Got Sponsors?

Making contactCall to find out who your point of contact is in regards to sponsorship requests and try to set up an appointment with that person. Don't bother trying to sell yourself to the secretary. They could care less who you are. Your main goal is to contact the person who makes the decisions on sponsorship. 2NR cannot stress enough how important it is to be professional when making contact with your potential sponsors. First impressions are lasting impressions, and if the company you are contacting feels you are giving a bunch of verbal garbage they will simply tell you "thanks but no thanks." Don't give up, if making contact with the representative seems useless, give it some time and try again in a few weeks. If you continue to get the brush-off then you might want to reconsider that company as a sponsor. Remember as much as they are doing a service to you in supplying parts or other means of sponsorship, you are just as important to them as a means of connecting them to the outside world, promoting their products, and using your car as a moving billboard. Toss their paper out the window and move on to the next company.

So you've made contact with the man or woman that will ultimately give you a green light or a black flag. Make your sales pitch very convincing, but short and sweet. Talk about yourself, what you are doing with your car and what you have accomplished. Make it a point to let them know that you believe being sponsored can help improve that company's image and increase revenue. Garcia said when he talks to potential sponsors he starts off by saying, "Okay this is how my car looks right now but if I add your product then I know it will look better." He also made a point of saying you need to sell yourself to the sponsor and gave an example: "I believe in your products and I'm not contacting you just to get your stuff for free. I believe your product is superior, rather than anyone else's." He made a valid point by saying, "You have to like the product you plan on being sponsored by. You're not gonna want to talk about it at the shows if you don't believe that specific product works or is of value."

Let your contacts know that you will be sending them a proposal and a cover letter within the next day. Give them sufficient time to look over your portfolio, and if they are interested, they will contact you within a few weeks.

Make it or break it-writing the proposal.Your communication skills are bar none over the phone but if your proposal is shit, you won't manage to get one foot through the door before they slam it shut. Go to your local bookstore and pick up a guide on how to write a proposal. There are hundreds of books ranging from political agendas to marketing portfolios so pick the correct one. When writing your proposal, pay special attention to grammar and spelling. This isn't a school term paper so keep it short and to the point.