Major and Title Sponsorship:The Five Stages

About MeChris Baylis is the Managing Director of The Sponsorship Collective, a boutique marketing firm focused exclusively on:

• Sponsorship strategy• Inventory building and asset valuation• Sponsorship coaching

Chris is a sponsorship expert and has managed the entire spectrum of the sponsorship process, from multi-million dollar campaigns to local event sponsorship….and everything in between.

Get in touch:

sponsorshipcollective.com/gailperry@CPBaylis

Goals of the Session• Identify the stages required to

close the biggest sponsorship deal

• Dispel myths that are driving your prospects to your competition

• Outline and understand the entire sponsorship sales process

• Understand what your prospects are looking for to get them to six and seven figures

What is Sponsorship, Really?

What is Sponsorship, Really?At it’s heart, sponsorship aims to achieve one of two things:

Helps your sponsors get something they want but don’t have (customers, leads, brand awareness)

Solves a problem they have but don’t want (brand confusion, bad reputation, lack of customers)

The Five Stages of Sponsorship

Inventory building and valuationProspectingGetting the meeting (and what to do once you have it!)The sponsorship proposalActivation, fulfillment and renewal

Inventory Building and Asset Valuation

Why start here?

Inventory Building and Asset Valuation

Why start here?

Your inventory tells you who you should be talking toIt guides your budget! No assets, no salesIt gets your leadership, board, admin staff…everyone on the same pageMajor sponsorship requires a major inventory!

Inventory Building 101Logo  placement  (posters,  shirts,  advertising)Speaking  opportunitiesNewsletters  and  mailingsNaming  rights  of  programs  and  eventsPermission  to  use  your  logoExclusivity  product  agreementsDatabase  accessSocial  mediaE-­‐mail  mentionAudience  Your  business  (what  do  you  currently  spend  money  on?)VIP  seatsProduct  salesPermission  to  hold  kick  off  events  with  press

What’s Missing Here?

Congratulations!You now have an inventory list…

…but what is each asset worth?

Current Valuation Practices

• Tiered sponsorship packages

• Doing what you did last year

• Starting with how much money you need

• Shoulder shrug method

The Solution?• Make a list of every single asset you have to offer, without exception

• Look at how much it will cost your sponsor to get the same exposure elsewhere

• Determine the value of your tangible and intangible assets

• Don’t forget to add a “bump” to the tangible items based on the value of your brand

• Look to newspapers, digital media, social media advertising, a cross section of similar properties

Valuation Case Study• Two identical properties, different geographies…same sponsor!

• Property A is giving away space for product and samples as a “value add” to a sponsor

• Property A is afraid to charge for this as they fear they will lose the sponsor

• Property B did a valuation and that same asset, to the same company for the same property goes for…

$50,000

Valuation 101Many approaches, the two most popular:

1) The  market  valuation  approach applies  a  value  to  every  logo  placement,  booth,  ad,  speaking  engagement  etc.  

2)  The  value  method is  easier  but  is  more  art  than  science.  You  determine  that  the  sponsorship  of  the  wine  is  worth  two  or  three  times  the  cost  to  purchase  the  wine  and  recognize  your  sponsors.

Sample Valuation Template

Wine  Sponsorship

Wine $750.00

Signage $175.00Branded  tent  cards $125.00

Logo  on  website $375.00

Logo  on  invitation $500

Ad  in  program $250.00

Cost  per  view  at  event  ($5  X  250) $1250.00

Sub  Total $2925.00

If you use the “value” method then this would be a $3150 sponsorship (3 X the hard costs)

In this case, the two methods reach the same number, but this is rare

sponsorshipcollective.com/gailperry

Let’s Prospect!

Prospecting is a Numbers Game

Start with your assets and ask:

A. Who is coming to your event?

B. Who does your brand appeal to?

C. Who would want to know about this opportunity?

Look to your board

Look to your committee

Ask current sponsors for referrals

Look to your direct competition

Look to other orgs that are not competitive but appeal to a similar demographic eg. Top 40 under 40, Toastmasters, Professional Designations, Professional Education

The firewood rule

Does Your Board Suffer From the Dreaded“Nocontactitis”?

