Growing up, I swore up and down I would never become my mother. Ever. Well, as we age we start to realize maybe our mom’s weren’t so full of nonsense. Now, I’m not here to tell you that your face will get stuck if you keep doing that, or that you’ll go blind if you sit too close to the TV, but I am here to encourage you to be patient. I believe my mother used to sing a song…. “Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry. When you get impatient you only start to worry”. I’ll stop there, I have a terrible singing voice.
I enjoy working with sponsorship opportunities. Maybe it's my development background, or maybe it's because I love seeing people get excited about their proposal and their upcoming events. However, I often find myself encouraging properties to be patient. Sponsorship is a process and it takes time to make a connection. For starters, many companies have already allotted their annual marketing dollars to other opportunities, and are now under contract with them. If you have an annual event, shoot for getting your next event sponsored rather than the event you're holding this year. Sponsors need to be certain that their marketing objectives align with what you have to offer them. Does your event take place at such a time that is conducive to their schedule and budget planning? There are any number of factors to keep in mind when you are pitching a sponsorship proposal. Also consider that you’re asking a company to spend thousands of dollars on your event. Call me frugal, but when I’m considering spending a few thousand dollars on anything, I don’t do it on a whim. Plan on allowing 4-6 months minnimum for the initial stages of connecting with appropriate sponsors. These things don't happen overnight and you will find yourself discouraged if you assume any differently. In the mean time, check out this blog from IEG offering tips to getting sponsored in a tough economy.
So what can you do to speed up the process and find a sponsor? If your event is annual (and you're listing your proposal on SponsorPark) keep it listed year round. Take a look at your proposal, is it complete? Or did you leave your "location and dates" blank? Sponsors see hundreds of proposals, so if one isn’t complete chances are it makes it’s way into the shred bin. Sponsors need to know your time frames in order to determine if the partnership is well timed for their own marketing purposes - and to ensure they have the necessary funds in the budget. Make sure you have a clear idea of what your potential sponsor is looking for and then make sure you can communicate with them.
And as much as we don't want to consider that a sponsor just isn't for us, sometimes you have to face fact's and realize when a sponsor just isn't into you. Sponsorship is sales, and sometimes you have to realize that not everyone wants to buy what you're selling. You'd be better off thanking that sponsor for their time, and moving on to something more promising.
Do your part, make sure you cross your “t’s” and dot your “i’s” and then take some advice from mom and just be patient... and eat your veggies. Or I’m going to have to start singing again, and you don’t want that.