[Neanderthal Racing]

one of the things i get asked about the most is how to land sponsorship. i just got pm'd another one so i thought i'd post a "how to" on it. any expertise i've accumulated on the issue of sponsorship started out as completely accidental. note: the fence is mended with all concerned at this point. the names of the various actors are not only unnecessary but totally unwanted, so please keep them to yourself. thanks.

in my case, i had a notorious engine failure that i publicized by posting threads about it on iwsti and nasioc. it was compelling stuff. thirty six hours later, at the peak of the controversy, i wrote an e-mail to all the other engine builders stating that they were, no doubt, watching; that i had financed the project myself and would continue to, but - given the enormous sympathy for my situation in the subaru community "i can't help but think that the first engine builder to step forward to offer sponsorship would be rewarded a hundred times over." two hours later, trey cobb returned an e-mail offering to build me a new race motor. i can't say it enough, god bless trey cobb. i then sent a nearly identical e-mail to all the other vendors that i was sourcing parts or services from and slowly but surely the list grew. tragedy can be mother of opportunity.

#1: land your first sponsor. it gets easier once your first sponsor gets on-board and progressively easier as you add additional sponsors. it's like having good credit. the better it is, the more you get.

#2: requesting sponsorship is really about offering an advertising opportunity and greater visibilty. remember, it is not what they can do for you. it is what you can do for your sponsor. you must prove to a potential sponsor that it is in their interest to sponsor you and that by sponsoring you, their product or service will be seen by others and more importantly, sold. you have to make the best and most professional case you can. it starts with an introductory letter. i'll get back to that later.

#3: why do YOU deserve sponsorship? let's face it, everyone thinks he deserves sponsorship. you must be able to demonstrate that your project deserves their support from their point of view and that the project will continue develop with or without their support. again, it's not so much said (although it can be) but demonstrated. frankly, no one wants to sponsor a desperate or poorly financed project that actually depends on their support to continue. the reality is, unless you have a major project that has an extensive following, a lot of money already invested and a racing and/or show plan that is very likely to succeed, you are not getting very far. i heard from one sponsor, unless they can see the owner has more than 30k of his own money invested, he would never consider sponsorship. the fact is, while they don't have to know exactly what your investment is, they should be able to see by its overall scope exactly how serious the project intent is and whether their investment in you will be worthwhile.

remember that parts suppliers and vendors get sponsorship requests on a daily if not hourly basis. so, ask yourself these questions before you start writing your introductory letter:

- how extensive is your build plan and how complete is it? i don't want to discourage anyone but the truth is, there are a million people with stage 2 and 3 cars out there that want sponsorship and they are not likely to get it.

- do you have a racing plan or a show plan that will include a commitment for race vinyl with the sponsor's name or logo for racing events and appearances?

- do you have a build journal? how many hits does it have? believe it or not, it shows other people are interested in your car. my own journal has really helped sell the project and i always include a link to it with every sponsorship request. your first page needs to be a knockout because they are not going to read the whole thing.

- how active are you on the boards? how many posts do you have? 10 zillion posts with your potential sponsor's name listed in your signature on every post is a lot of potential visibiltiy for a sponsor. consider it advertising space. is your opinion generally respected in those technical areas that are relevent to the product or service offered? do people seek out your advice?

if you have positive answers to those questions, you can begin to build a case for yourself. include them your introductory letter. don't be shy but do be professional. it also helps to be able to write well. if you don't, get some help.

#4: email your target vendor. i usually write the email at the time i actually need the product or service to express my interest in it. on one occasion, in anticipation of a future need, i planted the sponsorship idea a full year in advance. i often mention that i am going to buy it either way but "you may want to consider offering some level of sponsorship" and i make my case; always in exchange for race vinyl etc and the visibilty your project will offer them. never sound too eager or desparate.

#5: don't get too excited; you are not getting expensive stuff for free. if you think you are getting all your large ticket items for free, think again. free motors don't grow on trees. they normally grow from the desirability of being associated with a professional racing effort. my situation was a total anomaly. what you can expect depends on the value of the product or service you are looking for. at best, you will most likely get a higher value item at a discount or at cost. less expensive items are a different story. be grateful no matter how modest the offering.

#6: small manufacturers and retail vendors looking for additional exposure make good prospective sponsors. pay attention for new product release rumors. it was just a coincidence that cobb was launching their own engine building program at the very moment that my own situation took place but it was great timing for both of us. when the planets intersect and you have a case to make, go for it.

#7: with their association comes a responsibility. you have an affirmative obligation to your sponsor's good name and reputation because their name is planted in your signature every time you post. i doubt if anybody walks that thin line more often than i do but don't be reckless. that background awareness that a sponsor will see their name under one of my posts has pulled me back from the edge on more than one occassion. hey, whatever works.

when you do land a sponsor, resist the temptation to go out on a whoring campaign for them. it may seem like the appropriate thing to do but you loose credibility when you excessively and shamelessly promote a product.

