him you are willing to do something for him FIRST, Go to work or school the next day and invite friends to meet you at the café for dinner. Then he may be more open with the wallet. Make a deal with Ricky to give you a 20% cash refund on the money you and your party spend there. Your going to eat anyway.
Many times (from personal experience) the owner will give you $100 or $200 in return for nothing more then a sticker displayed on your bike and a link on your website. You, my friend, have just gotten 8 signups paid for. Do that same thing at Bills BP gas station, Nancy's Red Roof Inn, Rajiv's McDonald's and Patty's Beer-n-wine drive through and you just got a year of racing for free. PLUS, you made a connection that could lead to BP, Red Roof Inn, McDonald's and Beer-N-Wine corporate sponsorship.
Moral to the story. Pick local business that can be impacted by YOU. Businesses in your home town and or in the towns near the tracks you plan on racing. Ricky from Matt and Dee's in Troy don't care about you racing in Toledo. Unless YOU live in Troy.
