How does one get a sponsor?

[Tyro Shooter]

The men & women whom you are about to approach for sponsorship work very hard to Design , Manufacture, Assemble, Market and Sell the products you are asking them to give you for free . . . how hard are you going to work for them?

Sponsors are looking for saleswomen & men

They are looking for someone who will listen to all of the various and sundry questions and inquiries about the product on your shirt. . . and they ask that you have a very good knowledge of their products and answer every time with a smile, and do your best to sell their product.

I have seen many ways to not approach this

Don’t demand things from the company your looking to sponsor you.

Don’t ask for sponsorship from a company whose products you have no intention of using. (Don’t approach a potential sponsor without knowing what their product line is.)

Don’t intimate that If they don’t act now, your price to wear their logo will triple with your soon to be achieved GM card.

Don’t beg.

Don’t over state your shooting achievements. (All match results are posted on the internet . . . If you’re a “B” shooter you’re a “B” shooter. . .if you’re a Sandbagging “C” fine, don’t lie to them)

Don’t say you’re going to shoot matches you don’t plan on entering, (remember that Internet thing again?)

Don’t trash talk your potential sponsors competition (there is a good chance not only do they know each other, but if not friends they probably do respect one another.

Don’t ever answer a question about a sponsors product with “I duno. . . they just gave it to me free”

Don’t brag about money or goods received in trade. (“I’m proud to have them help me out”)

[ceejayex]

The men & women whom you are about to approach for sponsorship work very hard to Design , Manufacture, Assemble, Market and Sell the products you are asking them to give you for free . . . how hard are you going to work for them?

Sponsors are looking for saleswomen & men

They are looking for someone who will listen to all of the various and sundry questions and inquiries about the product on your shirt. . . and they ask that you have a very good knowledge of their products and answer every time with a smile, and do your best to sell their product.

I have seen many ways to not approach this

Don’t demand things from the company your looking to sponsor you.

Don’t ask for sponsorship from a company whose products you have no intention of using. (Don’t approach a potential sponsor without knowing what their product line is.)

Don’t intimate that If they don’t act now, your price to wear their logo will triple with your soon to be achieved GM card.

Don’t beg.

Don’t over state your shooting achievements. (All match results are posted on the internet . . . If you’re a “B” shooter you’re a “B” shooter. . .if you’re a Sandbagging “C” fine, don’t lie to them)

Don’t say you’re going to shoot matches you don’t plan on entering, (remember that Internet thing again?)

Don’t trash talk your potential sponsors competition (there is a good chance not only do they know each other, but if not friends they probably do respect one another.

Don’t ever answer a question about a sponsors product with “I duno. . . they just gave it to me free”

Don’t brag about money or goods received in trade. (“I’m proud to have them help me out”)

Great Advice! Thanks

[Flexmoney]

All,

I've pulled that"satirical sponsor video" video a few times from other threads, and I've deleted it here. Some find it funny, some don't. We don't need the grief here. Please don't post it on Brian'sForum.

(and...as general forum etiquette...don't quote pictures or videos...some people are still on dial-up)

Kyle F.

Forum Administrator

[SinistralRifleman]

Quick path: Work for a gun or shooting gear related company. Be a competent, proficient shooter, use the products you make and sell. Have the boss send you to matches to promo the stuff you make.

[Chuck Anderson]

Lower your expectations, way, way down. There are very few full ride sponsorships out there. There are some product sponsorships and some cash sponsorships. Keep in mind that very few businesses sponsor matches from a purely altruistic position. Most are hoping to increse business in someway. This is even more true with shooter sponsorships. Unless the owner is a close personal friend, they are sponsoring you to help move product. How can you help the sponsor do that. Just going to your local matches once or twice a month is not going to be that great of an incentive for Glock. But it may work for the local gun shop. Will that local sponsor really care if you shoot a 3 gun match on the other side of the country? Companies that have a wider appeal will be more interested in a shooter that gets out of his neighborhood more often than one who never ventures more than 60 miles from home.

Start small. If you go to the sponsor asking for $5000.00 a year for match expenses...well if you get it, tell me because I want to call them. I have several sponsors that I started out with getting a little bit of product from. A scope mount here and there, or a barrel when I really needed one. After a year or three promoting the product line, and testing it and suggesting improvements, or new ideas, I moved into the cash sponsorship level. Still not pulling down the Robbie bucks, but when you spend a crap load shooting, every little bit helps.

Don't expect for the sponsorship to cover the cost of shooting. Very, very few shooters actually make a profit shooting and competing. The ones who do still have to supplement their income by training or other jobs.

Finally think about what you really want from a sponsorship. There are many, one vocal National Champion included, who aren't interested in sponsorships. With sponsorship comes responsibility. It's not just a hobby, you are working for someone when you're shooting. Few will care if you win or not. Most are looking for the connections and sales you make. I know some B class shooters that are sponsored. They aren't going to win the match, but they can do a great job of representing their sponsor and getting him increased business. I also know several GM's that really suck as sponsored shooters. They either flip flop between sponsors regularly, trash talk what they are using, set a poor example of sportsmanship or in general just present a negative image for the products they represent.

[Rob Boudrie]

Lower your expectations, way, way down. There are very few full ride sponsorships out there

I'll add another, as I am familiar with how some of this looks from the other end.

Never lose your sense of gratitude, and try to avoid this cycle:

- Shooter picks up a sponsor. Life is good, shooter and sponsor are excited.

