A little help when asking for sponsorship.

[Joey]

With the end of the season approaching the mad dash to bombard potential sponsors with requests for ‘free stuff’ for the coming year is alas already starting So below please find my advice to all you teams out there. Here is me trying to help you!

Putting together a team is not only the preparation on and off the field for game play, its also how you present your team, how each of the members conducts themselves, and how you do (or would) represent your sponsors.
The more effort you put in each area, the more positive results you will see. If you train more - your skills will improve. If you put work into a website, people (or even potential sponsors) will take notice.

If you were the director at a large company, and you had one job and 2 candidates perfect for that job - exactly the same in all respects - except one of them came in a suit, was neat, well groomed and spoke eloquently and the other has cow licked hair, dirty stained tube socks, crusty trousers and spoke like Cleetus the slack jaw yokel.

Who are you going to take seriously?

Let's just say there are a lot of crusty trousers around in paintball.


First thing first, think like a Boy Scout – and BE PREPARED!



1. Start off by making a team wishlist:


a) What exactly does your team need? (Be realistic)
b) What sponsors would you like to have?
c) What your team can offer the sponsor in return?



Stores and sites want to know what YOU can do for THEM.


Just putting their logo on your jersey is not really sufficient compensation. Can you do a trade stand at a local tourney series, can you work for one Saturday a month at the local field cleaning the equipment or marshalling? Can you convert all your friends to loyal 'Brand X' product users?

Sponsoring a team is not an inexpensive venture.... make sure you walk around in their shoes

Also, think outside the box, no one said you have to only ask paintball related companies – and to be honest outside industry sponsors probably have more of a budget to sponsor sporting teams anyways.



Remember you don't have to take any sponsorship that is offered. Make sure you represent who you want to represent. Sponsorship without loyalty is worthless.



2. Create a team identity



Present yourselves as a team and united front. Try to wear matching uniforms and try to coordinate your equipment. If you team looks very Rag-Tag then the potential sponsor will assume you are just a rag-tag team and that you aren't serious players.


VERY IMPORTANT: Set out a team portfolio or website; include pictures, accomplishments, roster, equipment currently using, ages, team history, media articles, statistics, team beliefs and mantras. Training regimes can also be interesting.

Be honest; don't pad your portfolio with false information, its easy to spot.

Remember you are SELLING your team. So make your portfolio as professional as you can. A website thrown together in 30 seconds will warrant a potential sponsor to spend no more than 30 seconds viewing it.


I think the Dye approach is the best template for a team sponsorship portfolio.
Think of your team portfolio like a book report you did in school.

Colour pictures, table of contents, a nice coversheet, binded folder. Colour copies are inexpensive now, and most people have a publishing software at home. Use computer 'wizards' so you already have a report template and just fill in the blanks.

If sending your portfolio via email, make sure to convert your file to PDF format, this will allow all computers to open your document. This will also allow you to reduce the file size so its nice and small to send.

GOOD TIP: Have your parents, a teacher or other reasonably educated person read over your sponsorship portfolio before you submit it. A fresh set of eyes might catch an error you missed.

3. Get to know your potential sponsors

Fields and stores want you to already be their customers. If you have never supported their business, how can you expect them to support you?

Do you already use the company's products? How about your local site, do you play there every weekend? Have you checked out their website, forum or e-commerce site?

Do you know the name of the person or the department you need to send your request to?

Make friends with every team and field owner you meet other teams will either spread the "good" or "bad" word about your team. It's ok to be feared if you good, but you don't want to blacklisted for being jerks. Field owners are the backbone of paintball tournaments. Its always wise to get on their good side.

Also, do not actively promote other companies that do not sponsor you (or you want to be sponsorsed by). It will make current sponsors feel cheated and it will tell potential new sponsors that you don't really appreciate the sponsors you already have.


