I Need Sponsors!  Now What?

Wow time flies when you’re having fun.  Seems like just yesterday we were gearing up for the outdoor motocross season to start.  I mean spring was just around the corner, and none of us knew what the 2010 season would have in store for us.  And now….fast forward to the present.  The outdoor season is either over (for us National ATV racers) or winding down to its final rounds.  We’ve either reached our goals or fallen short.  Some of us are just happy to have made it through another season in one piece.  Most of you are probably equally happy if your machine made it through the season intact!  In only a few months the whole winter teardown and repair/refurbish process will begin, we’ll all be in need of new parts to help keep our bikes on the track in 2011.  With the cost of racing getting higher and higher it makes this time of year that much more important.

Yes it’s officially that time of year when every aftermarket company in the industry opens it’s mail boxes and email up to be bombarded with racer resumes.  That’s right it’s sponsorship time!  It might be the most exciting time of the year for many racers as they have had a great season and can’t wait to see what kind of deals they can land.  Then on the other side of the card are those that either got hurt or just had a disheartening racing experience in 2010.  Either way you look at it there are certain things sponsors look for from applicants.

Professionalism:

The first thing any sponsor looks at when it comes to resumes is appearance.  Don’t send out an email to a potential sponsor with your “resume” in the text of the email.  First impressions mean more than just about anything in the sponsorship game.  Your resume should be a completely separate document.  The best ones we’ve seen are done using a PDF format, but using Word or Publisher is fine too.  The main thing here is that your resume looks the part.  An unprofessional appearance is a sure fire way to make sure you get over looked…..no matter how fast you are.

Content:

Your resume should include all or a combination of the following:

• Bio: Name, Age, Address, Interests, Hobbies, Occupation, Education…these are all things that should be included in a short paragraph about you.  The Bio section just gives a sponsor an insight into who you are as a person not just a rider.
• Sales Pitch: When you are sponsored by a company you are nothing more than a traveling salesman for that company.  Use this section of your resume to sell yourself to the potential sponsor.  What can you do for them?  Why should they sponsor you?  How will it benefit both you and them if you are sponsored?
• Future Plans: What are your plans for the upcoming racing season?  What series are you running?  What class?  What are your short term and long term goals within the sport.
• Results: We all get carried away when putting our results on our resume.  It’s hard to not put “Motor blew up” next to that DNF in our results.  Sponsors really don’t want to know why you had a bad race, it just clutters up the resume and makes it look less professional.  Just list your results as they are…if you’ve done well they’ll reflect that if you haven’t and feel the need to explain why your results aren’t up to par then after the results section of your resume insert another small paragraph and explain how your season went….keep it short though.
• Pictures: Don’t forget the pictures.  Be sure to include a good head shot and several action shots.  If you are using a PDF format just place the pictures randomly within your resume document.
• Contact Info: Don’t forget to include your phone number, home address, and email address.

Short and Sweet:

You think your resume is the only one a sponsor has to look at?  No it’s not….not by a long shot.  So don’t get wordy with your resume.  Keep it short and too the point, don’t ramble.  You want the style and structure of your resume to grab the attention of the potential sponsor.  It’s pretty simple, the better your resume looks and reads the better your chances of getting the deal you want.  As the old saying goes “you get out of it what you put into it”.