Paintball Sponsors 101 - How To Get Them
Paintball Sponsors 101 - How To Get Them
Paintball Sponsors 101 - How To Get Them
"Sponsorship", that word, that to paintball players means "Free Stuff". The end all goal of all paintball players. To play for free, or better yet to get paid to play. Unfortunatly the only way to get such a thing is to be the cream of the crop, and if you are, chances are you wouldn't be reading this article, but if your heart set on getting industry support for your game then here are a few helpful hints:
What is sponsorship?: Ever stop to wonder just why companies sponsor teams? It's most definatly not out of the kindness of their hearts, and chances are they could find better ways to make tax write offs. So why spend thousands of dollars on sponsorship? The answer is simple. Advertising. For a company to advertise in a paintball magazines it can cost $100,000 and more per advertisement. That really starts to eat up the profits. So what companies will do is heavily support a good team. If that team wins then that team gets into that same magazine for free, and guess who rides right along? So it's a "we help you, you help us relationship". So just how do you get into this?
Get noticed: No comapny is going to sponsor some new team that just formed and has yet to prove themselves. You may be the best thing since sliced bread but if no one knows of you, you can't sell yourselves. So compete. Go to big events, and most importantly, Do well. Chances are you won't do too well when you start, so play local events, try to get local sponsorship (a field or such) then move from there. Your much ore likely to get support if you say "I'm from team X" and the company already knows that team name.
Take what you get: You'll never get free stuff. It just doesn't happen. So bag those dreams for later and take what your given. Maybe a local store will give you 10% off. Hey that is still a few bucks cheaper, and it adds up. If you prov to be good advertising for the company thn you can go back later and ask to improve the deal. Generally what you will get in a sponsorship is reduced prices on whatever the company sells. That way the company can cover it's costs, and you get cheaper product. It works for both of you. You save money, and the business doesn't have to give any out of pocket. Getting cash as a sponsorship is almost unheard of unless you have a major supporter (IE a college, or large business)
Talk to your local field: The most common sponsorship is from your local field. You wouldn't know it but finding hard working, knowledgeable refs is very tough for field owners and they are usually more then happy to take on the extra help of a tournament team. The usual deal is that your team refs the field one day, and gets to use the field for free or a greatly reduced price. Or they simply get paid, which still helps out.
Make a portfolio: Make a nice looking advertisement of your team. A resume if you will. Include names, playing expereince, makers, and your teams history and accomplishments. Pictures are always nice to put in to. Slap a nice cover on it and take lots of copies with you whenever you go to large events.
Persist: Almost all companies will turn you down the first time. They get bombarded with sponsorship requests like no other. So do stuff that will make your name stand out. Get recognized, get magazine coverage for doinging something, and give them a new copy of your resume everytime you see them. Don't be rude, or over do it, just make sure they remember you and see that your willing to work for what you want.
NEVER COMPLAIN: Your not really in any position to make demands of a sponsor, at least I'd bet not. This is a business relationship and with all the requests for support by teams you can very easily find yourself without a sponsor and them picking up someone else. So keep your supporters happy. I've seen a lot of teams complain that they are not getting a good enough deal, and end up with no deal at all.
Sportsmanship: Remember that when you have a sponsorship you are representing a company. If you act up or do something bad the company you represent looks bad, and trust me, they don't like that. But the reverse is true. If your kind, helpful, and great to have around then people will see the companies that support you and have a higher opinion of them.
Out of Industry: Does your mom work for a office or do you know someone who has a business that would like to reach out? Sometimes local extablishments are the best places to look if your starting off small and looking to stay in local tournaments. Diners, returants, heck even the laundry mat likes to get inexpencive advertising, so don't over look them.
Sponsorship is a great goal to try to obtain, but never jump in assuming you'll get support. There are too many teams looking, and too few comapnies giving. So do something to stand out.
Just remember that sponsorship is a two way street that you have to earn. As the saying goes "There is no such thing as a free lunch". In this case "There is no such thing as free paint"
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