Category Archives: Selling Skills

We often get asked a lot what goes into an effective sponsorship proposal. The short answer is that an effective proposal presents a vision that a prospect sees themselves a part of, and a logical conclusion as to how the sponsorship is going to eliminate some level of “pain”, whether it be marketing, community relations, building employee morale, etc.

In my view, the two most important elements of presenting an effective proposal are:

  • Understanding the “pain” or issue you want to address
  • Presenting your case in a manner that the reader finds logical and compelling

The reality is that if you don’t understand your prospect’s specific marketing challenge or pain, the odds of you [...]

Tags: | Leave a comment

One of the biggest weaknesses I see in organizations recruiting sponsors is their ability to effectively present the opportunity in a way that the prospect views the presentation as a strategic discussion rather than a “sales” pitch. Here are some simple rules to get you started on the right track:

  1. It’s not about you – it’s about them. You may have the best sponsorship opportunity in the world, but if you can’t make it relevant to the personal needs of the prospect and his/her organization, you won’t grab their interest or their dollars. Experienced salespeople, at least initially, spend 80% of their time listening and 20% talking. The fact is the [...]
Tags: | Leave a comment

The two most common questions I get asked in my sponsorship workshops and consulting work are “How do I determine the value of my sponsorship property?” and “How do I get top (optimal) dollar for my sponsorship opportunities?”

The short answer is that you get optimal value (and revenue) by presenting the right proposal to the right potential sponsor (prospect) at the right time.

The longer answer is that the more relevant you are to a prospect, the more likely they are to see your opportunity as one that they are willing to invest top dollar for because they clearly see the value at several levels. So, in identifying top prospects who [...]

Tags: | Leave a comment