Does age really matter from a commercial aspect ?
Discussion
The stereo typical racing driver is short, masively confident and under 23. If you want to do formula 1 or make a name for yourself quickly then thats what you have to be. However, if you just want to go racing and you have enough money to top up your sponsorship and do a decently promted series then age is not a concern, just your personality and luck.
"With the greatest of respect you are too old to be taken seriously ‘commercially’ however good you may be in the car or however good you look out of it."
Whats your/everyones general response to this comment above, made in reply to an initial enquiry I made for sponsorship to a well known guy in the music and sport industry. Bearing in mind Im a 36 year old, "attractive" female?
>> Edited by delalio on Monday 4th October 17:24
Whats your/everyones general response to this comment above, made in reply to an initial enquiry I made for sponsorship to a well known guy in the music and sport industry. Bearing in mind Im a 36 year old, "attractive" female?
>> Edited by delalio on Monday 4th October 17:24
Don't go to big names, they will always give a standard response as they will get many more requests than anyone else, doubt he actually gave that reply himself too, probbaly an assistant.
Find out what series you want to be doing, where the races are going to be held and look for local businesses to the tracks that would have a vested interest in ladies like yourself.
Find out what series you want to be doing, where the races are going to be held and look for local businesses to the tracks that would have a vested interest in ladies like yourself.
Thought you were a bloke delalio said:Hi Amy,
"With the greatest of respect you are too old to be taken seriously ‘commercially’ however good you may be in the car or however good you look out of it."
Whilst the elaboration above may be a little uncalled for, you probably are about 20 years too old. Whichever way you look at it, you are not going to let a sponsor ride your coat tails all the way to the top of the sport.
It is exceptionally difficult to make a comercial case for any form of motorsport sponsorship at any level other than maybe F1 (A Jordon upside down on the front page of every national paper around the globe is worth the punt for the sponsor). There simply isn't the return on investment there - we all know motorsport is expensive (I've just had another lesson in that thanks to the winner of the Dunlop Drivers challenge
) - and the amount of money that you would need to make a difference to your motorsport can simply put a promotional message accross to more people more effectively using other media. For instance - how much do you think an advertising campaign costs on local radio - now compare that to how much money you would need to run, say, a Clio cup car for a year and wince when you realise that you can only offer a fraction of the exposure. With all this in mind, searching for sponsorship, especially in the lower series, will involve a fair few sharp boots to the teeth.
All you can do is not get upset about it and move on. You are going to have to find someone who actively wants to give you money. There are unfortunately not enough of these people to go around, so you have to factor in an astonishingly high incidence of rejection.
Rich
if you are seeking sponsorship for your racing then you have to provide an ROI. If you don't know what an ROI is then I would suggest that this is the root of your rejection by this 'name'
in short - are you a sales(wo)man? . If you are use the ose skills and you will have some success. If not then, can you pick up the phone and cold call decison makers in businesses and get them to meet you, so you can discuss your options further?
in my experience as both a salesman, and someone who is approached by various wannabe's for sponsorship the vast majority ( i.e 99%) of people take the absolute lazy way to try and gain sponsorship. Letters, brochures etc do not work, you have to do research, find out who the d-m is, take a look at the size of the business and its profits and call them on the phone. keep trying until you get through, and when you do get through make sure you can make a good impression in the first 10 secs on the phone.
as an example - if i was approaching a local IT company for sponsorship, I would first find out who their existing clients are and then find simialr business and approach them. If I have a contact who is willing to come to a race, then i can apporach the iT company and offer them this opportunity to meet this prospect. Wrap that up in some corporate hospitality and suddenly you have a USP/ROI that you can charge for.
remember sponsorship is not just about providing a space for the company's name on your car, it is about provide networking opportunites, activity days etc etc
hth.
in short - are you a sales(wo)man? . If you are use the ose skills and you will have some success. If not then, can you pick up the phone and cold call decison makers in businesses and get them to meet you, so you can discuss your options further?
in my experience as both a salesman, and someone who is approached by various wannabe's for sponsorship the vast majority ( i.e 99%) of people take the absolute lazy way to try and gain sponsorship. Letters, brochures etc do not work, you have to do research, find out who the d-m is, take a look at the size of the business and its profits and call them on the phone. keep trying until you get through, and when you do get through make sure you can make a good impression in the first 10 secs on the phone.
as an example - if i was approaching a local IT company for sponsorship, I would first find out who their existing clients are and then find simialr business and approach them. If I have a contact who is willing to come to a race, then i can apporach the iT company and offer them this opportunity to meet this prospect. Wrap that up in some corporate hospitality and suddenly you have a USP/ROI that you can charge for.
remember sponsorship is not just about providing a space for the company's name on your car, it is about provide networking opportunites, activity days etc etc
hth.
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