Rob Sharp – Interview Summary

Recently I had a very interesting chat with Rob Sharp from YBI Creative. The interview is divided into two parts:

But for all you time-poor sponsorship seekers I have summarised the interview below…

5 common mistakes sponsorship seekers make:

Poor spelling – have your sponsorship proposal proof read by someone other than yourself.
Sending the sponsorship proposal to the wrong person – make sure you have established a relationship with the person who can say yes.
Sending a sponsorship proposal before making a meaningful connection.
Not abiding by their sponsorship and brand guidelines – use the right logos and colours etc.
Not finding out why you were unsuccessful – use this as an opportunity to improve your sponsorship seeking skills.

Research. Research. Research.
Start with a verbal. People respond better to someone that they feel they know already.
Establishing who you should be talking too immediately.
Have a unique selling proposition / define your angle.
Establish a connection with the potential sponsor’s brand.
How do you fit with their existing marketing strategy?
Understand the potential sponsor’s message.
Turning the intangible into the tangible – make sure you can track exposure.
Sponsorship is a risk…the sponsor can get quantifiable results from other marketing opportunities.
Unique experiences are the key.
What are the sponsor’s key performance indicators (KPIs) – address them directly.
Make the sponsor feel comfortable that they won’t get egg on their faces – make it as easy as possible to sell the opportunity internally.
Time your proposals with the sponsor’s planning and decision making process.
Place the emphasis on value, not on costs.
Put in place strategies to quantify results.
Don’t talk numbers until you have established a relationship.
Provide indicative investment requirements at the right time.
Understand that the sponsor has to leverage or activate the opportunity. And this can require an investment of 3 to 5 times what they are investing with you.
Package your proposal in a way that best communicates with the potential sponsor.