Sponsorship Blog

Insights, News, Sales

Our sponsorship blog focuses on three primary topics: sponsorship insights and the tips of the trade; sponsorship news and comments on innovation and deals that deserve discussion; and sponsorship sales because selling is a skill. We discuss best practices in sponsorship.

Examples of brands sponsoring stadiums

What is Sponsorship and How Does it Work?

I am often asked, what is sponsorship? It used to be a pretty simple answer. Most people think of sports sponsorships like McDonald’s and the U.S. Olympic team, or Bud Light and the NFL. There are many easy examples to see in sports, so it is a good place to start. Sponsorship has grown to be a massive source of…

Moving the Needle: Quality and Quantity Required

Moving the Needle: Quality and Quantity Required

Lots of properties contact me to tell me about what a great match they are for one of my clients. They have spent a lot of time rationalizing. Very often they are trying to make something fit because it meets their needs not the sponsor’s. So they twist and mush until they think they have an exciting story to tell.…

The Sponsorship Guy Blog Why would I share these secrets? Two Tools You Must Have

Why Would I Share These Secrets? Two Tools You Must Have

Many of us have heard the expression that a carpenter is only as good as his (or her) tools. The application to any kind of sales, but especially sponsorship sales is pretty obvious. But you can’t talk about tools without talking about mastery. I recently had a conversation with someone who I consider to be a pretty good sales person.…

The Sponsorship Blog How to Overcome Six Fundamental Obstacles to Selling Sponsorship

How to Overcome 6 Fundamental Obstacles to Selling Sponsorship

It wasn’t that long ago that Sponsorship was pretty straightforward. Lots of companies were enamored with the opportunity to link their brand to a team, property or venue. Call it the “halo effect”, affinity or just the popularity of sports, celebrity, music, or cause. Plenty of free spending brands wanted to latch on for the ride. Top 6 Challenges to…

Larry Weil, The Sponsorship Guy - The word Nope on a piece of paper pinned to a cork notice board

Why No One Responds to Your Sponsorship Pitch!

Let’s not kid ourselves. You don’t want to answer the phone and get a sales pitch and neither does your prospect. So how do you sell without a sales pitch? Stop selling. Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes. If someone sends you an email, reaches out on LinkedIn, leaves a voice mail or actually reaches you live, what would keep…