Focus the search for local...
Focus the search for local sponsorship in the area around the track where you compete.
When it's time to present your proposal to a potential sponsor, dress accordingly. A sponsorship agreement, after all, is a business transaction. Treat it as such. "It doesn't mean you have to wear a jacket and tie all the time," says Saxton, "but you certainly don't have to wear a shirt that looks like it's been to 26 straight weeks of Saturday night dirt track racing. I think you should go in a jacket and tie for a presentation."
Pay attention to what you take along for a presentation as well. Papers bound up with a rubber band, for example, would not put forth the image you need to secure sponsorship. Saxton recommends using a folder or portfolio, at the very least, to carry documents needed for your proposal.
Now that you have a feel for where to look and how to look, the next step involves the actual presentation and what materials should be included. Before you develop a proposal for sponsorship or arrange any meetings with potential sponsors, however, Saxton offers advice that will help you throughout the process.
"Racers, before they go to a meeting of any kind, should go out to a library and get a marketing and sales book and sit down and spend some time with it," Saxton says. "Take the book home with you and study some of the key terminology used in marketing and used in business and used in sales. Make sure if somebody says something to you about marketing, you might have a good understanding of what they're talking about."
When you're developing the proposal, or even a Web site, make sure your information is geared toward the potential sponsor and what they will get in return. Too often, the focus of the entire concept is on the racer and what he or she has done in the past or will do in the future. "Ten percent, maybe 20 or 25 at most, should be about the racing, and the majority of the proposal or Web site should be patterned toward sponsorship, showing what the sponsor is going to get in return for their sponsorship dollars or sponsorship support," says Saxton.
"We're long past the days when sponsorship meant painting the name of the side of the race car with a broom. You've got to be willing to give something that will give the sponsor 110 to 150-percent return on their investment. It's not good enough that the guy sitting in the stands watches the sponsor's name go by on a race car-and that's only if they're going slow enough where you can actually read what's on the side of the car."
So what do you offer in a sponsorship package? There are obvious expenses-engine work, transportation, tires, repairs for your car, wear and tear on chassis components, etc.-that you want to include. Develop a ballpark figure for a full season based on previous experience, or if you're a rookie, talk to other racers, then add 10 percent to the figure you come up with.
Next, go beyond the actual car expenses and include marketing items geared specifically toward gaining exposure (remember that key term?) for your potential sponsor. There's a long list of perks you can include: billboards, trackside signage, a sponsored night at the track, event sponsorships, contingency awards, race program ads, personal appearances, decal packages for your hauler, media kits, caps, T shirts, and so on. Remember, any benefit with the potential to earn positive exposure for your sponsor will increase your chances of securing sponsorship. By including some of these benefits you gain a "cushion" of expenses you can eliminate if the business owner feels the need to negotiate the cost of sponsorship.
Don't undervalue the deal, however. If you put together a nice package to present to a potential sponsor, one with perks and clear benefits, you're better off than you would be pursuing several small sponsors in the $200-$400 range. If you're shopping a cheap package, then that potential sponsor will view your operation as cheap