found this while searching the web.... thought it might help some of you altezzas and wing people

How Do I Get Sponsored?
by Erin Thorpe
speedoptions.com


I am going to attempt to take you through this process, but before I begin I am going to lay a few rules down. If you are only interested in free product and nothing more, you might as well just sit yourself down on a street corner and start begging, because unfortunately that is not how it's going to work. If you are truly dedicated and believe you have a car that has what it takes ('cause let me tell you the competition is fierce), then read on my friends.

Okay, first thing's first: do you truly have a worthy car? Don't forget you are competing against thousands of cars from all over the U.S. (and maybe even beyond), so what makes your car so unique that a company will really stand up and take notice? Sorry guys and gals, but if all you have is a wing and Altezza's - you're going to be told to put another $5K+ into your car and then give them a call back (all the while as they laugh in your face - trust me, this has happened! So to avoid any heartbreak and embarrassment I suggest you wait until you really have a looker on your hands.

Contrary to popular belief, it isn't all about the car. YOU are a key factor in whether or not you get picked as one of "the chosen few." True, a hot car will get their attention, but if the company doesn't feel that you can properly represent them, well you can forget it. When a company decides to sponsor you, they aren't just giving you product; they are in effect hiring you. What does all of this mean you ask? Sell not only your car in your proposal, but yourself as well. Tell them about your life (not your life history mind you) but maybe how you came to be into cars or about other passions and hobbies you have. Let them see why you would be a successful addition to their company and I don't just mean by how 'professional' you can be but how personable as well - in a nutshell, let your personality really come out.

For those of you who think an e-mail to the company is all it takes you are in for a surprise. Actually as many of you have probably discovered, this will get you nowhere, not even a kind response 99% of the time. The proper way to go about inquiring about sponsorships is first the companies website (for example, check out www.teammeguiars.com, they have all of the rules and requirements right there at the click of a button). If there is no such information on the web and you decide to try calling do not expect to get into a conversation; call only to ask if they even have a sponsorship program, and if so who the contact would be to send the proposal to.

Ahh the dreaded proposal…this is where it all happens. After you have sold yourself and your car to the best of your ability, you will need to back it up with all of the "goods." Make sure you include a list of all of the modifications that are currently done or being done to your car (and any future plans if you feel necessary). Oh, AND the pictures to back it up. And I'm not talking about fuzzy-so-zoomed-out-you-can't-even-see-what-kind-of-car-it-is kind of pictures. I'm talking about full sized (or at least pretty close), COLOR pictures, detailed, inside and out, and from different angles. We all know cars never look as good in pictures as in person, so you have to try your best to really show it off. You will also want to include a list of all the shows you have attended, plan on attending, and all awards won. Another very important piece of information that a company looks for is media coverage. After all no one is willing to give out free product to a car that is just going to be sitting in a garage or never taken to shows (it is a nice thought though). Do you have any media coverage lined up? Have you had any in the past? Be sure to list this and if you can include a letter of intent from that source. A great show record is very important but to really make things worth their while they want to know that your car with their product and sticker(s) will be seen by thousands. Speaking of stickers, for those of you out there (and we know who you are) who believe that putting stickers on your ride is a disgraceful way to 'ruin' your car or make it "ricey," then sponsorships are not for you. Sorry but there is just no way to get around this; oh, and if you get caught without those little stickers, you face the possible consequence of losing your sponsorship that you worked so hard for - sorry guys but it's just a fact of life.

Okay so there you have it. A nice little sales presentation to send off to the company and hope that you have what it takes. After sending it off I recommend calling the company a week or so later to follow up and make sure they received it. These guys receive thousands a week, if you just send it in and 'hope for the best' you are leaving a lot of hard work and time to chance. With stacks and stacks of proposals sitting on a desk, by calling you are gently "reminding" them of your car, this will get them to pull yours out of the stack and look at it, and also show how much this really means to you. I wish you guys all the luck and remind you not to be discouraged too easily; there are many companies out there and not all will be right for you. It is possible to find a small business in your area that may be looking to get a start, or an older company that is merely looking to make their big break into the booming (but new to them) import tuner market, take advantage of this!

<br>


__________If Women Were Cars, R. Kelly Would be Rollin' on 14's!!__________

This is erin thorpes car andaparently has 12 sponsers so for those who want to be sponsered.....she knows what shes talking about

and yes it was a superstreet center fold.......not sure if thats her in the pick..............i look at that centerfold everyday on my wall i think that car is gorgeous

. <br>


Shush Weasel..i want my shirley temple

What about the consequences in particular with not being able to attend the shows because of work or school ??

And about buying from different companies because you think there parts look better on your car then the sponsors do ???

You gotta have pontential and time and patience in being sponsored, but can't companies back fire on you and make u pay back the money they put into your car

That happened to my friend when he didnt attend some shows because of time in his life was taken up by other important things

I think you should alot put in there make sure you know wat your getting into before signing anything too....

