The following is some off the cuff thoughts, without much thought given to proper English. I may edit this……I may not. So read carefully.
Way back when, when I got infused with the spirit of bass tournament competition, I remember a local boy telling me how he won a few tournaments and the tackle companies were offering product sponsorships left and right. That was probably the mid to late 90’s.
Now a days, I rarely fish, let alone in tournaments, and mostly for fun, for crappie.
As I was reading some posts on a bass fishing forum, under the subject of sponsorship, thinking back to the last time I was sponsored, and asking myself, “Do you think you could get sponsored today?” Oh, heck yeah I could…… are you kidding me?
And, by the way, when I talk about sponsorship, and if this article goes any further than this sentence, I never, ever, ever mean “product sponsorship.” No sir. When I refer to sponsorship I’m referring to F-U-N-D-S! Cold hard greenbacks brother (sister).
My last fishing related sponsorship was in 2007. I remember it like it was yesterday as the fine folks at Kistler Rods sponsored me for the seminar I was conducting while attending the 2007 B.A.S.S. CLASSIC in Alabama. No, no…..I wasn’t fishing the Classic, I planned and marketed a FREE seminar I was presenting on the topic of sponsorship and proposals. It was titled; The Kistler Rods FishForFREE.com Sponsorship Seminar.
There’s so much hidden in those last two paragraphs. Did anything stand out to you? I’m hoping your not blazing through this article looking for Kistler Rod contact info, or to see what rods I received for free. I hope not.
What is hidden, buy obvious is:
1). I wasn’t fishing that tournament (and I’ll let you in on this: I wasn’t planning to fish and upcoming tournaments and haven’t since 2002).
2). I accept funds for sponsorship
3). I was marketing
4). No use of the word “resume”. Nor do I have one.
5). Proposal
So, with that in mind, I ask myself again, in front of you as a witness, “Could I obtain sponsorship (funds) today, right now, as we speak?” Heck yeah! Absolutely! Without a doubt.
Why do I believe, so emphatically, that I could get sponsored today? Well, the secret is………I’m not a fisherman. I know that’ll p!ss some of the traditionalists of, but tough bananas.
You see, I don’t think about resume’s. Mainly, because I don’t have one….LOL. No serious, I don’t. Some of you know that. Anyhow, back to not being a tournament angler and not having a resume.
My mentality, if I were to pursue sponsorship today would be what avenues exist for me to promote/market/advertise for my potential sponsor? And here again, I don’t have a boat, and I’m not immediately thinking about embroidering somebody’s logo on a shirt.
And that mentality enhances my opportunities for sponsorship funds because I wouldn’t think about focusing on obtaining sponsorship, or product donations-sponsorship, from fishing related companies. I think about presenting marketing/advertising/promotions for businesses. (Highlight those two sentences).
I’m not into the whole positive-thinking hoopla; however I do believe, you must change your mind set in order to pursue financial sponsorship. You must pretty much remove any fishing related company from your list of potential sponsors and seek out companies who want to advertise.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing quite as exciting as getting sponsored, with free product from a fishing company. It’s pretty cool. However, that doesn’t pay the entry fees. It’s nice chatter during the tournament pre-launch, but that’s about it.
In order to obtain sponsorship funds that pay fishing tournament entry fees you’ve got to present a sponsorship proposal. Translated: a proposal of advertising possibilities for a potential sponsor. Got it?
The whole FREE seminar I conducted at a hotel room in Birmingham, AL during the 2007 B.A.S.S. Classic was focused on how I, as a non-tournament angler, could present my sponsoring company (Kistler Rods) to as many people, as many times, as many places, as many whatevers – in exchange for sponsorship. In other words, I presented a sponsorship proposal. (Oh, by the way, I was turned down by plenty of other potential sponsors, so if you think I landed sponsorship with the first company I contacted, I didn’t.)
You see, you’ve got to adapt the mentality of a show promoter. Have you ever been to a trade show? I’m sure you have. There’s usually one person, or one company in charge of selling sponsorships. That’s all they do. They seek out companies to sponsor the lunch. They seek out companies to sponsor seminars. They seek out companies to sponsor the new products. Their job is to sell SPONSORSHIPS! Period. They sell bigger signage at the entry and exit ways. You follow?
Now, here’s the amazing part, these sponsorships are all based on numbers. How many people will be in the lunch hall, for how long, on what days, totaling how many exposures…. How many people will be focused on the sign at the front of the seminar room, for how long, on how many days. That’s what these show promoters sell.
That’s your job now…..sell sponsorship proposals. You present the advertising/marketing/promoting opportunities that exist with a sponsorship of YOU. No resume is needed here.
You see that’s why a guy, like me, with very little fishing tournament experience, and certainly no resume, can land cash sponsors. It’s all the way you approach sponsorship.
Do you want free worms from your resume, or cash from your proposal?
I did record that seminar, in that hotel room, and in my humble opinion, it’s the best info on presenting a sponsorship proposal and how to get sponsored doing so (see forth item below).
1). How To Get Sponsored For Tournaments, Vol. 1 (For beginners)
$19.95 – Click here to purchase: http://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=247532
2). How To Get Sponsored For Tournaments, Vol. 2 (For Experienced tournament anglers)
Only $24.97 – Click here to purchase: http://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=150720
3). Fishing Sponsorship Newsletter Archives – Combination of interviews with tackle companies and pro anglers that’ll magnify your sponsorship capabilities. Get that? Interviews with pro anglers and tackle companies about sponsorship? It’s what you want to know and I found out for you!!
ONLY $19.95 – Click here to purchase: http://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1437768
4). FishForFREE.com Fishing Sponsorship Seminar presented by Kistler Rods – Packed full of sponsorship how-to. Details on how I acquired Kistler Rods as non-tournament angler. 2 CD Set. Mailed.
Click here to purchase: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9T5KCSEC6GUKS
5). Branding with Mike Iaconelli – Yowzah…..Live phone interview recorded in Dec. 2007. You know Mike is powerfully charged and enthusiastic, but there’s nothing like secretly tapping into his mind as it pertains to branding.
Only $39.99 – Click here to purchase: http://www.payloadz.com/go/sip?id=1431755 (audio download)
Here’s to getting sponsored!!
Scott Rauber
Author of FishForFREE.com products.