#8: avoid overlaping sponsors within in a product or service category. i have actually turned down a few sponsorship offers when they conflicted with an existing sponsor's area. i have also asked pseudo permission from one of my sponsors when another sponsor was able to give me a better break on something than he could. was i obligated to do that? no. did it help my sponsor understand how much i valued his feeling on the issue. i think so.

#9: the more sponsorship you get, the more you will spend. i won't even bother explaining that one. in the end, you are not saving money. it just makes you bolder and your project more ambitious. it is a two edged sword.

#10: my hopes for you? two of them: 1) that you are able to find as great a group of sponsors as i have and 2) you don't bug mine. every other vendor is fair game (isfh).

* expect editing

[amg destroyer]

I've always wondered how it was done... Good write-up Bruce

[wsirianni]

very nice man i think ur the first one to tackle this

[Chris05STi]

Awesome advice, I just have to look where I can find a Sponser, and who it could be.

[boostedrex05]

I need to get on this band wagon I don't think I'll have any issues finding a sponsor, what do you think Bruce?

__________________________________________________ ______________

Bill
Heritage Motorsports

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/members-...es-inside.html

[Neanderthal Racing]

Originally Posted by boostedrex05

I need to get on this band wagon. I don't think I'll have any issues finding a sponsor, what do you think Bruce?

no one can know what issues you'll have ahead of time, billy. you've got a nice project going. it really depends on how good a salesman you are.

[berdugo]

great thread bruce!

[mxpop]

So B, what does your project look like now?

[Neanderthal Racing]

Originally Posted by mxpop

So B, what does your project look like now?

first off, pop, i want to blow some smoke up your ass for the speed channel show. your driving was great and you showed the world how a 20k economy car can, with the right combination of elements, completely kick the crap out of purpose-engineered and built exotics. it was inspiring. it gave me a chubby.

the easy answer to how cutn edg looks now is, except fo aero, it looks like we are finished with all things mechanical. no area of the car is out of balance with the next and i have every reason to believe the sum will be greater than the total of its parts.

with a little luck and some planning this year or next, i want to make a west coast trip to meet you and other folks that i look up to. i want to put my own ball in play in the same playground as the pro teams so we can see where my private project stands in the food chain. if i can get myself qualified before then, i'll be driving it. if not i'll hire a gun. i'm not holding the car back after everything i've had to do to get it to where it is.

[BunaSTi]

very nice suscribed

[mxpop]

Originally Posted by Neanderthal Racing

first off, pop, i want to blow some smoke up your ass for the speed channel show. your driving was great and you showed the world how a 20k economy car can, with the right combination of elements, completely kick the crap out of purpose-engineered and built exotics. it was inspiring. it gave me a chubby.

Thanks for the smoke B! Enjoy the chubby!

Do ou have any links etc to some current pics of your car project?

We have been working hard to exploit the rules this year as much as possible. After some biatch-ass BS protests last year (all cleared BTW), we want to keep our car solidly withing the rules in an obvious manner and still whoop some arses. We'll see in 2 weeks if we achieved our goals.

Great suggestions on sponsorships. You are correct that when it rains, it pours and I am amazed at the awesome help coming our way this year. Now it's up to me to drive it like I stole it....

Hope to see you on our coast sometime soon!

[Neanderthal Racing]

Originally Posted by mxpop

Do ou have any links etc to some current pics of your car project?

the first post to my journal has the latest pics and includes a shop shot of the front end at the bottom. the "neanderthal blackout" has been stalled for the year its been in md getting finished so it's still black and blue. you can also play the video evil took of the last tuning session. the link is at the top. the sad face is because a fubar wbo2 sensor crapped out on us.

the new wheels, fender work and brakes are going to give it a completely different look. i'll have fresh pics and video up the day we go down to get it.

Originally Posted by mxpop

We have been working hard to exploit the rules this year as much as possible. After some biatch-ass BS protests last year (all cleared BTW), we want to keep our car solidly withing the rules in an obvious manner and still whoop some arses. We'll see in 2 weeks if we achieved our goals.

Great suggestions on sponsorships. You are correct that when it rains, it pours and I am amazed at the awesome help coming our way this year. Now it's up to me to drive it like I stole it....

Hope to see you on our coast sometime soon!

roger that.

thanks to everyone who posted words of encouragement. my usual practice is not to acknowledge each one to save bandwidth and catch up periodically, but i do appreciate them all.

[Chris05STi]

Gotta thank you again for all your help......I sent an e-mail out already, and they are working out the details!

[CrawfordPerformance.com]

Good luck with your project Bruce

I'm glad we were able to help you out in a strange way

Quirt

[Neanderthal Racing]

it's that whole zen thang, quirt (isfh). we'll be making noise shortly.