Sponsorship marketing is hard work! Nothing is more frustrating than spending countless hours crafting a sponsorship proposal, sending it out to your prospects and hearing…nothing in return. I see a lot of sponsorship proposals, good ones and bad ones (and some REALLY bad ones) but all of them suffer from one of these five issues, which are costing you money. Let’s dive in and see if we can make your sponsorship packages stronger and grow your sponsorship program!
The sponsorship landscape has changed dramatically over the last five years and the pace of change has picked up, with no signs of letting up. While this increased pace of change makes it challenging for sponsorship sales professionals, it also opens up opportunities. Here are three changes and trends that you should be aware of:
One of my personal heroes is Ira Glass, the longtime radio producer and NPR reporter. He’s turned the radio show into a modern art form, built for the podcast age before podcasts were even a thing. One of my favourite quotes about creativity comes from Glass. It’s a bit long, but I promise, it’s worth the read: “For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good… But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you… Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have… And if you’re just starting out, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work… You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
Check out our updated infographic all about the sponsorship process, from start to finish. Share this infographic on LinkedIn and help us get the word out!
Following on from Chris’ excellent article on what boards need to know about sponsorship, here are a few extra tips on how you can make it much easier for your board members to become more comfortable with supporting your sponsorship efforts.
The rules of dating have changed a lot over the years, but one constant remains. Sooner or later, you gotta make an ask. Personally, I’m a little old school; I think the only way to ask someone out on a first date is in person. But that is neither here nor there. However you do it, you’ve got to ask at some point. And so it is with sponsorships.
Before you dive in, if you are involved with a charity or a non profit looking for sponsorship, check out these titles in our “sponsorship for causes” series: Cause Marketing versus Corporate Sponsorship Sponsorship Cause Marketing Common Mistakes Definitive Guide to the Sponsorship Proposal The Biggest Problem with Sponsorship and How You Can Fix It Three Things Missing From Every Sponsorship Package Corporate Social Responsibility a Users Guide for Nonprofits How to Start a Sponsorship Program for Your Nonprofit Things Sponsors Say: “We Don’t do Sponsorship” What I Wish I Knew at the Beginning of My Sponsorship Career Cause sponsorship is what we call it when charities, not-for-profits and associations engage in sponsorship (hospitals and education are covered under cause sponsorship, too). We work with tons of causes on their sponsorship programs and have noticed some themes come up repeatedly. Let’s talk about the three most common (perceived) barriers to good cause sponsorship:
Have you read the book by Stephen Covey called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? If not, I highly recommend you check it out. When I read through the book, I was quite inspired. I kept thinking about the habits that Covey describes in his book and trying to figure out how I can apply them to sponsorship sales. After a lot of time and effort, I put together for you what I think are five of the most important sponsorship salesperson habits. These five habits can help you work more effectively and productively, which may lead to closing more deals. Let’s dive right in! Trying to Streamline Sponsorship Sales? You Need to Follow These Five Habits Habit #1 – Take Time to Reset in the Middle of the Day We’ve all done it. Why stop at lunch when you can power through and eat while you work (or not eat at all)? After all, the more time we spend working, the better, right? Well, yes and no. If your job is to complete a particular activity, for which you are paid by the hour, then yes. However, lunch might not be the time to breeze through your tasks […]
Who would win in a fight? A bowl of spaghetti or a highly trained sniper? Well, what’s true in life is true in sponsorship. The real question is, who are you in this fight? The spaghetti or the sniper?