With the New Year in full swing, I thought I’d start off with 12 resolutions that anyone seeking sponsors should strive to achieve in 2012. Without any further adieu, here they are:

In 2012, I will (with hand firmly planted over heart in oath fashion):

1. Seek sponsors who represent the right fit for my property, audience or cause; not just because they look like they have a lot of money;
2. Learn more about my audience to understand what types of companies they would see as a terrific fit;
3. Have a clearly articulated brand and value proposition, so that potential sponsors will have a clear idea of the opportunity they are buying into;
4. Remember that when recruiting a potential sponsor, it’s not all about “us”; it’s all about “them”;
5. Move away from the prepackaged “gold, silver, bronze thing” and be open to customizing proposals that actually meet the objectives of prospects;
6. NOT present proposals until I have a conversation with a prospect to understand what they might be interested in;
7. Build audience value-adds into every sponsorship activation program so that the people exposed to the sponsorship actually experience / understand the value of a company’s involvement;
8. Understand the value of our assets and the opportunity that we bring to the table;
9. Work on building an internal culture where sponsors are respected for their contribution and not viewed as a “necessary evil”;
10. Not chase after prospects that are not really interested in doing business with us, but are too polite to say so;
11. Build a strong sponsor renewal program so we can spend more time growing our revenue rather than putting all our efforts into maintaining current levels;
12. Ask for longer-term agreements (with annual reviews and opt-out clauses) that transform me from sponsorship representative to strategic partner.

There you have it. If you follow these resolutions, I guarantee you will have a very successful sponsorship year in 2012!

Later,
BC