To my decision i dont think its worth it being sponsored

Being sponsored is like a career choice. Anyone who wants to become sponsored, should read the entire contract. Like that article said, you can't just expect to get free stuff for your car. Remember these companies are in it for the money. They see you as an investment. You are now an employee who has debt to the company. Work it off. Make those obligations work around what the company wants. Even if you can't, just make sure your car is at those events, regardless if you are there. They just want their name shown with your car. You can't go, have a friend / loved one bring you car.

It is possible to get multiple sponsorships. As long as those sponsors don't represent the same product (IE performance chips, exhaust systems, etc...) You can have sponsors for your tires, exhaust, body kit, window tinting, engine work, decals, etc.....

Show cars are a way of life, as with racing cars. You can't obligate it, don't do it.

Just my 2 cents!

Thank you to Erin, especially since this is posted to benefit the JBO. However, I would like to add to the Proposal section. It is a story about a JBO member that approached me for sponsorship.

Sponsors want to know the Benefits of sponsoring you. Sure, you need to show pictures and history, but the most important aspect is: What You Can Do For The Sponsor? Years ago, while working for RK Sport, a young (and now prominent) JBO member approached me for sponsorship. He was a little cocky, but not arrogant. He was very intelligent and seemed quick to learn. He drove down early, arrived prepared, dressed professionally, and said something to the effect of, "Here are some pics of my car, my trophies and my show record. You have helped me out a little in the past, but what else can you do for me?"

My response was simple. "Your record, pictures and trophies are nice, and we appreciate your past contributions, but what can YOU do for RK moving forward? How will you benefit RK? How will RK giving you product and/or discounts help us build exposure and sell more products? How can you leverage your other sponsors to get us more exposure? Can you make sure our logos are prominent in pictures of your car used by your other sponsors? Are you willing to visit performance shops and parts stores on your way to and from shows and events to hand out our catalog, talk about out products, and get the business card of the store manager for our sales people to call and follow up? Will you take pictures of your car at each event and send them to us?”

He did it - All of it. And he did it well. I was able to directly related product sales (retail and wholesale) to his efforts, making him valuable to the company.

Yes, I put him on Front Street and schooled him a little harder than I should have. But, several years later, he referred to that meeting as the pivotal point in his sponsorship career. He stated that it changed his entire approach to getting sponsors and actually opened the door for other companies. Now, he does not even approach a potential sponsor unless he knows what benefits he can bring to that company.

Sponsorship is not philanthropy. Sponsorship is a business even at the most grass-roots level. It is a transaction that has sponsors providing "X" to sponsees in exchange for "Y". I have personally been sponsored by large companies like Coca-Cola, GM, Budweiser, Honda, Oakley, Yamaha, Kenwood, No Fear, VW, Chevron, and more. I have also been sponsored by smaller companies like Axis Wheels, Royal Purple Oil, Wings West, H&R and more. The size of the sponsor never matters. But the return you give the sponsor on their investment does matter. The best way to keep a sponsor is to continually show the sponsor proof that you are working for them.

Check out IEG at www.sponsorship.com.

This is MHO based on my experience. Please share yours.

Excellent posts but I would like to add a few things I have picked up along the way.

Pictures of your vehicle: KISS applies here (for those who think I'm talking about the band, I actually mean Keep It Simple Stupid). I've gone a little overboard with pictures before. I later learned from a marketing director who has worked for companies like Intrax and Xenon that 2 pictures can sum up a lot. Front 3/4 and rear 3/4. This allows the company to see really the whole car in a short amount of time. You can throw a few more in there that are more detailed but those first 2 are very helpful to them.

Start Small: Starting with smaller companies and speedshops are an excellent way to get your feet wet. You won't get the same great deals like you would with larger companies but their great stepping stones and also give you a chance to see if sponsorships are for you.

References: It's not a bad thing to contact your sponsors and see if they are willing to write a letter that you can include in your proposal to the new company you have your sights on. This is where speedshops and smaller companies are great. Since their small they might have time to write a letter about how great you've been for the company and how you really promote them well. It's nice for larger companies see back up information about you and especially from legit companies.

Keep In Touch: If your embarrased by getting in touch with your sponsors frequently then you need to get over it fast. From working in the industry I have come across days where I meet 100 new people. They all might be great people but in a week, I'll forget who they even were. The automotive industry is so fast paced if you don't stay in the loop when it comes time for you to get a few more things from a company, you could be in trouble.

The rest of my opinions and thoughts have already been said from some others in this post. My best help wasn't from trial and error, but by the marketing director for the company I worked for. Because he handled sponsorships many times, he was able to tell me what looks good, and what looks bad. I attempted to get a Yokohama sponsorship but I failed. He critiqued my paper and critiqued it HARD. I learned a lot from this (also from all of the business/ marketing classes I'm taking). Soon as I can get my new body kit painted and new c/f hood (plumbing truck backed into me) I have 3 companies I'm writing proposals for. If all the information I learned and the parts I wrote down tonight are correct, I should be 3/4 in proposals. <br>



"welcome to the most expensive hobby ever..."

