Sponsors

[Camdog38]

Does anyone know of any sponsors that would be willing to donate free crappie products/lures to me? I'm starting to fish tournaments and trying to make it to the high level. Also, I'm about to start a crappie club/ Tournaments each week. Like have them once a week. So does anyone have any connections to help me out?


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[huntinslabs]

Getting sponsors is the same as getting a job. Build a resume and engage in community outreach. Become a voice in the sport and make a presence in the sport. Same with organizing tournaments. If manufacturers just handed out items to every Joe that started fishing with high hopes of going big they would not sell much stuff.

[wicklundrh]

From a tournament professional, let me give you a piece of advice:

This is NOT the "what can they do for you" business. This is actually a "What can I do for them" business. There has to be a "Why". Why would they give you free baits? Simply because you asked for them? What are you going to do for them IF they give you free baits?

The very first rule of thumb here is this: You should NEVER approach a company asking for free stuff IF you do not already use their products. It makes you look needy. It also makes it look like you simply want free stuff. Sure, they may kick a product or two your way but, if you don't use there products, have faith in their products, or catch fish with their products, how are you going to help them sell products. After all, that is the name of the game.

So, instead of being the proverbial jerk that points out the obivous, let me try and help you out a little bit to get you pointed in the right direction.

First: You have three posts on Crappie dot Com. It doesn't look good to come on to a forum, have zero credibility as far as what you bring to the table, and start asking for products.... Just not a good thing to do. Don't think companies (and they are watching) don't look at that right off the bat!

In professional fishing you always approach is as: What can I do for you! In other words, what can you do for the company that is going to represent you?

So, here is what I do. I never approach a new company asking for products. If I am interested in their company, I purchase their products, I test their products, I catch fish with their products. IF I like them, then I will move further. If I DO NOT like them, what is the point of me representing a comapany if I do not have faith or knowledge of the products they sell. Afterall, you are an extension of that company and do in fact represent them! Once I have a company I want to represent, I contact them. I give them my resume if you will. Yes, it is a resume! I tell them what I can do, what I bring to the table, and my possible ideas for how I can best represent them. By contacting the company I DO NOT mean sending an email or writing on their facebook page. I mean making a phone call, walking in in person. Talking to people. Too many people these days think that in the Marketing business you must use social media to contact them. Make no mistake, professional fishing IS in fact marketing.

[Camdog38]

Thank you for all the tips. I appreciate it. I have 4 sponsors that are really good and been helping them out and representing there products well. Also, I am just now figuring all of this out. So I appreciate all the help.


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[wicklundrh]

Second Lesson:

Take every decal, sticker, or anything representing a company OFF your boat and truck. That includes the little stickers they put on your vehicle when you buy it. At this point in time, IF you are representing companies that are (for lake of a better term) paying you (either in dollars or products) then it is NOT fair to them for you to have advertising on your rig that was not paid for in some way shape or form.

The name of this game is marketing and advertising.
So, many companies have Field Tester, Pro-staff, Semi-sponsorship, or full sponsorship deals. Field tester is just that. They send you some free products (usually new stuff), you test them and post stuff about them. Usually, this deal sucks. It is new products, untested, and oftentimes, they want the feedback direct. They don't want negative comments getting out to the public.

With Pro-staff, this can go a couple of ways. Some companies offer deals to Pro-staff members. This can be good and bad. It is very good if you already use the products as you are getting a discount on something you already purchase. It is however bad IF they simply give you a discount to purchase something you normally would not buy. Take for instance a rod company. They sell a rod normally for $100. For you, they say they will sell you the rod for $45 dollars BUT, you need to purchase 10 of them. Would you normally purchase that rod? Would you like the rod? Why are they giving you this deal? Simply put, it is a way for them to have you purchase products. They could care less if you sell them.

Semi-Sponsorship. This is usually in the form of cash for marketing and advertising. You put decals on your boat and tow rig, you put their logo on your jersey. You sell their products! Full sponsorship is when they pay you to represent them and only them.

