How to find sponsors

[xdf3]

Hi. Anybody here except for the champions has already found a way to look for sponsors, as a shooter or team? 

 

In case you know how it works, could you give some details about : what to expect, what to ask, what to give (results, exposure, advertising, etc...) ?

 

I'm starting to think a sponsor would help, but I know 0 about it. 

[kneelingatlas]

This sounds like a question for @rowdyb

 

I remember his asking the question: "do you want free stuff or do you want to win?"

[elguapo]

The first thing to ask yourself is "what do I bring for my potential sponsors"?  Because I'm pretty sure that's what they'll ask of you.

[rowdyb]

The best sponsors I ever had found me, not me chasing them.

 

What do you consider sponsorship? If you want 10-20% off what you buy from a company for pushing their products that should be easy for you to arrange; and where 80% of the people you see with a fancy shirt are at.

 

What class? What division? Who's stuff do you use now? How many majors do you attend? Who do you know? What do your social media accounts look like? Are you a junior, female or minority?

 

But more personal, when you say "I think a sponsor would help" to me that reads you think it would help you. What kind of help do you need? Want? Why is it about you?

[MemphisMechanic]

Here’s the blunt version of what @rowdyb is getting at:

 

Sponsors are a myth in the shooting world.

 

99% of shooters you see walking around in jerseys covered in logos paid $100 for that shirt, and all they get in return is a discount when they buy parts or bullets from that retailer.

 

Unless you’re knocking down High Overalls in your division at Major matches consistently, you will pay more to wear a wannabe shirt than you’ll ever make off the deal.

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by MemphisMechanic

[elguapo]

11 minutes ago, MemphisMechanic said:

Here’s the blunt version of what @rowdyb is getting at:

 

Sponsors are a myth in the shooting world.

 

99% of shooters you see walking around in jerseys covered in logos paid $100 for that shirt, and all they get in return is a discount when they buy parts or bullets from that retailer.

 

Unless you’re knocking down High Overalls in your division at Major matches consistently, you will pay more to wear a wannabe shirt than you’ll ever make off the deal.

 

 

LOL

 

 

[xdf3]

58 minutes ago, rowdyb said:

The best sponsors I ever had found me, not me chasing them.

 

What do you consider sponsorship? If you want 10-20% off what you buy from a company for pushing their products that should be easy for you to arrange; and where 80% of the people you see with a fancy shirt are at.

 

What class? What division? Who's stuff do you use now? How many majors do you attend? Who do you know? What do your social media accounts look like? Are you a junior, female or minority?

 

But more personal, when you say "I think a sponsor would help" to me that reads you think it would help you. What kind of help do you need? Want? Why is it about you?

It depends on what I can get. At the moment, the biggest expenses are : matches, cartriges (reloads), and the cost to move around+ the range. 

I'd say most of the money I use, is to reload (and I pay about 1/3 of common ammo). 

 

I was contacted to join a team, I didn't pay the shirt and I received some equipment to use in matches (it's good to use, so it's ok to me). I have a discount for a lot of spare parts. Maybe we will receive powder as sponsor, but it's not that much money (but it's still all good). 

I am trying to understand if there is a way to get something out of it. I'm still building up experience. But I've heard that there might be people wanting to sponsor people around, it's not only "you have to be the best and you will be contacted".

 

Having to put less money to play this game would be what I think I need, at the moment I have to sacrifice a lot, to keep moving ahead.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I've been paid, big time, NOT to use people's products.     

[rowdyb]

Hard talk here:

 

Flying to a major costs $1,000 in total costs, easily. I've shot multiple years where  did this at least 12 times in a year. So an easy 12 grand out of pocket.

 

Shoot 4 locals a month? At 20 a match and 20 for ammo you're at an easy $300 a month just to shoot locals.

 

Want to shoot 1k rounds a week in practice? $10,000 easy for the year.

 

So I can understand wanting to reduce your costs.

 

You absolutely will have to sacrifice if you want to succeed. My wife sees me maybe 4 Saturdays a year. Time spent on it is most people's biggest sacrifice. I've seen tons of promising people come into shooting and very few of them were there a year later.

 

If you feel money is what's keeping you from improving then it is my opinion that trying to find sponsorship is a false economy. 

 

Are you shooting a Walther?

Edited May 3, 2019 by rowdyb

[xdf3]

18 minutes ago, rowdyb said:

Hard talk here:

 

Flying to a major costs $1,000 in total costs, easily. I've shot multiple years where  did this at least 12 times in a year. So an easy 12 grand out of pocket.

 

Shoot 4 locals a month? At 20 a match and 20 for ammo you're at an easy $300 a month just to shoot locals.

 

Want to shoot 1k rounds a week in practice? $10,000 easy for the year.

 

So I can understand wanting to reduce your costs.

 

You absolutely will have to sacrifice if you want to succeed. My wife sees me maybe 4 Saturdays a year. Time spent on it is most people's biggest sacrifice. I've seen tons of promising people come into shooting and very few of them were there a year later.

 

If you feel money is what's keeping you from improving then it is my opinion that trying to find sponsorship is a false economy. 

 

Are you shooting a Walther?

I think money is not keeping me from improving, I'm fact, I think I'm improving faster than most people around. I like to analyze other than just shooting. 

 

What I know is, I'm spending a lot of money and it's a big sacrifice at the moment. Hard to sustain forever, especially if I want to shoot more. 

 

Sacrificing time won't be the biggest issue. 

