What Can You Do For A Sponsor?

[Steve Horvath]

For those looking for a sponsor in fishing I have a question.

What can you do for a sponsor?

Can you move product? (How are you going to do it?)

Are you going to sell their product?

Do you have good relations with shops that will pick up a sponsors product?

It would be great to hear individual comments from individual anglers on this subject.

[tomustang]

In today's market I don't see how a sponsor can be selling products, I mean thanks to corporate idiots they split those into two different job classifications. I've yet to see a sponser giving out at the very least samples

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I think I know where you're going here. There is a lot more to being on a Pro(as in promotional)Team than taking free or discounted equipment and wearing a patch. Pro fishing, Nascar, x-games and all the rest are really advertising vehicles. If you can't help the sponsor move product, they don't care how much you win or anything else. Of course winning or placing well brings attention but that must be parlayed into product endorsement and sales or it has no value. The opposite is true to a point as well. You may not be placing highly but are holding your own and are very outgoing and charismatic with good contacts, you will have value to offer.

[Steve Horvath]

I agree DWT, I'm very suprised that there are lots of members that are posting resumes and yet nobody has stepped forward to say they are capable of this or a sponsored angler should be able to do that.

If I were a sponsor I would be looking for these attributes (in no particular order)

Outgoing personality

Willingness to do something for their sponsorship (commitment)

Above average angler (notice the word GREAT does not appear here)

Fish at least one FULL tournament circuit (it could be federation, BFL or even a local team trail as long as they aren't a complete cherry picker)

[lynyrdsky1]

Not sure if this matters much,

Obtaining and holding sponsorships has many different components to it such as (most things have already been stated but can not hurt to be restated) : being able to articulate your thoughts and words correctly, being able to back up your sponsor in anyway possible, going the extra mile such as asking to help when not asked, traveling somewhere to give a seminar or a speech when another pro staffer has to cancel etc. But one thing that probably gets missinterpreted sometimes is confidence.

Confidence is one reason why I do not have any sponsors and why some others do not either. It could either be lack of confidence or too much confidence. It is ok to think highly of yourself but not when you can not back up what you say. My problem is lack of confidence. I do not want to try to help someone and then end up doing a bad job. I would love to do anything to help a company but I need faith in myself, the courage to ask, and the right words to approach a company which at this point I think I am lacking.

Hope this made sense,

Austin

[Kahuna bass]

Wow, words of wisdom! Steve and Austin, your spot on!!

Sponsorship programs - It's still very much needed in the industry, especially with a challenged economy. Getting companies to increase sponsorship is the real challenge.

For the past 10 years, I've had the opportunity to work with a number of fishing companies, normally sales and marketing. Call it passion or eagerness for more pain, I end up being the pro-staff coordinator. What has helped me in decision making over the years are the following:

• What are you going to do for my company? Bottom line is sales, you must be able to sell my product. How will you complete this task? Do you know the product line?
  
• Why should I select you? What makes you standout above the competition?
  
• Are you available for seminars, trade/consumer shows? How much are you willing to help? Often enough, shows may be out of area/state, are you willing to travel.
  
• Are you willing to write: articles, product reports, fishing experience/reports. For some, this is a show stopper. If your able to write on a fishing forum, your able to write!
  
• Never lie about who you are, what you've done (experience)! Most companies will follow up on resumes and check prospective back grounds. Sponsor's don't want drama or problems. As a pro-staff, your a representative for the company.
  

This is what I look for when a resume is presented. If I feel its worth moving on to the next level, I provide a pro-staff application. If individual is accepted, a pro-staff agreement of understanding is provided.

These have stood out throughout the years that never worked for me:

• Walking up and showing me your 100 page photo album at a fishing show.
  
• Pounding your chest and telling me how great you are?
  
• Name throwing - You need me because I know a certain Pro-angler.
  
• Fishing pictures is not your resume, it’s a small part of who you are.
  
• Claiming to win tournaments, when the tournament never existed.
  