The Cure to “Nocontactitis”

Sponsor Recruiting TipsTreat board and committee members like sponsors! E-blasting them asking for “contacts” won’t work. Meet them for coffee and ask for help

Research your board members and current sponsors and go with a list of people you know they are connected to

Use LinkedIn to determine who is in your network and work in concentric circles, starting with those closest to you

The power of the advice visit! Ask your contacts to meet and ask them for advice as to who else you should meet and what assets you’re missing. Ask them who they can introduce you to. Be specific

Ask for referrals: current sponsors, volunteers, committees, investors, board, business contacts and service providers, your own referral network

Throw a Party!The business breakfast!

Networking events

One on one advice visits

Ask people for “pre-qualified” contacts

“Friday Five”

Sometimes You Have to Go in Cold

Ask for an intro from all of the sources we’ve covered

Write the e-mail for them, all they have to do is forward

Find something in common and warm up that call with an e-mail

…but not just any e-mail!

Three Rules to E-Mail Success!

1. No more than two sentences. No exceptions!2. Never send a proposal, your mission, your website

etc. The only action you want them to take is to hit reply or forward

3. Never tell them what you need, instead ask them something

4. Top secret rule number four: “Will Alison’s Boss Read This?”

Do you want to see an e-mail that landed me a six figure sponsorship?

Steal My Email Template(my most controversial slide)

Steal this Template!Hey Dave,

I saw on LinkedIn that you are involved in X, I would love to connect and ask your thoughts about a cool project I'm working on. Are you free tomorrow at 3:00?

Chris

(no title here, just my name)

…why does this work?

sponsorshipcollective.com/gailperry

Why Does This Work?So short , they can't help but read itYou flatter them and ask for adviceYou give them a date and time, changing the decision from yes/no to whether or not the time worksIt isn't a 20 page proposal!It’s focused on them, not you

Getting the Meeting

Never go in Proposal First!

Case study alert! The tale of 10,000 sponsorship proposals!

You’ve Got the Meeting!…now what!?!

When You go to the Meeting, Bring the Following…

When You go to the Meeting, Bring the Following…

Nothing

The Following Things are not Examples of Nothing:

One pagersProposalsAnnual ReportsBuckslipsInfographicsLeave behindsBookmarks

Why Bring Nothing?“When someone hands you a flyer, it's like they're saying here you throw this away.”

~ Mitch Hedberg

Here’s What Else it Does:You tell your prospect that you don't care about them or their needsYou care about telling them something vs hearing somethingYou have assumptions about what they want and what they can do for you, and what you can do for themMost importantly, it robs you of accomplishing the only goal of the first meeting: to get the second meeting!

So What DO You Bring?

Lots and lots and lots of questions!

Five Questions for Every Prospect

1. Who is your target audience?2. How do you normally engage in sponsorship?3. What does your target market value?4. What can you tell me about your sales goals for the coming year?5. What would you consider to be the most important elements of a

sponsorship package?

Now we can make a sponsorship package!

Sponsorship Proposals 101Gold, Silver, Bronze is dead! Customize, customize, customize!

Think menu, not “levels"

Add all of the things they told you they value, apply your valuation tool and create your package!

Some sections will be standard, like who you are, the rest is custom

Mark it DRAFT and send it to your prospect to ask them for their thoughts

I’ve Got the Money! I’m all done…right!?!

Not quite! Now it’s time for Activation!

It is your responsibility to ensure that your sponsor gets everything they paid for

Tickets? Ads? Logo placement? Press? Not only do you have to deliver but you are going to send them a report proving you delivered

Common Errors• Not planning at least 10% of your

budget for activation expenses

• Not charging for this as part of your valuation!

