Sponsorship how?
- Thread starter hit_man
- Start date
The Zigster
Likes Dirt
I'd start with your local mtb club. Become a member (if you arent already) and become active within it i.e. go to meetings etc. Some clubs may have a junior develpment fund or may be willing to form one out of which you may score something. Most likely race support than anything else. Speak to your local bike shop, take in results and photos and an extremely positive and enthusiastic attitude.
Dont start demanding anything, youre in no position to do so but tell them that you are racing as much as you can and are aiming for podiums (cause you ARE ARENT YOU!). Just be as outgoing and use all your initiative.
Good luck dude.
Dont start demanding anything, youre in no position to do so but tell them that you are racing as much as you can and are aiming for podiums (cause you ARE ARENT YOU!). Just be as outgoing and use all your initiative.
Good luck dude.
i've been racing for 3 and a half years and haven't even thought about asking for sponsorship until now. i've been a pretty average rider but this year i've been placing fairly consistently in the u19's, 5th at dargle, 8th at ourimbah and 9th at killingworth. i will wait till the end of the season, and if i've been staying consistent i'll ask a bikeshop for a minor sponsorship.
just my opinion mate, but if your gonna ask for sponsorship you need to be able to prove yourself, and have good results. also, start small.
good luck anyways.
just my opinion mate, but if your gonna ask for sponsorship you need to be able to prove yourself, and have good results. also, start small.
good luck anyways.
It's not impossible to get sponsorship as a junior, you just have to be really, really farkin fast and willing to drag your ass around the national series to get yourself noticed. Lindsay Klein and Sam Hill were both riding for big teams in the World Cup by the time they turned 18.
Fair point on Sam Hill, but what you have to remember was until he won a world championship he still had to pay to get there and he had next to no sponsorship. So dont expect to be given shed loads of cash or heaps of free parts. Mountain biking in Aust is not really big enough to fork out heaps of cash to young guys that think they are the next big thing.
I think in a way its easier to get sponsorship as a junior because prospective sponsors see that you are young therefore you are more likely to race for langer than say an older rider etc. as long as you come across that you are dedicated to your racing and that in few months your not gonna go chasing girls instead of riding.
Ive got a few sponsors (im 16) and you just need to approach people with a CV and spove to them that your worth sponsoring,
the main thing is what you will do for their company, why you are worth sponsoring and not what you want from them.
Ive got a few sponsors (im 16) and you just need to approach people with a CV and spove to them that your worth sponsoring,
the main thing is what you will do for their company, why you are worth sponsoring and not what you want from them.
bazza
look at me
but dont totally forget what you DO want from them. or else they are going to ask 'and what do you want from us' and you wont be able to answer. have 'some' idea. or at least a couple of ideas. because why else would you be getting sponsored. im way to shit to get anything. even the shop i work at wont give me anything special.....(ANYTHING).
Ford?
My advice is dont look for sponsors as if they owe you something and you need to be sponsored to be cool. Sponsorship is when you can help a company out and they give you a little bit back. Its a very pro-active balence.
Mostly sponsors dont want anything blatent, just a subtle boost or plug or a bit of help with marketing ideas....
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My advice is dont look for sponsors as if they owe you something and you need to be sponsored to be cool. Sponsorship is when you can help a company out and they give you a little bit back. Its a very pro-active balence.
Mostly sponsors dont want anything blatent, just a subtle boost or plug or a bit of help with marketing ideas....
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thecat
NSWMTB, Central Tableland MBC
It's not so much about your placing as self promotion.
How are you going to get your sponsors name out there?
Start submitting articles to the local paper. Supply a good photo, give race reports, how you went, what you thought of the track, who won...
If you can get a few articles published you can then go to the company "Hey look this is how I promote myself and my sport and I'm willing to add sponsor plugs to me articles in the future.
Everything you can do to promote yourself and your sponsors will be a bonus
How are you going to get your sponsors name out there?
Start submitting articles to the local paper. Supply a good photo, give race reports, how you went, what you thought of the track, who won...
If you can get a few articles published you can then go to the company "Hey look this is how I promote myself and my sport and I'm willing to add sponsor plugs to me articles in the future.
Everything you can do to promote yourself and your sponsors will be a bonus
SpectRe
Likes Dirt
" Before you even THINK of anything in the sponsorship world, you have to have a plan. Companies aren’t just going to see you out riding one day and hook you up with a bike because you can rip it up or huck big. What are your goals with sponsorship? Why do you feel you NEED a sponsor? What do you think you can do for a sponsor?
