Help/advice with sponsorship

[coombia21]

I am starting a fishing club at NDSU and will be fishing the national guard college series and the bassmaster college series this upcoming year. I have never approached people for sponsorships and I am not sure who is the best to approach and how to approach people. Am I better off to contact smaller shops or am I better off approaching large companies? Are there things or techniques that work better than others for receiving/earning sponsorships? I do not expect anything and I am not looking to get myself sponsored, I would like to get the whole club sponsored. This way it will entice people to join, and participate in the club. If anybody has any tips or advice I am all ears. I really appreciate any help.

Thanks

[Deitz Dittrich]

I think the biggest thing or best advice I would have is.. .. .. Make sure you let the sponsor to be know what you will be doing for them. Nobody wants to hand out free money, and a logo on a jersey is not worth a whole heck of a lot. Come up with something that will work good for the would be advertiser.

[coombia21]

Any recommendations? I can't really think of a whole lot of other ways to do that. What are typical things that people do for their sponsors?

[Cecil]

sell product! thats all they want

[RK]

Hiya -

Couple thoughts...

- Start by making some lists. Who makes products you like and believe in? Of those, who has a local presence? Go prowl some local stores. Talk to the fishing manager, find out what they do for things like in-store sales events, local sport shows, etc. What you're looking for are opportunities for local, feet on the ground sales support you can provide for potential sponsors. Your lists should be: what products have presence locally, and what opportunities are there for me to help promote them?

- Take your list of companies, then go back to the fishing managers and find out who their local reps are. Call them up and introduce yourself, and ask if there's a convenient time for you to schedule a short informational phone call (reps are busy, and asking for their time can show you're respectful of that). Tell them why you're calling and what your up to, and let them know the reason you're calling them is not that you're asking them for a sponsorship, but because you want to learn about the local market a little bit. Most reps are pretty good guys, and are willing to give you a lot of good information. You can usually also find out from them who you'd need to talk to at the companies they represent. If you do ultimately end up on someone's promo staff, their local rep is invaluable to you as a resource. They can be your main source of opportunities for promo work. They can also introduce you to other possible opportunities down the road.

- With the info you have, sit down again and see if there are companies that are active locally that would be a good fit. Then start the process of contacting them. Put together a short package of information about yourself, your background, why you're asking for a sponsorship, and most importantly, what you can do for them as a company. Be specific about the opportunities you've identified for product support. What usually does NOT work is just telling them that you LOVE to fish and that you really want to fish tournaments. (You and 5,000 other guys...) Make a case for why you'd be a valuable local asset to their company, and how you can help them with their sales support, image, and branding. The fact that you're starting a fishing club is an interesting story. Use it...

- When you get your foot in the door, *communicate* with the company. Let them know what you're doing. Make it a point to stop into local shops and meet the fishing managers, and let them know you're available. Check in with the rep to see if there are things he needs help with. Call and let him know if you see short stock or bad merchandising in stores. Be an asset.

- Something people often forget: The "pro" in 'pro staff' isn't short for "professional" it's short for "promotional."

Good luck.

RK

[lookincalifornia]

i would really play up the college thing. the opprotunuty for them to get in on the ground level would be a good selling point. college fishng seems to be growing in leaps and bounds(soon we'll be filling out fishing brackets).

[Bagman101]

I would contact SCHEELS, since they are based in Fargo and big NDSU supporters. I would be shocked if they dont offer (at least some) support of your endeavor.

[tritonman]

The best advice I can give you is don't be stuck on just fishing tackle sponsors. There isn't a tackle company out there that hasn't heard from 10,000 guys how they can sell their product because they catch SO many fish and win SO many tournaments and all that. Also tackle companys are not typically a huge corporation. Can't think of one on Forbes' list actually! They are very hard to get a monotary sponsorship out of. Usually they will just give you a discount on there products, which is fine, if that's all you're looking for. I have several monotary sponsors in the hunting industry as sponsors of my fishing and it works great for them because hunting and fishing go hand in hand. Maybe try the automotive industry as well. Harold Allen (The Legend) is sponsored by Jasper transmissions. I hate to use the old "Think out side the box", but it does apply here. Good luck and I hope you get your program rolling. We need more youth in the sport!!!

[hanson]

Without a doubt... talk to Scheel's up there. Or better yet, talk with Johnny Candle who fishes for Scheel's and see if he can't connect you with the right people.

Couple other thoughts for you... FM Walleyes is one of the biggest and well respected walleye clubs in the midwest. They were recently inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as well. Their membership includes a good number of professional walleye fisherman and I have to believe they would be a very good resource for you and your club, regardless of the species. Just do a search for FM Walleyes.

Another resource to consider is the NPAA (National Professional Angler's Association). I've been a member for 4 years now and the information I've learned about the competitive fishing world, sponsorships, tournaments, marketing yourself has been invaluable. They are more walleye focused once again but there is definitely crossover between other species.

College and high school fishing is exploding in popularity. Should be a lot of people that would want to support you. Good Luck!!