Get The Proposal Right
Five Steps to a Winning Proposal
Step 1- Benefits
You must first start by asking yourself what your potential sponsor may want as a result of a partnership with your team/ organization. Keep in mind that a sports sponsorship offers more of a qualitative benefit than a quantitative one. Traditional advertising will usually win on a cost-per-thousand (CPM) basis. Therefore, your sponsorship must deliver benefits such as potential product sales, hospitality, sales incentive programs, in-kind media trade, on-premises signage, complimentary tickets, etc. Be sure to tailor your proposal to fulfill your sponsor's objectives.
Step 2- Target Your Proposal
Tell your sponsor the benefits you can deliver. Include the following points:
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Reach/audience
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Types of packages: title, game sponsor, official supplier, product/category exclusivity
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On-site impressions such as signage, exhibits, displays
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Game tickets and VIP passes
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Hospitality options
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Product sampling opportunity
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Discount on group tickets or team merchandise
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Media co-sponsor tie-ins
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Publications/media carrying sponsor ID
Step 3- Sponsor Partners
The proposal should include a brief outline or commentary on your sports marketing class and your team. You may include a brochure, season summaries, comments from satisfied clients or a list of other sponsors, etc. Sponsors are often interested in knowing what other companies may be working with you during the season. This also opens the door to cross-merchandising opportunities that a sponsor may be interested in for his product.
Step 4- Attaching Value
Pricing your package competitively becomes the next step.
During this process, you should put a specific value on each item you may be selling. These items may include:
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Tickets, VIP passes, hospitality
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Media trade with co-sponsor outlet
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Advertising time/space on TV, radio, game programs
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Public address announcements
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On-site signage
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Off-site opportunities
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Mailing lists
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Ticket backs, newsletters
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Game nights as a title or presenting sponsor
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Premium /entertainment tie-ins
Step 5-Specific Considerations
Is the proposal offering something unique to the sponsor? Does it include category exclusively, value-added benefits, renewal incentives, special ticket allocations? After you've established a value of "all" the items you have to sell, you can then make adjustments for your specific sponsor. Generally, selling various "levels" or "tiers" will improve your chances of closing a sale.
The final proposal should offer a bonus to your sponsor to jump on a complete package. For example, if your sponsor were to purchase each item individually, the cost might be 25% more than the package deal. At a certain level of sponsorship, this may prove to be the difference in a successful sale.