• Not coaching your sponsors to invest money in activation

• If they have 10K to spend, don’t sell them a 10K package! Make sure they can activate properly

• Ambush marketing

Steal this Template!Asset Deadline Lead

Design  signage 1-­‐Feb ElaineLogos  from  sponsors 1-­‐Feb GeorgeApproval  from  sponsor 15-­‐Feb KramerPlace  signage  at  event 1-­‐May FrankOrder  tent  cards 1-­‐May EstelleApproval  from  sponsor 15-­‐Feb BabsPlacement  of  tent  cards  at  event 1-­‐Jun MortyGet  names  of  guests  from  sponsor 1-­‐May HelenAdd  logo  to  website 1-­‐Feb JerryAdd  logo  to  invitation 1-­‐Feb ElaineSend  branded  invitations 1-­‐May GeorgeDesign  ad  for  program 1-­‐May KramerAd  approval  from  sponsor 15-­‐Feb FrankSecure  booth  space 15-­‐Feb EstelleGet  names  of  booth  attendees 1-­‐May BabsDesign  e-­‐blast  for  database 1-­‐May MortyApproval  from  Sponsor 15-­‐Feb HelenInvite  sponsor  to  speak  at  event 1-­‐Jun JerryIntroduce  sponsor  at  event 1-­‐Jun ElaineWrite  speaking  notes  for  MC 1-­‐May GeorgeVIP  meet  and  greet  organising 1-­‐May KramerExtend  invitaitons  to  key  sponsors 1-­‐May Frank

sponsorshipcollective.com/gailperry

Your Mother was Right!

Don’t forget to say thank you!(Twice! Once in English and once in the language of marketing)

What is a Fulfillment Report?

• Doing what you said you would…and proving it!

• It gives your sponsors a tool to prove to their internal decision makers that they got the ROI they expected

• Sets you up for renewing the sponsorship within weeks of the event or end of your campaign

Fulfillment Report Basics • Take a picture of every single thing you promised

your sponsor: logos, program ads, people…everything!

• Get a sample of everything you promised your sponsor

• Take screen shots of web traffic and logo placement, social media and earned/purchased media

• Put it all together in a report with stats from your event or program along with all of the pictures and samples and call a meeting!

Steal this Template!Asset Status Notes

Dinner  delivered DeliveredSignage  at  event DeliveredBranded  tent  cards Delivered10  Guests   in  attendance Did  not  deliver Sponsor   opted  not  to  send   all  10  guestsLogo  on  website DeliveredLogo  on  invitations   to  database Over  Deliverd Sent  branded  save  the  date  and  invitaitonFull  page  ad  in  program DeliveredExhibit  space Did  not  deliver Sponsor   opted  not  to  have  a  boothCustom  e-­‐blast  to  database Over  Deliverd Sent  three  e-­‐blastsSponsor   addressed   the  crowd DeliveredSponsors   thanked  by  MC DeliveredTwo  VIP  tickets Delivered

Now, put it in a report with stats from your event or program along with all of the pictures and samples

and call a meeting!

sponsorshipcollective.com/gailperry

How a Fulfillment Report Saved The Day!

Case study alert! The tale of the texting sales rep!

RenewalNow you can relax…right?

Deliver your report and ask your sponsor what they thought, what they would change and what they want more of

Now for the fun part! Ask them what you should change in order for them to come back next year

Ask if you can send over a draft for their feedback

And now we’re right back where we started…but within a week of the closing of your event

How would you like to go into your next budget cycle having 80% of your sponsors already sold?

Bringing it all Together

1. Inventory building and asset valuation2. Prospecting3. Getting the meeting4. The sponsorship proposal5. Activation, fulfilment and renewal

The Five Stages of Sponsorship

The sponsorship proposal doesn’t make the sale…

…YOU DO!

Questions?

Chris BaylisThe Sponsorship Collectivesponsorshipcollective.com/gailperry@cpbaylischris@sponsorshipcollective.com