*think Arsenal being dropped by Redz


A lot of companies offer you information right on their websites about sponsorship:
Such as:

1. WE DO NOT ACCEPT SPONSORSHIP SOLICITATIONS, a la Ed and Warped Sportz

2. Who to contact directly, like Procaps / DraXxus

3. Exactly what to include in your team portfolio, like Dye / Proto do
http://www.dyeprecision.com/sponsorship.html

4. A Sponsorship Application, like Paintball Central
http://www.pballcentral.com/sponsorship/default.asp
http://www.pballcentral.com/files/20...pplication.doc

If they've gone to the trouble to make the application process easy for you, make sure you follow their directions.

4. Contact the potential sponsor.
a) By email
b) By Phone

If you plan on calling said company, first make sure you know what company you are contacting - know what you want, and speak professionally. . . Speak clearly, and don't mumble – please don't speak in Ebonics, or 'Shizzle', or use 'uh' or 'yo' between every word

And just so you know, companies never just give away 'Free Sh*t'.

Also, be polite to who ever answers the phone.

If you are writing an email or letter, please, please, please, please, PLEASE – do the following.

i) Use capitals where warranted. Please don't write an entire email in caps.

ii) Use punctuation and spacing. Periods, commas and paragraphs are good.

iii) Use 'real' words; do not use internet/chat room short forms. No one actually understands them, and if your potiential sponsor needs an 'Internet Chat' dictionary just to get through your request, can you say 'delete'?

iv) Same as above goes for slang.

v) Spell Check is your friend.

vi) Learn to spell 'S-P-O-N-S-O-R' and Sponsorship. **a must**

Lay it out in black and white what you are looking for, no point on wasting your time - or that of your potential sponsor if you can't get what you need/want.

Be realistic in what you ask for. A brand new, 2 month old, 3 man Rookie team, who trains once a month, and has never competed in any tournament can't expect to have all their entry fees paid for, or be 100% kitted out with everything from Gloves to Guns, where this is common place for a high profile, established, winning Professional team.

Most companies and fields have a sponsorship assistance program – these programs help teams purchase equipment well under retail – these are realistic and obtainable programs for teams.

Decisions cannot be made on one email or one phone call, most companies have a committee of people who decide where sponsorship monies are allocated, be diligent but not annoying. Be patient in waiting for a response, remember sponsorship is a serious request and most companies receive multiple requests weekly and in some cases daily. Alot of smaller companies and fields will not sponsor teams outside of their market area and often do not sponsor new teams, If you are a new team the best way for you to earn sponsorship is to play events and become known (paying your dues). You do not have to win events, but you do have to play hard and fair with sportsmanship.





5. Say Thank You! (Even to those who turn you down)
Keep a detailed record of every company and person (by name) you have sent a request to. Send handwritten 'Thank you' notes to all of them. This may seem a waste of time (and money) to say 'thank you' to companies who said no, but think about this as a long term investment for the future of your team. That company is now more likely to remember you next year when you are looking for sponsors again.

Also, be sure to send a signed photo of the team, a jersey or some other 'collectable' from the team to those companies who do sponsor you. Let them enjoy your successes with you. This will also help keep you top of mind with these sponsors when you go through the process again next year.

In the end you must remember: Be aware that most of your requests will not be accepted, you need keep trying and not get discouraged.

SPONSORSHIP IS NOT FREE. Real sponsorship is a serious request for any business. No company gives away anything for free.
It must be earned, appreciated and respected.

Two articles that all teams looking for sponsorship should read:

http://paintball.com/features/story....369&clickon=DB

http://www.68caliber.com/news/tourna...tory041841.php

A Sponsor, as defined on www.dictionary.com is:
i) One who assumes responsibility for another person or a group during a period of instruction, apprenticeship, or probation.
ii) One who vouches for the suitability of a candidate for admission.
v) One that finances a project or an event carried out by another person or group.

