Ok ok here is your big break.. Do all of this and get hooked up! good luck!
This is a strategy on getting yourself sponsored.
First and foremost, you have to have a plan. Companies aren't just
going to see you out riding one day and hook you up with skis because
you can rip it up the park or huck big, unless you all the sudden win a
major competition and don't already have sponsors.
Ask yourself these questions:
*What are your goals with sponsorship?
*Why do you feel you NEED a sponsor?
*What do you think you can do for a sponsor?
*What makes you more deserving of a sponsorship.
It's good to have goals. For example: I am going to enter and compete
this season in both local and regional competitions. Without goals, it
will be very hard for a sponsor to understand why you want a
sponsorship other than to get free stuff. Showing that you have goals
and have a plan on how to achieve them is very important.
*Continue to ask yourself, why do I want a sponsor? If you are
looking to impress your buddies by saying you're sponsored, forget it.
Companies don't sponsor skiers to boost egos. If you're just looking
for a deal on a pair of skis, get a job at a ski shop. Employee deals
are easy to get because store patrons always want to know. What do you
ride on?
*Now, if your motivation for a sponsorship is that you are looking
for a partner to help you achieve your skiing goals. Keep reading.
Sponsorships can help by taking away some of the hassle associated with
the financial and logistical mess that skiers can find themselves in
and..... You want to make a difference in the products that a company
offers, you're on the right track.
Sponsorship is not a free ride. It's a job. Like a job you should be
making a commitment. When you are sponsored, you are representing that
company and all its products. When you are in public, you are generally
expected to present yourself in a manner acceptable to that company.
Think of ways to represent so that your sponsor's products are
demonstrated in the most positive light possible. For example, this
might mean something as simple as stopping to talk to curious gapers
slopeside. You have to represent first and foremost.
Consider also that a sponsorship is a two way street. Companies rely on
their team members to provide feedback on their products and that's
where you can come in and make yourself more valuable to your sponsor.
Consider and think about things that potentially separate you from
others. What about exposure? Have you been in films? Are you filmed
regularly and have a portfolio of short edits? Have you been involved
photo shoots with photographers? Do you post or submit your photos for
regulary? Do you compete? What are your results? Today, most successful
skiers not only shreds the park and big lines, but are also with film
makers and photographers. You really need to get out there and make
yourself known in order for companies to see a value and start throwing
stuff at you.
Now, after all of that, and you are still reading, do you still want to find a sponsorship?
*Have decided who you want to represent? Great!
*It is of the utmost importance to find out who in charge of new sponsorships. Often, companies have team managers.
*Get the correct spelling of their name and their position within the
company. This is NOT the time to try and speak to them directly. It is
likely that they have very limited time (if any) to spend on new
recruits. Trying to get them on the phone will waste their time and
yours especially if it is during the ski season.
NOW
*Media: Get your comp results together (or just the highlights if
you've been competing for a while) Compile press clippings, video
edits, photographs of you in action along with a short concise
biography and personal statistics.
*Put together a schedule of the ski season containing local and
regional competitions. To get a company interested in you, a resume of
competition results and accomplishments is always a good idea.
*Your portfolio is a proposal asking for you to be considered for
a sponsorship. So, in your workds, write about what you have done in
the past and what you intend to do in the upcoming year. This is the
time to express your goals and outline a plan for attaining them. For
example: Along with past results, you should map out training along
with future event schedules. Freestyle skiing is athletic in nature,
show what training you intend to do.
*The portfolio and proposal for sponsorship you have now compiled is
the key to achieving your goal of sponsorship. Your request for
sponsorship is hopeless with out submitting your request in writing
unless you are so well known that your reputation proceeds you. Don't
make the typical mistake of firing off an email along with youtube
links saying how good you are and how much you want them to sponsor
you. It will likely be trashed the same way as all the other of lame
submissions they recieve.
That might seem cold and harsh, but that is the reality. Take the time
to make your portfolio and proposal, professional yet fun. This is the
time you need make sure that you make a great first impression. Your
proposal needs to be attention grabbing and informative or it won't get
a second look! Sponsors look at your proposal as a request to be an
ambassador for their products. The easiest way to get a request ignored
is to write a letter asking for "sponsorship".
*Make sure every piece of written communication between you and a
potential sponsor is spelled 100% correctly. Do I really need to say
that? Seriously, read it over several times, have friends and family
check it. A sponsor might view something simple like spelling as an
indicator of your personality. As lame as it seems this true. For
example they might have the thought "Since you didn't even take the
time to correct spelling errors... I don't have the confidence that you
will spend the time to arrive prepared for events on time. Why chance
it? Use spell check.
*Remember: You will be marketing yourself so that you can help a
company market its product. What have you done that makes you a more
vital candidate than someone else? Approach it like a job interview.
There are hundreds of people looking for the sponsorship hookup. What
makes you better than them? Sell yourself.
* Here is something else to also consider. If you act like a jerk
in public, mouthing off or kicking puppies, you will likely not be
looked favorably on. Sure, there are lots of sponsored jerks out there,
however they are the exception, not the rule. People need to respect
you, and being a jerk on the trails, in public, or even on a message
board, will likely not bode well. Sponsors would rather support the
nice guy who finished third than the idiot who won.
In closing, don't get bummed if you don't get the hookup first year.
Sponsorship is something you can work toward, take the time to build
your reputation.
