Sponsorships, are they worth it?

First off I want to take a minute to give a big thank you to my sponsors for all of their help. Bob at Magna Charger, George at Belltech, Bill at Baer, Tony at Volant, Steve at Trucksecuirty.com, TJ and Ron at TTI Companies the makers of X-Point and Daiichi hooks, Rick at Maxima line and of course my major sponsor Bass’es Choice. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for believing in me, having faith in me and giving me the opportunity to promote your products. The honor is greatly appreciated and I promise I will not let you down.

Now onto the subject of this article. I’ve recently been asked quite a few times, how does one go about acquiring sponsors? How can I get sponsors and so forth. I thought I’d take the time to write a little something to assist others in there quest to obtaining sponsorship.

The first thing I tell people is that getting sponsors and keeping them is a job. It’s not just, give me stuff, thank you, see ya later bye. There are usually contracts with obligations that you must abide by as well as rules you must follow. It takes commitment and dedication because you will have to give up some of your free time to promote their products. You must be willing to advertise for them and be ethical, as well as a good roll model because the bottom line is, they are trusting you with their name.

I know I have worked the Fred Hall Show, which is a major west coast boating show held in Long Beach CA, for several years now in different sponsor’s booths for 2 to 3 days at time. You must be both knowledgeable and personable because you will meet all kinds of people who are attempting to gain knowledge on why they should purchase your product instead of another company’s product. In this, as well as other situations you must be a good communicator as well as be able to read people.

If you agree to the above then it’s on to the next step. Find out who the marketing or public relations person is within the company. This is usually as easy as calling the operator for the company your interested in and asking them. After finding out who they are give them a call, lay out your basic proposal verbally and ask them if it would be OK if you sent them a formal proposal, which I will discuss a little later, for them to review.

Remember, this initial conversation with them is usually the most important conversation you will have. This is when that old saying about making a good first impression really comes into play. If you come across with a bad first impression chances are even if they say they will review your proposal they won’t. Be friendly, be cordial, be professional and be personable.

OK, so you found the person, you feel you made a good first impression, now forward we go to putting together the formal proposal. Here again, be professional. What you’re attempting to do is you convince them that by giving you some kind of assistance you will increase their sales as well as be a good spokesman for them. Never come across like, “Give me stuff” Make sure your proposal is professional as well as interjecting a bit of personality in it.

Remember, they get hundreds if not thousands of requests daily so you need to stand out from the crowd. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself, why should I give this guy my product? What’s in it for me? How can I benefit?

With any sponsors you have to sell yourself and it really helps if you offer them something they don’t already have, an avenue for which they can introduce their products to a whole new audience. Follow up with phone calls inquiring if they had a chance to review your proposal? The big trick to this part is to be a little persistent without being pushy.

When you talk to them remember a few of the personal things they might have mentioned about themselves, make notes if need be and the next time you talk mention it. Example, if they say something to the effect that they have not been able to review it because they have a sick child and have not been able to have allot of extra time then ask when would be a good time for you to call back. When you call back or write them use the official greeting, “Mr. Smith”, its more professional, of course if their last name is Jones then don’t call them Smith, then somewhere in the conversation ask how their child is doing, be concerned about them as people and not as just a free ride because allot of them have the ability to see right through the fake people, remember, they deal with people all the time.

This next step is a very important one. Let them make the decision as to what kind of sponsorship to give you. Be it a full sponsorship, free stuff, or a partial one, meaning you get the product at a reduced price, leave it up to them. The way I handle this is when they ask you what you are expecting from them I tell them any assistance they are willing to provide you with will be fine.

Be ready for rejection because chances are you will get more no’s than you will yes’s. However, no matter what the outcome, ALWAYS, ALWAYS remain positive and professional! You would be surprised just how “Tight” the major manufactures are, if word gets out that your pissy with an attitude problem then you might as well write off the possibility of anyone sponsoring you. I have seen it happen to more than one person in the bass fishing circuit.

So, now you have obtained the sponsorship, what next. Be sure to follow through with your commitments and contractual agreements because once you pick up some major sponsors, like I said above the word can get out that you did not honor your obligations to them you can forget about the possibilities of getting anymore.

Another note worthy item is remember that contract you signed? Did you take the time to read the fine print? Did you over look the part where it mentioned that you would be financially liable if you defaulted on the contract? Yes, you are bound by law to pay full retail value for said items. A lot of times when you get a full sponsorship they ask for a credit card number and you pay the shipping of the item so guess what? They have your number on file and they will charge the card. You then get your statement and next thing you know you’re over drawn. Of course all of this can be avoided as long as you follow through on your word.