 

I'm shooting a CZ Shadow2

Edited May 3, 2019 by xdf3

[rowdyb]

Even if you reduced your costs 50% as someone out and about shooting majors, getting known and shooting every weekend and doing plenty of practice you're still looking at thousands of dollars a year. 

 

Thousands of dollars even at half price. Year after year.

 

And as potential sponsors absolutely read this board (I've been quizzed on my posts here by them) the fact your stated purpose is to help you, versus helping them build their business tells me you maybe aren't in the right place.

 

Again, most shooting sponsorship is just you getting 10% off what you buy. Real sponsorship is you building their business and making them money. Not you spending yours.

Edited May 3, 2019 by rowdyb

[xdf3]

11 minutes ago, rowdyb said:

Even if you reduced your costs 50% as someone out and about shooting majors, getting known and shooting every weekend and doing plenty of practice you're still looking at thousands of dollars a year. 

 

Thousands of dollars even at half price. Year after year.

 

And as potential sponsors absolutely read this board (I've been quizzed on my posts here by them) the fact your stated purpose is to help you, versus helping them build their business tells me you maybe aren't in the right place.

 

Again, most shooting sponsorship is just you getting 10% off what you buy. Real sponsorship is you building their business and making them money. Not you spending yours.

Actually, of course there's always a win-win. I'm not signing a contract here. When I go to matches, people ask me about what I'm using, especially new stuff. That's good enough for the one sponsoring me, to earn back what he invested. 

That's obvious, at least to me. I'm pretty sure nobody would be wasting money in exchange of nothing. 

[Ssanders224]

33 minutes ago, xdf3 said:

I'm pretty sure nobody would be wasting money in exchange of nothing. 

 

You'd be surprised. 

[IHAVEGAS]

In the USPSA mag they had a brief interview with Alex Gutt after he won the production nationals, he said that one of the things that folks were surprised to learn was that he still had to pay for a lot of stuff. 

 

 

[Maximis228]

I can attest to how little Alex has gotten over the years. His local club actually paid for a lot of his match fees when he was a junior but outside that, a small SNS stipend along with what he earns from his code is about all hes really getting. Until a recent CZ signing. Waiting to see what that truly produces. Maybe a job?

[Racinready300ex]

Rowdy brought up a good point, drop that CZ and get a Walther. Boom get paid, all you have to do is win. Look up Blue Bullets, they have a contingency program. So as long as you're winning with the Walther and getting paid, may as well get free bullets for the same win. Not sure if anyone else has a contingency program going right now or not.

[Maximis228]

This seems less like needing/wanting a sponsor and more about cutting costs.

 

Start reloading... Help out as staff with matches to cut costs (Assuming your local club offers free match fees for set up or staff capacity)... Buy used equipment on here... Dry fire until your hands bleed, then dry fire some more. I have lots of friends who excel at this game on a shoe string budget. Whether it be sharing presses for reloading... sleeping in their car for matches... cutting major costs in their everyday lives. Plenty of people have made GM this way. If you have a true passion for this, it can be done.

Edited May 3, 2019 by Maximis228

[rowdyb]

Poster still seems to making it more about him and his needs versus any potential sponsors. 

 

But to answer his title question of "how too fin sponsors?" It's basically business development tools and strategies on your end. Do you understand how to network?

[Racinready300ex]

I hear Rudy is looking for people.

[Sarge]

14 minutes ago, Racinready300ex said:

I hear Rudy is looking for people.

[jk_nh]

Josh Froelich, who is a great 3gunner and one of the best PCC shooters in the country, has a great podcast.  His latest one is all about sponsorship; it may help focus the OP on the mechanics of becoming sponsored:

https://joshfroelich.com/josh-froelichs-addicted-sponsorship/

 

FULL DISCLOSURE:  i don't know Josh, nor have I met or ever spoken with him. Just follow his IG page and found the podcast.

 

 

[Balakay]

 Unless you look really good in yoga pants and a crop top, don’t expect a pallet of ammo to be delivered to your door anytime soon.  

 

They’re also not passing out free infinities to the second  place M class at your state match.  As others have said, you can get a discount here and there but in our sport Even the best of the best are unlikely to be making a living from just shooting. When it trickles down to the mere mortals, it would be unrealistic to think that a significant portion of expenses would be covered by  sponsors. Fortunately, dry fire is free 

[Chili]

4 hours ago, xdf3 said:

Actually, of course there's always a win-win. I'm not signing a contract here. When I go to matches, people ask me about what I'm using, especially new stuff. That's good enough for the one sponsoring me, to earn back what he invested. 

That's obvious, at least to me. I'm pretty sure nobody would be wasting money in exchange of nothing. 

 

This quote tells me you have pretty much zero understanding of how a relationship with a sponsor is going to work, and how it is doomed to fail if you actually found one. 

 

[Hi-Power Jack]

1 hour ago, Chili said:

This tells me you have zero understanding of how a relationship with a sponsor is going to work

 

Chill, Chili ….    

 

Sorry, couldn't resist it.     

[xdf3]

5 hours ago, Maximis228 said:

This seems less like needing/wanting a sponsor and more about cutting costs.

 

Start reloading... Help out as staff with matches to cut costs (Assuming your local club offers free match fees for set up or staff capacity)... Buy used equipment on here... Dry fire until your hands bleed, then dry fire some more. I have lots of friends who excel at this game on a shoe string budget. Whether it be sharing presses for reloading... sleeping in their car for matches... cutting major costs in their everyday lives. Plenty of people have made GM this way. If you have a true passion for this, it can be done.

I'm reloading already, and I think this post isn't helping (me). Maybe others. But I understand what you're saying.