Sponsor-Seeking Racers, listen-up!

I agree with you 100%. The best sponsorship deal I have ever made is with a nobody racer. He rarely wins, and only races a couple races a year. But he tells everybody he meets about my shop! If his wife wasn't apposed, I'd buy him BJ's every Friday night!

 

Let's be honest, racers as a whole are whores. They are your best friend as long as you are giving them something and when the free (or discounts) stop, they move on to another.

Give a drag race a discount, they send you 10 friends looking to buy.
Give a Street squid a discount, they give you all their business and their friend's business.
Give a road racer a discount, they give you grief because it wasn't free stuff and they send 10 more road racers looking for discounts (or free stuff).

 

Sponsor someone who needs it. And I can't think of anyone faster or more needy than...

Rob Jensen!

That dude's leathers are ALWAYS effed up. Good lord man somebody help that brotha out.

 

If you know him, have him give me a call. I am done sponsoring, but may be able to help him in the suit department.

 

Brian Van already sponsors Jensen.

 

Spend that sponsorship cash wisely, buy a WERA BBS banner ad.

 

Hell, if you gave me a free race suit I might just wear it to work and put stickers on my cubicle too. Then when I crash in the supersport chair race, rash the hell outta the leathers, then and only then will I demand another suit. As it stands currently I am leading the points race in the office and have only had one crash this season so far.

Oh, and I would tell everyone where I got it.

 

Well now that I know how your sponsorship works I'm gonna run out and tell everyone I know!:up:

 

I'm a big guy, so big that you could put TWO sponsorship patches on my suit, thereby doubling your return on investment.

Just a thought......

 

Haha I don't know him I'm just tired of seeing the dude look like he got dragged down I95.

 

Just to play devil's advocate for a minute...

I've seen several photos of your un-named sponsored racer on the top of the box this season with your company's name plastered in big letters smack dab in the center of his leathers. Now, what's your actual cost for these leathers? What's the value of having your company name out there? Wasn't this what your intentions were when you agreed to this arrangement?... I'll give this racer some leathers with my company name on them and hopefully he'll win or podium and everyone will see my company name. Moreover, maybe he'll talk my company up in the paddock? Guess what? This is what happened. Your company is pretty prominent in his program. I've seen it. You can't fault him for asking again. Looks to me like it's paid off pretty well. Maybe I'll buy him his next set of leathers and we can put my company name on them. I'd appreciate the exposure, because the kid sure is winning.




Now, if you like the idea of sponsoring track day instructors.... pm me.

 

You should have worked with Melissa. She really promotes everything she uses very well. If you facebook or twitter you should get on her lists.

 

Back to my getting free shit. I promised to send 20 more guys over looking for free shit and I'll punch Dits in the junk.

 

Shittin on (hanging up, really?) a supporter pisses me off. Questionable cost benefit arguments aside, its the entitlement attitude that sunk this relationship. when you get free shit you need to be grateful, period. Tangible goods trump intangible exposure every day, all day. When you start acting like a dick, it all goes south pretty fast.

This sport is a molecule on a gnats ass compared to real motosports. You better have a good sense of proportion and where you are in the grand scheme of things :down:

 

Well lets put it this way. She promotes so well because she has nothing else to do in DSB.

 

Once again, the thing to take away from this is this, "be sure to provide value to your sponsors, and be grateful." That is my complete and total point to this post. The racer I reference has always been nice (and quite positive for that matter), but his representation needs a little finesse when asking somebody for something...

 

Anyone looking to aquire sponsorship should pick up Roadracingworld's article on Eddie Kraft/Withkraft Racing and take notes because THAT'S how it's done.

 

+1 +1 +1 (can I plus 1 three times?!)

 

I'm not a racer yet, hopefully someday, but I have dealt with the sponsorship thing through wakeboarding for years. The majority of people who go out seeking sponsorship are just that... people seeking sponsorship. Most of them will go to anyone and everyone asking for discounts and free stuff, then not give much back in return. Every few weeks on the wakeboarding message boards we'd see the same post "I want sponsers" (yes.. they mispelled it too). I had sponsors as a rider, I started out as one of those who wanted anything from anyone, but then I realized that I needed to support and believe in what I was promoting. I needed to give back more than my sponsor gave me, afterall, they weren't required to give me discounts or product. Then I started basically making friends with reps of the companies I really liked, I bought their products and told other people about them. Once the reps saw that, they started giving me discounts and eventually free product. With the advent of facebook, and twitter and the growing popularity of online sport specific message boards a person can reach tons of people very easily. There's no reason a rider shouldn't be able to give back to their sponsor. That's my one fiftieth of a dollar.
Final note... pleasing a sponsor isn't just about standing on a podium, especially in a less mainstream sport, it's about talking them up and sending people their way.

 

Huh... my hope is being renewed...