A great thing about getting a major sponsor is once again the word gets around that you’re a valuable asset and then other sponsors start to approach you asking if they can sponsor you. I currently have several companies that have approached me and I’m contemplating accepting their offers. I have also turned down more than one sponsor because I did not believe in their product or there was a conflict with a current sponsor. That’s another point worth making. You should really believe in and use their products before accepting a sponsorship from any company and be sure to once again read the fine print of the contract you signed, there just might be something in there.

Anyways, always be sure to thank your sponsors when at awards ceremonies, this will attract more sponsors because you can never tell “Who” is sitting in the crowd. I’ve seen times when “Angler A” was sponsored by “Company A” and a represenitive of Company A just happen to be at an event and Angler A neglected to mention company A as a sponsor during the awards ceremony. Of course company a made a note of this and made a point to be at several more tournaments where Angler A was and after a few more times of neglecting to mention his sponsorship with Company A he was let go.

I could go on and on about the do’s and don’ts on this subject but I think I’ve covered the basics involved. In closing let me say that getting sponsors is a great way to not only help cut back on costs of items you would want and need, but In my opinion, it makes one feel good inside knowing that you have reached that level of expertise in the field, that companies have faith enough in you to give you the honor of representing them.

So, my personal answer to the question are they worth it? Yes they are, though it may not be worth it to everyone. I hope I was able to give you some insite.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon!

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

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Make Time to Relax.

Its been a very stressful day at the office, it seems like its been a Monday for 3 days in a row now. Your co-worker is being a jerk and your boss is too busy to care. It seems like everything is breaking and everyone needs their problem taken care of first. The work day finally ends and its off to your safe haven, your home, also known in man terms as your cave.

You arrive home to find that the cooler had stopped working during the heat of the day and its over 100 degrees in your house. You look at the cooler and find that the pump has stopped working so its off to the local hardware store to purchase another. As it turns out the employees also have had a bad day so they are taking it out on you. Then you find that due to a decision by the corporate office, which of course is back in the cooler climates, they no longer stock the pumps because they are out of season. So its off to the the giant Mega Low Mart where you are forced to buy a pump of, lets just say not as good quality to get you through the next month and half of summer.

You arrive back home to install the pump and find that for some reason your automatic garage door wont open. You get inside of the hot box and discover that the electricity is not working so you go to call the electric company but of course without electricity your cordless phone wont work. You use your cellular phone and as it turns out the electric company has shut off the power to your entire neighborhood due to routine maintenance but neglected to inform you.

You try and remain positive, see the glass as half full and just let things go and remain in a good mood but its getting difficult because its still hot in the house even though the power is back on and the house is starting to cool down.

Then you get a call from your significant other and she has been having a rotten day as well because of some jerk that she works with and of course you want to go down to her work and pummel the guy for messing with her but you know if you did that you would end up in jail with a newly umeployeed wife. The little woman in bad mood, which is not a good thing, but with both of you being in a bad mood it is not the time to try and have any discussion because your both being unreasonable.

AAAHHHHHHHHHH! Whats a man to do? Me personally, I toss some food in the slow cooker, hook up the Champion or just put a couple rods and some tackle into the truck, leave a note on the fridge stating, “Gone Fishing” and take off to your nearest body of water. I’m fortunate enough to be the early person at my normal “9-5″ job so my working day ends at 2:00 which even after taking care of things around the house it still gives me at least a few hours on the water

I have people say to me quite frequently just how lucky I am that I get to go fishing all the time and that they never get to. I tell them that they have to make time to go fishing, to get out and relax. If you dont take the time to eat, oh sorry, I meant to say smell, the flowers once in awhile the internal stress is bad for you. Yes the price of gas is kind of high but when you need to get away, the financial cost is more than worth it to spend the money for peace of mind.

For me, fishing takes me back to good times. Back when I was a kid and didn’t have a care in the world. When toothpaste and toilet paper didn’t cost me any money, it was a simpler time. Yes, childhood can be rough but compared to all the responsibilities of adult life its actually pretty care free. It takes me back to good times fishing with my father, who has since passed on. I know when I’m fishing I often think about and miss him. He was a great man and role model. No matter how busy he was, working 2, sometimes 3 jobs to take care of his family, he would make time to take me fishing.

