Sponsor Program Packaging: Add Selling Value

In today’s competitive marketplace, very few sponsors can justify their marketing expenditures based solely on the exposure they receive through a racing program. Stickers on cars and patches on uniforms just don’t help sell enough products and services to make it worthwhile. But the majority of sponsor sellers continually tell the same old “we’ll get you great exposure” story.

The sports sponsorship arena is very cluttered and most sponsors don’t get a good return on investment. They are competing for exposure against hundreds of other sponsor companies and even if you are a championship contender, the amount of in-focus exposure time your sponsors receive on television is limited and varies based on the network broadcast team.

Most savvy corporate marketers understand that the direct sales benefits will not come to fruition without a package of benefits that goes beyond the at-track and TV exposure. Understanding this dynamic, here are a few tips to keep in mind as you put together your sponsor packages:

1. Focus on selling sponsor products and services. Painting a car and hanging a banner doesn’t count. We need to sell products, not just advertise.

2. Bring companies together. If you want to add meaningful value to your program, you should think beyond your team and series benefits. Most long term sponsorships have a business to business element that adds justifiable value. Take your team benefits and build partnerships that add tools that help you sell sponsor products.

3. Track your sales. Create a package that not only sells their products, but also tracks sales related to your program. If you can’t show them a direct return on investment they will eventually take their money elsewhere. Tracking is a key element to any good program.

4. Look through their lens. Most sponsor companies don’t need a race or sports team to grow their business. They need to sell their products and services. Instead of having the “gimme, gimme” attitude of most racers, take the “what can I do for you” approach.

If you can sell sponsor products and services, you’ll have a long career in sports.

Photo: James Boone