See, sponsorship is a two-way street. Many companies, including Norco, rely in their team members to provide valuable feedback on parts and bikes, and that’s where you come in. What makes you more sponsorable than anyone else?
It’s always good if you have goals, like winning the BC Cup DH circuit in your category for instance. Without goals, it will be very hard for a sponsor to understand what it is you’re looking to accomplish. You need to show that know what it takes to succeed. A preliminary event schedule is a good start.
You must also take as second and question why you want a sponsor.
If you’re just looking to impress your buddies by saying you’re on a team, forget it. Companies don’t sponsor riders to boost egos.
If you’re just looking for a deal on a bike, get a job at a shop. This will be easier.
If you’re looking for a partner that will help you achieve your riding goals by taking away some of the hassle associated with the financial and logistical mess that riders can find themselves in, and you want to make a difference in the products a company offers, keep in reading, you’re on the right track.
Sponsorship is not a free ride. It’s a job.
You must also understand the concept of sponsorship. It is a commitment. When you are sponsored, you are representing a company and all its products. When you are in public, you are expected to present yourself professionally and do everything possible to make you sponsor’s products look amazing. This sometimes just means stopping to talk to curious riders trailside. You have to represent first and foremost. To get a company interested in you, a resume of race results and riding accomplishments is always a good idea.
Freeriding sponsorship is a little more difficult. While there are very few actual freeride events (and these are usually by invite only) you must really show that you are someone special. Riding in the Lower Mainland of BC, this is especially difficult, as the level of freeriding here is so far above average.
The thing that separates one freerider from another is exposure. Have you been in films? Have you set up photo shoots with photographers? Have you submitted your photos for posting successfully? A successful freerider not only rides the big lines, but does so for film. Look at Norco Factory Rider Darren Butler for instance. No-one will contest him being one of the best all-round riders around, but his actual success in freeriding is based on his portrayal in photos, movies, posters and riding clinics. You have to get out there and make yourself known BEFORE companies start throwing stuff at you.
Now, the actual nuts and bolts of GETTING sponsored is another story. Before you do anything, call the company you’re considering and ask who is in charge of sponsorship. Get the correct spelling of their name and their position with the company. This is NOT when you want to speak to them directly, though. Usually the people who run the teams have other super-important stuff to do at the company and only have limited time each day to spend on team issues. Talking to them on the phone will waste their time and yours.
The next step is to sell yourself. Get all your race results together (or just the highlights if you’ve been racing a while) with any press clippings, TV exposure, video footage and action shots of you and put together a written proposal. Without something in writing delivered to a sponsor’s door, your quest is hopeless. If you just fire of a three-line email, it’ll be trashed with all the other junk. Ya, that’s cold, but it’s reality. Sponsorship is a big commitment, and you have to show a team manager that you can make a commitment. This proposal is usually the only chance you have to make a good impression.
In your proposal, talk about what you have done in the past and what you intend to do in the upcoming year. You must show that your goals are attainable by supporting them with your past results, as well as mapping out training and/or event schedules. If you’ve finished mid-pack in Junior Sport DH for 3 years straight, the odds of your first senior year being spent on top of the national DH podium are pretty slim. If you sincerely think you can do it, show what training you intend to do. To achieve this goal, find a plan and present it, then be prepared to back it up.
Most important every step of the way though, is professionalism. Sponsors don’t only look at your results. They look at you as another ambassador for their products. If you act like a jerk in public, mouthing off or kicking puppies, you will not get sponsored. This especially applies to your conduct if you’ve crashed out of a race, and even when you’re not suited up. People need to respect you, and being a jerk in a chat room or out on the trails somewhere will likely not bode well. Sponsors would rather support the nice guy who finished third than the idiot who won.
Also, make sure every piece of written communication between you and a potential team manager is spelled 100% correctly. Read it over several times…have someone else check it…if a manager sees that you can’t even take the time to spell correctly, how are they going to have confidence in you arriving to events on time, being prepared and representing them properly? The easiest way to get a request ignored is to write a letter asking for “sponsorship.”
The key to getting sponsorship is marketing. What have you done that makes you a more vital candidate than anyone else? Approach it like a job interview. There are thousands of people looking for the sponsorship hookup. What make you better than them? Sell yourself.
Also, don’t get bummed if you don’t get the hookup first year. Sponsorship is something you work towards, and it usually takes time to build your rep. "
- From the Norco website sponsorship section
I think this sums it up pretty well, if moreso directed at larger scale sponsorship - the ideas are the same.