- Shooter enjoys using the equipment, life remains good

- Shooter sells some of the equipment donated by sponsor and tells sponsor he needs more to replace it (Yes - I have really seen this happen)

- Shooter gets a very nice multi-thousand dollar gun on a sponsorship basis and immediately responds with "where is my spare?" (and never even considers that the spare might not also be a freebie)

- Shooter loses sense of gratitude, and starts to think he is not getting enough from the sponsor. Shooter starts asking for more stuff than he needs (ie, will actually shoot or carry in his range bag as a spare), and begins to inquire about things like airfare/hotel reimbursement on what was originally intended as an equipment sponsorship.

Both the shooter and sponsor are less than fully excited by the relationship at this point.

[Giant81]

I'm nowhere near the point I'd ever have a chance at a sponsorship, I just don't shoot that well yet.

But, if I ever did make it to that point I'd be looking more for help on stuff then a full ride. I'd hope to have a reloading company maybe help me out with a deep discount on a press, or a hearing protection company throw me headset to show off at a shoot, etc.. I can't see me getting greedy because I'm going to go shoot it anyway, any help is just gravy on the potatoes.

[Tactica]

How does a shooter get a sponsor? Besides the obvious of shooting well.. Go to the big matches? Send them videos of your shooting skills? AND..once sponsored what is expected of you?

Any advice is appreciated.

I'll speak from what limited experience I'm familiar with and have encountered by others I know that are sponsored. Generally, it seems there are two paths to being sponsored.

Path A. The shooter finds a party (usually a business or product) s/he would like to represent / endorse based upon personal experience and then formerly asks the party if they would have interested in a sponsorship. Terms of that agreement would then be negotiated, but the bargaining power the shooter may be limited as it is s/he who is pursing the party of interest. If a party accepts, they may ask for proof of any benefit the shooter promises and they may ask that the shooter advertise and/or perform in a particular manner so they can evaluate the return on investment of the arrangement.

Path B. The shooter's performance / publicity has peaked a party's interest. The aforementioned party asks the shooter if s/he would be interested in representing the party. Negotiations ensue and the shooter may have more negotiating power in this situation. They may have an obligation to simply maintain a status quo but reap larger rewards for doing so.

Unless this sport is different than all of the others out there... I'm guessing there are far more competitors that fall into the former A) category rather than the latter B. category.

Your road to sponsorship would be influenced by which path you feel you are best suited for and what your motivation is.

If your end game is simply to have a techwear shirt, just go buy one. It's cheaper and you can design what you want. Get a group together to bulk order and reduce per shirt cost. Many shooting establishements even sell pre-designed shirts which endorse the company and also work to satisfy the STI endorsement program. An example of that would be the Shooters Connection shirts... and that's only one of many.

If you really do want to represent something... say like wearing and promoting the colors of your local club and/or gunsmith because you value their offering and want to share that value with the community, I say you have a better motivation. You may first see if the owner has any interest in the free advertisement. Maybe they already have a shooting team or members only group that has built a designed shirt and see what it takes to get a membership and be on the team. Maybe they don't have a team, but would be willing to help partially pay for a few shirts for some select members in exchange for receiving some free advertisement out of the folks that travel and compete regularly... especially if you do the work with Techwear to design a compelling shirt worthy of the store's advertisement.

If you are not really looking to endorse someone... but you're real motivation comes from what you would like to get out of the Sponsorship, you are probably barking up the wrong tree. For example, if you are looking for comp'd ammo, loading supplies, guns, travel, etc... you need to be in the second B. path above. You need to be one of the select few at the top of their game and attracting the interested parties... not pursuing them.

That's how I see it. Hopefully you find something in there worth thinking about.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Tactica

[OpenDot]

Almost all companies have a discount program....just ask, in return they want their logo at the ranges being seen.

[perrysho]

Opinions are like ears & rears everyone has one or two/

A bill board shirt and hat is not a sponsorship.

There's not many who are paid enough to cover salary and all expenses.

How many in the US do you think fits Full Sponsorship and Salary. ( A DOZEN ??)

A lot is ego trips and BS.

Perry

[davidwiz]

Gone are the halcyon days of the sponsored shooter making enough money in sponsorship and prizes to be a professional shooter and shoot matches year-round (i.e., that was their only job). As was pointed out, even the top 10 guys aren't making that much money from their sponsorship/prize money to live on, they have full-time jobs, most likely either working for themselves as a gunsmith, industry consultant, and/or firearm trainer or working for one of the big firearm companies either in marketing or R&D.

[Rob Boudrie]

most likely either working for themselves as a gunsmith, industry consultant, and/or firearm trainer or working for one of the big firearm companies either in marketing or R&D.

The key is to figure out a way to give a company value for what you want. Look at it as applying for a job - you have to present a value proposition which, in many cases, requires work (yes, that four letter word ending in "K"). Look at some of the really big names who went full time and you'd find they had many duties other than winning matches - running marketing programs, a custom shop, working the firm's Shot Show booth, etc.

If you have a particular skill, and can find a company (even one of the small independent businesses), make your pitch - but remember, you need to deliver value with the skill - and that means convincing the vendor it will make money off of your efforts, not just "feeling good" about basking in your glow. I did a system for an independent shop to help sell used guns - and was shocked to find out how many thousands it has actually sold (no wonder the shop owner is always so nice to me).

[mackey]

the best sponsors, or worst depending how you looked at it however, is always visa and mastercard.

Edited April 11, 2012 by mackey

[AlamoShooter]

Hang out in Bars

[ebg3]

Hang out in Bars