[Joey]

More links to other articles about getting sponsorship:

http://www.directpaintball.com/article_sponsorship.html

http://experts.about.com/q/Paintball-1819/sponsored.htm

http://www.doompaintball.com/modules...ticle&sid= 49

http://www.armyoforr.com/faq.html#faq5

http://www.paintball-tips-and-tricks...-sponsors.html

http://www.biz-community.com/Article/196/48/7006.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_7319_start-paintball-team.html

http://www.warpig.com/paintball/arti...ps/index.shtml

http://www.warpig.com/paintball/arti...ps/index2.shtm

http://www.splatdogs.net/earmonwitspl.html

[Joey]

An interesting company. . . . .I have no idea if it works though.

http://www.sponsorpaintball.com/

Our goal at Sponsor Paintball is to match up teams of all skill levels with an appropriate company seeking the publicity gained from a paintball Sponsorship. Teams may enroll via the Sign up portion of the page, listing valid detailed information regarding their experience. Soon teams will be able to upload a portfolio for sponsors to view. From there, businesses may browse the archive of teams by statistics and other information provided. If a specific team should strike a Sponsor's interest, they may then propose an agreement to the captain of that team and thus, a deal is landed.

And of course, SponsorPaintball is free to use for Businesses and Teams alike.

[Cro]

That is some seriously good advise there Joey and well put too.

[Liz]

Any chance this could be stickied? This is all good advice, and I'm sure Joey is as sick and tired of repeating it as I am!

Bits that teams seem to forget the most are:
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
NO text speak/abbreviations
What THEY can do for potential sponsors is more important than what the sponsor can do for them - WHY should someone sponsor them rather than some other team?
Being realistic about what teams can expect, based on ability and experience

[Joey]

Thanks Cro and Liz. . . ..


I know my company endevours to answer every single sponsorship email - but sometimes you have to say to yourself 'why bother??'

Some of these 'requests' are so poorly thought out, I'm embarassed for whoever submitted it. The absolutly horrible grammar makes me cringe, although some just make me laugh!

Putting together a team is not only the preperation on and off the field for game play, its also how you present your team, how each of the members conducts themselves, and how you do (or would) represent your sponsors.

The more effort you put in each area, the more postive results you will see. . . . if you train more - your skills will improve. If you put work into a website, people (or even potential sponsors) will take notice.

If you were the director at a large office 9-5 kind of company, and you had one job and two candidates perfect for that job - exactly the same in all respects - except one of them came in a suit, was neat, well groomed and spoke eloquently, the other has cow licked hair, dirty stained tube socks, crusty trousers and spoke like Cleetus the slack jaw yokel. . . .

Who are you going to take seriously????

Lets just say there are a lot of crusty trousers around. . . . . .

[Joey]

I just got off the phone with one of those memorable funny inquiries. . . .

I want to give the moral of my story to start off with though: DON'T LIE!!!!!


This kid just phoned to say he wanted to know how he could pick up his free sponsorship paint. . .

I said "hun??? Free paint?? What team are you with"

The kid "Well I'm pro"

Me "Ok, what is your team name - I'm sure I have you in the system. Just so I know what to send out and who pays for the shipping charges"

The kid "We're new, but we are going to be better than Dynasty. . . and there is a pro who knows me"

Me "So you are a new pro team? Congratulations. What is the team name, I'm sure I've heard of your team then. Which pro knows you?"

The kid "Frank Connell, and you wouldn't not have heard of our team. We are new. So do I just go to your warehouse to pick up the free paint"

Me "I know Frank really well, I'll ask him about your team. He loves to 'talk shop'"

The kid "No, I mean't Rich Telford"

Me "That's very cool, I speak to Gina weekly"

The kid "who is Gina?"

Me "His wife"

The kid "so what about my free paint"

Me "what free paint?"

The kid **click**

[Cro]

So I'm not getting the paint then Joey?


Oh.

[Joey]

hahahhaha. . . .

Well, I actually have a next chapter to this saga. . . .