[Camdog38]

Right now I'm just receiving 50% off discounts on whatever for all of my sponsors


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[wicklundrh]

Third Lesson:

Make no mistake about it, this is NOT fishing for money. This is getting paid to fish. I know of many guys that have zero sponsors that fish high dollar tournaments for a paycheck. Maybe once a year they finish in the money. The guy that has the advertising on the side of his boat is "getting paid to fish". NOT getting paid to win! This business is 90% marketing, and writing and 10% fishing. The numbers do not lie. I fish tournaments with more than 120 boats per weekend. The odds of you finishing in the top 20% and getting a paycheck are low.

The companies I "represent" are great companies and I do everything I can to sell their products and represent them in the best way possible. From construction companies to carpet contractors, lure companies, to planer boards, everything I do is to help them sell products.

When I approach a company. This is what I do.... I tell them who I am, what experience I have, how long I have used their products, and what I like about them. I let them know what I bring to the table. The fact that I am a member of places like Crappie dot com that has an average daily membership of X, with X number of active threads, and X number of average members online at one time. I let them know how many tournaments I fish per year, how much travel time I do, how often I am on the water. All of this equates to a number they can understand.... the amount of people that their sponsorship/marketing efforts will be drawn towards. Their name is on my boat as it travels down the road. A normal billboard in a high traffic area is 10plus grand per month. My billboard is a lot less and travels all over the state of Michigan!

How many people are at these tournaments? Are they like minded individuals. If it is a gun shop, chances are they want to be on your boat. You rub shoulders with 400 plus outdoorsman per day!!!

[Camdog38]

Got it... thanks a lot! That helped me out a ton and I needed that. I appreciate it!


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[wicklundrh]

Fouth Lesson:

Once you have names on the side of your boat, NEVER, and I mean NEVER, do anything that would jepordize their good name. If someone cuts in front of you at the boat launch, take it on the chin. Don't act stupid on the road. Remember, you have a name on the side of your boat and people can and will call the companies and tell them that one of their guys is acting like an idiot!!!

You HAVE to be able to write. Stories, product reviews, feature articles. This is what ultimately draws people to the dance. You have to be able to represent the company and sell the products.

Here is one Idea I do with one of my sponsors. I learned this from a good friend. I ask them to give me a custom business card with a discount code on it. I hand them out to people that are interested in their products. When they order something, they use the discount code which gives them a small break in price. More importantly, it shows that I in fact sold the product. At the end of the year, it is "Quantified" exactly what I brought to their company!!!

Selling advertising on the side of your boat is what it is all about. If you sell an ad for $400 to a construction company and then you sell that company to one person to build a pole barn then guess what? That advertising money was more than well spent for them!

Work on your craft in these forums. Writing stories, reviews, and testimonials about different things. As I said, you fish to get paid or you can get paid to fish. You will make more money getting paid to fish as you are getting paid every time your boat is on the water.

A good friend of mine is a professional fisherman. That is his livelyhood. This is what he does. He spends more time in front of a computer writing stories for magazines then he does with a rod in his hand.

Bait deals are great if it is baits that you use. I would much rather receive $400 for putting decals on my boat then I would getting a discount on some jigs or soft plastics.

[wicklundrh]

Feel free to PM me with any questions as I have helped out quite a few guys on here. Many people cannot find these answers in any book.

Here is one thing that I do that pays big:

In one tournament series I fish, one of the series main sponsors is a very large Cooler company, another is a planer board company. In the morning, when I launch (5am), I bring coffee and donuts. I put my sponsors stickers on the boxes (Engel Coolers, and Off Shore Tackle.... PLUS Crappie Dot COM!!!) I do it on their behalf, not mine.

When these people go to the store and purchase their own products, they do not remember that (big name company) sponsors the series.... they remember that Engel coolers, Crappie Dot Com, and Off Shore Tackle provided coffee and donuts at 5am on a windy 35 degree Saturday morning when they volunteered their time! In the end, who gets the sale?