Hey speakers, do you want to know how to go from “no fee” to “full fee” right out of the gate with Sponsorship? What a valuable morning with Charmaine Hammond at CAPS Experts Who Speak. We learned about the Untapped Revenue Source for Speakers.

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

Companies have budgets to spend on strategic marketing relationships. As a speaker, we are their ideal vehicle as we can put their brand in front of our audiences, our social media platforms, database, stage, etc. For authors, it can also be a way to launch your book.

One of the ways to secure yourself with a strategic partner is to combine your event with a charity event. Instead of simply sponsoring your own tour, by also doing a “free” event as you are in the city for your own speaking engagement, then you allow your strategic partner to be recognize for donating to a great cause as they pay for your travels and accommodation while you are there for your other personal event.

Marketing partners will look for return on investment. ROI. This may not show immediately after the event, sometimes years after. You are building long term relationships, provide them with visibility and travel to do what you love with OPM (other people’s money).

It is not a handout. It is not helping. You are not asking for help, you cannot be calling someone or entering someone’s office with the belief that you are begging for help or money. You are creating a relationship. The pressure on them is huge, they manage port folios and need to give ROI, expected to 3 times more. Some of them will expect a return of 1 to 1, cost-recovery only, just to get people to try their product. It is a dual relationship to give them return on their investment.

At first, you may want to start with asking for products to give for free to your audiences when you speak. Swag bag inserts. Dress you for free, shoes, make-up, travel, accomodation, etc. They take out money or props out of their budget to spend it on you as you will provide marketing to them. You create engagement with your social medias on them, make videos of you with their brand in the background, tag them, etc.

The first step is to get engaged with the brand. Examples of what can be sponsored: airline, hotels, travel, work-holidays, book launch – tools, clothing, office furniture, health and fitness, equipment, socks, shoes, boots, ties, scarfs, purses, bags, give your bag at the end of a presentation. Create a partnership with these brands.

COMMON MISTAKES

Common mistakes as a speaker: fly in an hour and a half before, do their event, and then leave. Whenever possible, schedule time to be there before hand in the previous days and stay after to build relationships. Visit the trade show and go booth to booth to meet potential sponsors. Go to the trade shows of the events you are going to and meet the sponsors. Go to their presentations, thank them for their great presentation. Tell them something like: “this presentation was so powerful for me and here are my 3 key takeaways, xyz”. Then go on LINKEDIN, connect with them WITH a message. Add note: we met at this conference I was the weirdo at the end that told you about this key take-away. With LINKEDIN, you can send direct message and remind them that they have met you. Then you follow them on social medias. You like what they do, you read their blogs and comment on them, just as a fan. As an ambassador. Then eventually, when you approach them to become partner, it makes sense as you are already familiar with them and they are familiar with you.

Do not use the word “Sponsor” or “money” or “dollars”. Instead, use the word partner, strategic marketing.

Another mistake is to go in with an idea of what they want us to provide. Just share idea and then see what is THEIR need for marketing and what they expect. What THEY think they want you to showcase at your events. Summarize a one page with what the event is and then ask what they would like to contribute.

Another mistake: Go to a big business first. Start local instead. Always start your sponsorship quest with who you know. Make a list of who is currently your banker, printer, nail place, where do you shop, eat, etc. Start with covering things you won’t have to pay, start with who is closer to home. Cannot invite strangers if you don’t already have credibility. You slowly build a list of partners (even if they only give you small tokens), then when you meet with larger corporations, you can show them a list of already powerful relationships. You already have 40 partners (even if they are not giving you any money), then you can go to someone to ask for $$ when you show you are already a great partner.

Find who would be your dream partner and start the process of reading everything about them. You can search on LinkedIn the name of that company with the word sponsorship or community investment, public relation, sponsorship, credit union, community partnership and click on 1st degree or 2nd degree connection. Send them a private message and ask them to connect you with them: “If it resonates and feel free to say no: one of my dream partner is…. would you consider do an warm introduction for me.” You can ask them to connect with their connection and check out with that person.

MEDIAS

How to arrange a marketing partnership with medias, go on twitter at 11pm at night on friday and saturday (when tweets are responded to within 7 minutes) and tweet something like: “Hey @citytvvancouver, I am heading your way to canfitpro vancouver fitness expo for my talk on self-sabotage” usually at this time of the night, they respond right away and ask you to send them the press release for producers desk, tag medias on twitter.

JUST LIKE DATING

Treat marketing partner like dating. You don’t show up with someone on the first date and ask them to get married and have kids. It starts slow and develops.

The organization you are part of also give your sponsors a collective reach. Make sure you know how to leverage this.

WORK WITH CHARMAINE

You need to build a Strategic Partner Deck. Become clear about how to present your brand. You have to be able to explain your brand clearly. The cleaner your brand, the best it is. You only have 90 seconds.

If you want to know more, what to say, in what order, with what tone, how to find them, and how to walk in a stranger’s office and come out with a six figures sponsorship, Charmaine is hosting a one-day course on November 20th, 2017. Highly recommended! She is awesome!

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH

Hope you enjoyed my reCAPS. Now as a wise man said (David Gouthro): the value is not in the content it is in what you choose to do with the information. Implementation time! Hope to see you all next month as I will be presenting THINK Yourself™ SUCCESSFUL on November 25th after Phil Eastwood’s Highlights from the National Speakers Association (NSA)
Orlando Summer Conference. I can’t wait to receive valuable feedback from my fellow CAPS experts!

Congratulations again to David Gouthro for his 15 years with CAPS, Charmaine Hammond 10 years with CAPS and Neil Sharpham 15 years who were celebrated this morning and to Kindi Gill our phenomenal Rising Star who will be representing us at CAPS Convention Rising Star Event.

#caps2017 #capsvancouver.