I see sponsership more as being respect. I see a Sticker on a car, that isnt fake, i know that person loves, and lives that car. I see the ricers that have the product stickers all over their cars, and i want to blow them up. Most of these cars, I dont think the company would appreciat being badged on. Theres a difference between riced and sponsored. Most of us can tell the difference and respect the cars that are real. <br>

http://www.cardomain.com/id/nocho
there are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary, and those who dont.

I picked up my first sponser by luck.
A good friend of mine has a stereo shop he runs out of his garage.
HIs supplier wants to get a new line of equipment out to people and he sponserd my friends truck. MY friend then told this guy about how I an deeply involved with the compact show scene in Houston and without ever meeting me or seeing my car he offerd to sponser me also.

I picked up some goodies yesterday. Its not a full sponcership. I get the equipment for extreamly cheep. THats better than nothing in my eyes. And Im not even a show car. He just knows I get around and that I can push the name. And the bussiness wont even go straight back to him. It will come to my friend. Who in turn will get the stuff from our sponser.

THe product is DB Drive. The stuff is amazing. They make everything you need for stereos except headunits. <br>

I am all that is man

http://dbdrive.net/eng/index.htm
THats the website of DB Drive
Im running the top line which is the Platinum series.


My friends biss is "Xessive Audio Concepts" but its not online or anything like that. <br>

I am all that is man

Boost ed wrote:Re: How to get Sponsored - What Sponsors Want

Dont buy a j-body

why do you people come to the jbody site and bash j's?? I dont go to a honda site and bash hondas, you jsut dont do it. You dont even have car listed in your profile. So what do you drive that is sooo much better and more deserving of a sponsorship than our J's? Chances are you dont have a sposonrship, so dont bash those of us who are trying to make the best out of what we have. Maybe you should focus your energy more on your car, or whatever it is that you do, rather than making pointless posts like that.

Start small, some people even may start with the carsponsorships for a little something even.

Work your way up as the car progresses, IMO the actual production companies are the most difficult to obtain because they make products for SOO many vehicles, a more jbody based online store may be a tad easier to obtain for reasons of less competition, altho there is still SIGNIFICANT competition from other org members etc.

Thats funny about not buying a j-body for sponsorships. Just as said above so many companies have their name on some of the BEST j's out there, heck why wouldnt they when the cars are winning best of show awards etc.



http://www.aplusperformance.com
http://www.modified-motorsports.com

i am not sponsored but i got things for cheap just to help the business out. i had a body kit put on, z3 fenders, an SS hood, spoiler, and lambo doors put on along with a custom paint job for $2800 just to put the name of the paint and body shop out in the street. i also have an indash dvd, a screen in each headrest, 2 10" subs, 2 1400 watt amps, 2 6x9, and 2 6" speakers all payed for and installed for $2000, again just to get the name of the shop out.




red 99 coupe.... no rust and it runs.

well ill never stand the chance i guess im just barking up the wrong tree. i am a strong outgoing kid who bought my car outta someonesback yard for 30 bux. i put new wiring in it new starter and brake calipers all by myself. guess ill just be a second rate mechanic like my father. the only way to get anywere in life is to be born at the top i think gl guyz i figured this site would b koo but looks not. looks like everyone has to be rich to stay rich

brent haycraft wrote:well ill never stand the chance i guess im just barking up the wrong tree. i am a strong outgoing kid who bought my car outta someonesback yard for 30 bux. i put new wiring in it new starter and brake calipers all by myself. guess ill just be a second rate mechanic like my father. the only way to get anywere in life is to be born at the top i think gl guyz i figured this site would b koo but looks not. looks like everyone has to be rich to stay rich

First of all, that's not true. I started my whole car career with an 1989 Chevy pick-up truck. After about a year working at McDonald's (great job there *sarcasm*), I was finally able to buy an '02 Cavalier. People always asked me if my mommy and daddy bought it for me, but I was proud to tell people that I bought it, even though the car was in my mom's name since I was a minor when I bought it from the dealership. My parents even told me if I got to a point where I couldn't afford it, then it would be gone. So before you come in with your little sob story looking for sympathy, and making false assumptions about everyone on this site, just remember that there's probably somebody like you here on this site. Even though my mom and dad could easily pay off my car right now, they won't because it was a way for me to learn responsibility. Only time they even put money into that car was for a tow truck when I buried it in a snowdrift last winter when I skidded off the freeway.

Secondly, this is a topic about sponsorship. Not about whining how you think this site is full of nothing but rich people and your perception that in order to even be wealthy you have to start out on top.