I call this post “The Definitive Guide to the Sponsorship Proposal” for a reason! I am going to tell you everything you need to know about creating a winning sponsorship proposal and how to write a sponsorship proposal that actually works.
Archive: Sponsorship
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Sponsorship Inventory and Asset Development Essentials
Imagine walking into a shoe store with nothing on the shelves and no samples of product to try on. Now imagine being confronted by the sales person who asks you for $150 because it is his goal to sell $150 worth of shoes to you. How would you feel? Would you think you are getting high value for your money or being used to help someone make their sales goals? Selling sponsorship without an inventory is like trying to sell shoes without any product. It just doesn’t work. If you want to make $1 million then you need $1 million dollars worth of product to sell.
The Five Stages of Sponsorship Sales
Five stages of sponsorship? But isn’t sponsorship about setting a budget goal, creating a package with three levels (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and then dividing that budget goal across those three levels and e-blasting your stock proposal to every company you can think of? Yes! At least that’s the common practice, anyway. I have spent a lot of time selling sponsorships, reviewing sponsorship proposals on behalf of brands and talking to prospects about their sponsorship goals. Based on this experience I can say with 100% confidence that the above-mentioned approach is the least efficient way to sell sponsorship. What is the best way? Well, truth be told (no matter what anybody tells you) there is no “best” way. That said, I have observed certain stages of the sponsorship sales process that, when followed, bring in more sponsorship dollars, build better relationships with prospects and simplify the sponsorship sales process. Let’s break them down stage by stage and look at ways to implement them into your sponsorship sales program. The Five Stages of Sponsorship Sales Inventory Building and Valuation Why start here? Because your inventory of assets (what you will sell) tells you who you should be talking to. It guides your […]
June 2024’s Most Memorable Sponsorship Activations
Activation season takes off as summer gets into full swing. It’s a great time to get outside and engage new audiences with one’s brand,...
Corporate Sponsorship Done Right: The Art of Doing Nothing
In today’s post, I am going to share a case study with you about one of the biggest corporate sponsorship deals I’ve worked on. This is an example of how I closed a major, multi-year corporate sponsor in a way that will surprise you. It didn’t include any fancy sponsorship proposals or a complicated activation strategy but it did require a certain level of comfort with the best sales tool in your arsenal “awkward silence.”
Cause Marketing for the Small Shop
In part one of this series “Sponsorship and Cause Marketing: Common Mistakes” we took a look at sponsorship and some of the things holding back the small shop in that area. In this article, we are going to turn our attention to cause related marketing for the small shop.
What do Sponsors Want? Actually, Sponsors Don’t Exist!
I know what you’re thinking “another post about how we should stop using the term ‘sponsor’ in favor of something like ‘partner.’” Nope. In fact, there is no word for “sponsors” because sponsors simply don’t exist. Wait…what? Let’s start with the working definition of sponsor from our friends at Google Translate:
How to Get 394 Warm Sponsorship Prospects in Your Pipeline – for Free
How many prospects can you reasonably handle in your pipeline without running out of time to treat them all properly? 150? 250? What if I could offer you 394 warm prospects? And what if I could offer it to you…for free? I know what you’re thinking: anyone can download a list of the 394 biggest companies in their area of interest. But, I didn’t say 394 cold prospects, I said 394 prospects who will take your call and meet with you. I have two techniques that I would like to share with you, and neither requires a sponsorship proposal or a complicated valuation (though you should ALWAYS know your value). Check out this infographic to help with the prospecting process. The Business Breakfast Let me state for the record: sponsorship is NOT fundraising. Fundraisers and charities may use sponsorship as a revenue tool, but it is most definitely a form of marketing (not corporate philanthropy). Why am I telling you this? Because the first strategy is borrowed from the charitable sector…and is the single best tool for growing your pipeline. How do I know it works? Because a consultant friend of mine helped me triple the revenue of a charity […]
Engaging your Board in Fundraising and Sponsorship
This post is aimed primarily at the charity and non profit. For my private sector and sports team readers…next week we will be back at it with some tricks of the trade for you. This one’s for the charities! Thanks to my good friend Mena Gainpaulsingh of Purposeful Fundraising Inc. for guest posting and sharing her expertise!