The kid phoned back about an hour after I posted that, using a fake voice. . . . ..


arrrrggggg. . . .

[Cro]

Please Joey get a recording device attached to your phone system so we can all enjoy.

[Joey]

Originally Posted by Cro

Please Joey get a recording device attached to your phone system so we can all enjoy.

You know, I should post some of the emails I get. . . . .(just take out the names/teams/locations)

[Liz]

Oh do, PLEASE do Joey.

We can all do with a laugh now and again

[Joey]

Ok, by request. . . . .

Welcome to my life. . . . . . . .

Me and my freinds just all started playin pain tball bout a year ago. Now we aren't those little paintball players we were before. We are a brotherhood, and we will not stop until we make it to the top and play against xsv and dynasty. But there was one thing in our way, the coast of paint! We had been using to buying stinger paintballs for so long and it was so expensive! So one day when I was flipping threw paintball magazine I saw like 3 adds for draXxsus paintballs and how teams have won and won with there paint. Now I would like to makea propersition or e-mail me back and say no. If you can send us some paint, give us some stickers or a banner and we will slap those stickers on everyone we see down at freindly-fire and maynardpaintball. We just need paint and we will do anything you want. We have entered a contest at freindly-fire rookie leval. Last time we came in second! This year with your paint and banner we can take the cup from those kids who think they know how to play and pay $10000000 in paint. And since we are all 13 and 14 we know about 20 people who want to play and have just joined. So we give them some of your stickers tell them that your the best and, boom you make triple! I will tell my freinds about your website and say order some of there paint if you want! I might be 14 but, you must realize this too, invest in the new kids, invest in the ones that will be seen in the nppl in 5 years cuz ollie wont be playing then! Nor will xsv!

Hi I am *************one of the 5 members of team ***** of *********. we desprately need sponsers if were gonna make it any futher then we have. we pratcie 3 days a week for about 8 hours a day paint is very expensive gear is also. we sold many of our own belongings to fuel our paintball team but recently most of us have gotten laid off due to school. we pratice after school though. if we dont get any help soon im afriad team ****** gonna break apart due to money issues. is really lame i know but i wouldnt ask for help if our team didnt need it. please contact me back at ********or email ***********thanks alot for reading =)

Hi! I was wondering who I would email to talk to them about sponsership possibilities and just givin me da free paintballz. Thanks for your time.

My name is *********and I am the captain of the *********paintball team from **********. We have been playing together for 6 months and are getting quite good. We just need help with getting paintballs and tournament entry fees and other necessary products for free. We have not been able to enter any tournaments yet but are hoping to enter a few tournaments around our area later this month and into the upcoming school year. We would be able to promote your products on our uniforms, banner and at our station at tournaments. We could also promote you on our website www.myspace*********. We would be willing to work hard at every every event and every time we put on our uniforms we would represent your company with dignity and respact. We practise at our local field ******** every Saturday or every other Saturday or sometimes on sunday or both satuRday and Sunday. And in the summers we practice whenever we can during the week. We love to play the game and work hard and play our best every time we pick up our markers. Pls give us free paintballs

Hi we have a team called****** and we came in second place in a
recent tournament and we were wondering if we could get some help out on the paint end and all the expenses that comes with paintball so we as a team were wondering if you could give us a sponsorship for free or heavily discounted paint for free

hello
My name is ********i am part of a 3 man team named*****wehave played in one tourney and finished in 4th im not going to be like other people and beg the crap outta you and im not gonna lie and saywere "uber awesome" were pretty good looking for our first sponsership of free bullets

My buddies and I have created a Woodsball team. We are currently browsing for sponsors. How do I get free paint?