• Don’t pad your awards/accomplishments - it will be checked.
  
• You need to pay me to be on your staff, because I’m so good.
  
• I’ve had so many sponsors throughout the years. (loyal to a company goes a long way. If you’ve had 3 rod sponsors in 5 years, it show your always looking for the better deal).
  
• You need to sweeten the pro-staff deal, because a competitor has a better deal for me
  
• Will I get paid for pro-staff?
  
• When can I get free stuff?
  
• Telling me how great the product is, though you have never used the product. Knowledge of the product goes a long way.
  

Hope the above information helps.

Good luck, Mel - Kahuna Bass

[msolorio]

yea all this is spot on. im an mma fighter and with that comes the need for sponsorships as well. ive had the same sponsors with the addition of a couple more recently for the past 3 years. i push the company and its services in and out of the cage. people see shirts with sponsor names and sometimes ask what they do and i tell them. sparks interest and from what some of my sponsors have told me, theyve got more business because of people speaking to me. ive never once asked for free or discounted products, never. if sponsors see that your not just in it for free stuff or a discount, theyll eventually offer it. the one quote that came to mind when i first started on the sponsor hunt was "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" JFK. i think that quote sums it up in sense because sponsors dont want to hear what can you do for me, they wanna hear what can i do for you.

[Kahuna bass]

Msoloria,

Well said!! Step up and prove what you can do. Often enough, it's rewards comes back much more, than the time you put in. Most sponsors keep tabs on their pro-staff. They see what your doing. I have had my share of retail/vendors call me up and thanking our company for providing one of our pro-staff anglers to provide product presentation.

Also, I've had the opportunity to convince some of my pro-staff to become part/full time sales reps. These days, any extra income is always a plus!

Sometimes it's more than just fishing.

Regards, Mel - Kahuna bass

[msolorio]

thank you kahuna bass. i push the companies that sponsor me because i believe in their products/services. ill never speak for a company that i dont believe in. i made that promise to myself a long time ago. i think these days a lot of people try for sponsors because they want free or discounted products or to just be a name dropper, thats not right, thats not the point of having a company sponsor you. i have no problem paying for my rods, reels, baits, and tackle. i work my butt off, train my butt off, fight my butt off, and fish my butt off. people need to truly realize what it means to have a company back you before they go looking.

[Steve Horvath]

Great perspectives all

[Tony Monticelli]

does part of it mean you can't use there rods as tomato stakes?

i think it would be great contribution to a sponsor, bring in a new group of buyers, gardeners will flock to buy them rods.. there awesome you can tie em off to the guides, with a nice wind they all move in a nice action that is very soothing to watch... the plants love it ,seems they grow better. there easy to stick into the ground and they look allot better than anything you can find at a hardware store.

[Tony Monticelli]

they come in many lengths actions and weight ratings from your heaver super sonic tomato's to the cherry. even for those special applications like the shorter ultra lights for your nice row of peppers to there surf rod section that fits the bean application perfect.

the multi section rods are real nice option also because as the plant grows you can add the other sections as they get taller. they are easy store for the winter.. also many models include a "FREE" storage tube for protection when not in use and that helps protect them from damage so your plants can enjoys years of quality support.

i can sell it!!!!!

[J Francho]

New 3M nano resin contains high NPK levels to properly nourish....lmao

[Michael DiNardo]

This is a great post, and I rarely read this section. I was never on a pro-staff, but I sold guns for about 10 years. I did push one company's guns over the others. I never received anything from them but I believed in that gun and used it for myself. I would never recommend a gun that I did not use. Also, I did not try to sell someone on the lightness of the gun, or the high mag capacity, or the finish, etc. What I did try to sell was the benefits that the gun offered. I could care less if a reel has Boca bearings or a Carbontex drag or whatever. It is how those attributes will benefit me that I care about. I guess what I am trying to say is believe in the product that you want to sponsor. If you are just trying to push product without using and believing in that product, you will be spotted as a phoney from a mile away.

Mike