Common Sponsorship Mistakes
How to Avoid Them
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MXA WRENCH TECH: HOW TO AVOID COMMON SPONSORSHIP MISTAKES
A rider support manager tells you the secret keys to getting your resume looked at and the product on your bike
Every company of any
size has a dedicated rider support manager; this person is tasked with picking
a select group of riders to represent the products of the company they work
for. As a rider support manager for one of the bigger companies in the industry
I'm going to share my thoughts on resume season (although I’m not going to tell
you my name or the company I work for).
Think about it. In a three-month period I handle over 5000 paper and electronic
resumes. In those three month, if I manage to dedicate half my working hours to
looking at resumes, that gives me just three minutes per resume (and when you
subtract the minute or so that it takes to enter the data in the computer that
leaves the applicant with slightly over 60 seconds to get his message across to
me).
In that one minute I don't want to have to search your seven pages of
information to get the “must have” details. Thus, I have a “loser” pile next to
my desk. The loser pile is made up of the resumes that I don’t think I have the
time to work through–riding skill aside. The loser pile is the resumes I
receive with no return address, no phone number or no email address (the return
address on the envelope does not qualify, because I throw the envelope in the trash
immediately). These resumes have every thing in them but the most important
thing – contact information! At the end of the resume season I review the loser
pile, find the best and most professional resume and hang it on my wall. I
still don’t know how to find the rider who sent it, but I admire their
handiwork of what I call “The biggest loser.”
Before I tell you what a rider support manager wants to see, let me tell you
what a support manger doesn't want to.
(1) We don't want to know about the sport of motocross. We have
that covered. It's what we do. It's our life.
(2) We don't want to know how many people of what age and
demographic watch Supercross on TV. Plus, if you are one TV, then we already
know who you are. If you aren’t on TV, don’t try to make us think that you are.
WHAT A COMPANY'S SUPPORT MANAGER WANTS TO SEE IN A RESUME
Let’s get to the gist of it. Assuming you have clearly listed your name,
address, phone number and email address at the top of page one, you are off to
a good start. Just based on these facts, I will most likely make you an offer
of support based purely on the fact know who you are. Next, I will scan down
the resume to see what brand of bike you race. This is important as I need to
know if my company has products for you to use.
The most interesting part of every resume is your racing results. Not only am I
looking at what class you race and how well you do, but also how consistent
your racing program is. If I'm going to offer a spot to you I'm going to want
to get bang for my buck; meaning track time. If you race three times a year,
I'm not interested. If I am going to invest in you, you need to be at the track
showing off my product every week.
As for the results — For each result you list, I want to know the date, the
track, the class you raced (don’t lie or be vague) and your overall finish in
each class. I don't need to know who was in the class or any excuses. I just
want an honest idea of the level of rider you are and be able to quickly search
my database of results to validate what you claim. Believe it or not, if you
list it, I can probably find it. Don't lie to me.
There are just two more things I like to see in your resume:
(1) A list of all the sponsors you currently have.
(2) A photo of you riding and a photo of you sitting on your bike.
Why do want these two additional bits of info? Simple. If you list Thor as a
sponsor and send me a photo of a bike festooned with Fox stickers (or you’re
wearing Fox gear) then I have a pretty good idea of your idea of sponsorship? I
use the sponsor list you provide and the pictures you send to judge how
seriously you take sponsorship.
Once the resumes are all reviewed and my support program is full, I will
contact each accepted rider and make him an offered for varying levels of
support. The only people I can’t make an offer to are the ones in the loser
pile.
Click here for a local perspective on sponsorship.