[Joey]

My team, *******, was wondering if you could sponser are team. We already all have your VForce Profiler masks. We are a rookie team that has competed in 4 tournaments as a team and are all experianced tournament players that have been playing for 2+ years. We are currently planning on playing the winter season at our indoor fields. Next year we are going to be playing Chicago PSP at either Divison 4 or Young guns depending on how much we can get done this winter and the begining of next summer. Our team is currently on a practice schdule of playing atleast 6 times a week for two hours a day at our local ******** . We have been practcing hard all summer and has showed in our tournys by just missing the playoffs in all of our tournys by a marjin of about 5-10 points. As for our gear we all have high end markers.******** has a Generation two ICD Freestyle, ***** shoots a Virtued Pm5, *******shoots a Smart Parts Shocker and ****** shoots a Virtued Dm5 or a Virtued Naughty Dogs Intimidator. We are clean and don't do drugs now.Thank you for your time and considering us.

hey yo i was wondering if my team *****is able to get a sponsoarship from draXxxxus/procaps for the rest of the 06 season we are a yg/D3 team that has been together 4 months we have played 2 locals so far and practiced every week once or twice the two tourneys we have played we placed in both
Pba tourney 1st out of 20 or so teams
Wana Play Paintball Tourney 3rd out of 20 or so teams
we will be playing in the next gpl event and love to shoot your paint by then and use any of your gear we can we will be finishing off the gpl events and maybe one psp or nppl event but next season we will be playing most of the psp or nppl events right now we are sponsoared by ****** and will be shooting there guns the remainder of the season we have a deal worked out with ******* and everything and then we are sponsoared by virtue paintball and use their boards in our aliens we will be getting customized jersays and if you sponsoar us we will be putting your logo on our jerseys your stickers on our hoppers and masks and the link to your website in out pbnation signatures and aim profiles also we will thank your company at award cermoneys and hold up your companys banner (we will need a fee banners to) we will only support draXXxxus/procaps in a nice and friendly manner by having good attitudes on and off the field we are a very competitive team that scrimmages D3 teams at our local field everyweekend we will deffinitly be on the podium alot and would love for your company to be there with us

This is the first email this kid sent me:

To Proto Paintball,

I am writing to inquire about a possible spawnsorship of my young guns paintball team. We in return for a spawnsorship, will wear proto gear (which we already partially wear), and support Proto in any way possible or in any way in which you request.

***** has been together playing tournament paintball for two years. We have played in ten tournaments and placed in seven of them. We practice at ******once a week, and sometimes during the week also. We have been spawnsored by *****for a year and a half and have helped them grow from a small shop to a larger shop and a field. We do our best to promote our team and our sponsors in a positive manner.

*****is comprised of five players. All have at least a year of tournament experience, and are good players. Those players are *************************************************. For being such a young team in young guns(normally 15 or 16 and under) we have done suprisingly well. We are based out of **********, ******* and travel to tournaments all around us. We have played at fields such as *********** and *********** which are the larger ones in our area. We also plan on attending the PSP Mid-Atlantic Open this year in Charlotte, North Carolina.

We look forward to your response and hope that something can be worked out between us.

We also really like your paintballs, they are much better than everything else, like Diablo, Draxxxus and xballs.

Thank you,
*********

Well, as you can imagine, I replied to the kid that he sent this email to the wrong company. . . .(he even dissed my products in that email) he replied with:

I am terribly sorry for the mix up but would like to inquire to you the possibility of becoming sponsored by Procaps. It is a great company with great products and service. My Team was sending multiple emails to different companies and this one somehow accidentaly got into this email.
We dont think your paint is bad, we just said that to get sponsorshipps.
It would be an honor to be able to wear your logos on our jersey's and shoot your paint, etc.

Hi my name is ******* and I have a 5 man team. I am wondering if your company can sponsor us. What we can do to get your company out we will use your products and put your name on our banner, jerseys, and team site. We would also purchase your products i planned on buying some stuff so ill get it from you because you need to make money.

I just can't make this stuff up. . . . .please have sympathy on me. . . . help me to help teams. Stop the madness!!!!

Thank you!

[DAVID F]

Want to swap jobs Joey?