See, sponsorship is a two-way street. Many companies, including Norco, rely in their team members to provide valuable feedback on parts and bikes, and that’s where you come in. What makes you more sponsorable than anyone else?
It’s always good if you have goals, like winning the BC Cup DH circuit in your category for instance. Without goals, it will be very hard for a sponsor to understand what it is you’re looking to accomplish. You need to show that know what it takes to succeed. A preliminary event schedule is a good start.
You must also take as second and question why you want a sponsor.
If you’re just looking to impress your buddies by saying you’re on a team, forget it. Companies don’t sponsor riders to boost egos.
If you’re just looking for a deal on a bike, get a job at a shop. This will be easier.
If you’re looking for a partner that will help you achieve your riding goals by taking away some of the hassle associated with the financial and logistical mess that riders can find themselves in, and you want to make a difference in the products a company offers, keep in reading, you’re on the right track.
Sponsorship is not a free ride. It’s a job.
You must also understand the concept of sponsorship. It is a commitment. When you are sponsored, you are representing a company and all its products. When you are in public, you are expected to present yourself professionally and do everything possible to make you sponsor’s products look amazing. This sometimes just means stopping to talk to curious riders trailside. You have to represent first and foremost. To get a company interested in you, a resume of race results and riding accomplishments is always a good idea.
Freeriding sponsorship is a little more difficult. While there are very few actual freeride events (and these are usually by invite only) you must really show that you are someone special. Riding in the Lower Mainland of BC, this is especially difficult, as the level of freeriding here is so far above average.
The thing that separates one freerider from another is exposure. Have you been in films? Have you set up photo shoots with photographers? Have you submitted your photos for posting successfully? A successful freerider not only rides the big lines, but does so for film. Look at Norco Factory Rider Darren Butler for instance. No-one will contest him being one of the best all-round riders around, but his actual success in freeriding is based on his portrayal in photos, movies, posters and riding clinics. You have to get out there and make yourself known BEFORE companies start throwing stuff at you.
Now, the actual nuts and bolts of GETTING sponsored is another story. Before you do anything, call the company you’re considering and ask who is in charge of sponsorship. Get the correct spelling of their name and their position with the company. This is NOT when you want to speak to them directly, though. Usually the people who run the teams have other super-important stuff to do at the company and only have limited time each day to spend on team issues. Talking to them on the phone will waste their time and yours.
The next step is to sell yourself. Get all your race results together (or just the highlights if you’ve been racing a while) with any press clippings, TV exposure, video footage and action shots of you and put together a written proposal. Without something in writing delivered to a sponsor’s door, your quest is hopeless. If you just fire of a three-line email, it’ll be trashed with all the other junk. Ya, that’s cold, but it’s reality. Sponsorship is a big commitment, and you have to show a team manager that you can make a commitment. This proposal is usually the only chance you have to make a good impression.
In your proposal, talk about what you have done in the past and what you intend to do in the upcoming year. You must show that your goals are attainable by supporting them with your past results, as well as mapping out training and/or event schedules. If you’ve finished mid-pack in Junior Sport DH for 3 years straight, the odds of your first senior year being spent on top of the national DH podium are pretty slim. If you sincerely think you can do it, show what training you intend to do. To achieve this goal, find a plan and present it, then be prepared to back it up.
Most important every step of the way though, is professionalism. Sponsors don’t only look at your results. They look at you as another ambassador for their products. If you act like a jerk in public, mouthing off or kicking puppies, you will not get sponsored. This especially applies to your conduct if you’ve crashed out of a race, and even when you’re not suited up. People need to respect you, and being a jerk in a chat room or out on the trails somewhere will likely not bode well. Sponsors would rather support the nice guy who finished third than the idiot who won.
Also, make sure every piece of written communication between you and a potential team manager is spelled 100% correctly. Read it over several times…have someone else check it…if a manager sees that you can’t even take the time to spell correctly, how are they going to have confidence in you arriving to events on time, being prepared and representing them properly? The easiest way to get a request ignored is to write a letter asking for “sponsorship.”
The key to getting sponsorship is marketing. What have you done that makes you a more vital candidate than anyone else? Approach it like a job interview. There are thousands of people looking for the sponsorship hookup. What make you better than them? Sell yourself.
Also, don’t get bummed if you don’t get the hookup first year. Sponsorship is something you work towards, and it usually takes time to build your rep. "
- From the Norco website sponsorship section
I think this sums it up pretty well, if moreso directed at larger scale sponsorship - the ideas are the same.