So I say to one and all, get out more often. Relax, become one with nature, explore that inner child we all have within us. Make time to relax. You’ll get back home relaxed and all of life’s “Tests” wont seem all that bad. Besides that you can reminisce of your time on the water, even though it might have been just a few hours, because you managed to catch a few nice ones and even if you dont catch any, you still were able to escape from it all, for at least a few hours.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

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Redline Technical Groups Jimmi Jammer

You arrive at the lake in the early morning hours. The anticipation inside you of that first bite is so intense you feel like your going to explode, like a kid at Christmas time, and just cant wait to get on the water. You launch the boat and blast off to your first spot or if your shore bound you park your truck, grab out the gear and hike down to the water.

That first bite comes very quickly with many more to follow and you proceed to have that fishing day everyone dreams of. Everything is perfect, the big fish are cooperating, the weather is beautiful and life is good. Nothing could possibly spoil the day.

You arrive back at the boat ramp and tie up your boat to the dock. The huge smile on your face tells the other fishermen what kind of day you had on the water. You proceed up to your truck, talking to fellow anglers along the way. Upon arrival at where you parked your truck you discover that something indeed has spoiled your day. Some low life has vandalized or even worse, stole your truck. What’s a fisherman to do?

Statistics show that on average, if a car thief has to spend much time trying to steal or vandalize a vehicle they will just find an easier target because they don’t want to draw attention to themselves.

Lets see, short of tying Spike and Rex, your pair of crazy 120 pound Dobermans, to your front and rear bumper’s there is not much we can do to guarantee nothing will happen to your truck.

While most of us have some sort of alarm systems on our trucks if a professional car thief really wants to steal your truck nothing can stop it from happening. While you can get the latest state of the art alarm system if the installation job is sub par then the system can be easily circumvented. Of course if you forget to arm your system then it cant do any good but we wont go there.

Do you realize that the most common tool used in vehicle burglary and theft is a screwdriver? It’s fast, easy and doesn’t attract as much attention as breaking a window. The scum bags have figured out exactly where to jam the screwdriver under the door handle and pop the locking mechanism open. Or they can just pop the lock into the door cavity, reach into the hole and unlock the door.

They’ve also figured out how to pop open the hoods on vehicles to cut the power to alarm systems thereby disabling them. With the hood open they can also steal items from under your hood. If you have HID headlights they are very easily removed as well as other items under your hood and can be sold for good money.

Another item thief’s are stealing are tail gates because they can be very quickly removed and sold for hundreds of dollars. I can promise that if you have to replace your tailgate it will cost you well over $500.00 because you cannot buy just the tailgate from a dealer, you must buy the entire assembly.

Enter the fine folks at Redline Technical Group, Inc. located in Mesa, Arizona makers of the Jimmi’ Jammer. Huh? What is this Jimmi’ Jammer? Its a custom formed steel plate that bolts to the backside of your door handle, preventing thieves from prying into the handle seam or punching the lock cylinder into the door. They also have the Hood Latch Jimmi’ Jammer which is made from sturdy black coated metal that protects the hood release cable, and the Gate Keeper which keeps your tailgate with your truck as well as other truck security items.

Installation of these items is very straight forward and easy with very detailed instructions. No cutting or drilling required. Even the mechanically challenged individual can install them with ease. Here are pictures of the Hood Latch Guard and Gate Keeper installed. I didnt take any pictures of my installation of the Jimmi Jammer but it was very easy.

Redline Technical Groups does have very detailed instructions with pictures online here, http://www.jimmijammer.com/JJ%20Installation.htm that make removing your door panel quick and easy to allow the installation of the Jimmi Jammer.

I highly recommend these products for the extra piece of mind they will give you when your away from your vehicle, be it at the lake, the mall, the movies or even out to dinner. Yes, in a perfect world stuff like this is not needed but there is always someone out there who does not believe in hard work and honesty and has no respect for other peoples property.

All of these items as well as other fine security items are available for several car, truck and van makes and models. For more information on all of these fine products and to check for specific applications go to http://www.jimmijammer.com To order them at the best price go to their online store at http://www.trucksecurity.com/

Like I said before, if a thief really wants your vehicle, sadly there is nothing that can prevent it happening. However if you can make it more difficult to get into your vehicle it just might deter them enough to pass on your stealing your ride.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon!

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

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