What does it take to get a sponsor for your custom vehicle project?

Everybody always asks me, "how did you get so many sponsors?" The short answer is, "because I asked". I know this is an overly simplified answer, but it really is the main key to getting sponsorships. The second key to being successful when soliciting potential sponsors is having something worth sponsoring that is interesting and unique. It sounds easy, but it's not as simple as it sounds. I got the idea for soliciting sponsors from truck I saw in Four Wheeler many years ago called "Project MPG". It was a nondescript, white Ford F-350 dually which had been customized under the hood to produce the maximum miles per gallon possible. Their project truck had about eight or nine companies sponsoring it. When I first began my Custom Ford project, I contacted the owner of Project MPG for some advice. He very quickly gave me the brush off and being unhelpful was an understatement. So I took the initiative, based on my experience in marketing and business in general, and started making 'sales' calls to companies that manufactured the products I needed for my project.

I knew that there would a lot of folks out there with a desire to build a custom four wheel drive truck and hope that they could get corporate sponsorship to lessen the financial burden. So before I even started disassembling the truck, the first order of business was to build a website about the project so that potential sponsors would be able see that I'm not just another "Joe Schmoe" trying to get some free parts. Once the website was created and online, I had a powerful sales tool with which I could contact the companies for which I was seeking products. I never asked for money, and conversely, never received any either. What I did receive was significant support financially through companies providing products and services for my project in exchange for the advertising and marketing opportunities my project provided. This was a win/win program for both of us. I won because I was able to secure products for 'free' or at cost. The sponsor won because they got to have their product associated with a potentially high profile marketing vehicle (pun intended).

The next step was determining who to contact at the various companies when the need arose. Finding the right person with whom to speak in a large company can sometimes be quite challenging. When dealing with smaller companies, it is usually much simpler, but not always. Once you find the right person, the next step is introducing yourself in such a way as to not come across as "wanting something". It is much better to explain why you are calling, what you need and ask if they offer any kind of sponsorship opportunities. This set's the stage for your conversation. The person on the other end now knows who you are, what you want and that you're not trying to get something free right out of the gate. This greatly helps your chances of success. Now you have room to discuss and negotiate with them. Always be honest, but you don't have to show all of your cards up front. Let them speak. They will usually give you a lot of good information about their company and about how they operate. Makes sure you let them know that you're flexible and that even a partial sponsorship such as offering the product at cost or a significantly reduced rate would work as well.

Once you've set the tone, you need to let them know, somehow, about your website. Many times, they are curious and will pull up your site while you're on the phone. Use this to your advantage. They can now see that your project is real and not just some pie in the sky pipe dream. Let them know how their "donation" will benefit them. Answer these questions for them: How will my company benefit? How visible will the vehicle be? (translation: how many shows will the vehicle attend and where). How visible will my company be? (translation: how will people know my company sponsored you?) If you can answer these questions effectively, you have a very good shot at receiving a "Yes". If you can't answer these questions effectively, then you have no business even picking up the phone. All you're doing is wasting their time and yours.

Once you get the much sought after "Yes", the next step is to show you're sincere. Get their name up on your website under the list of sponsors. Make sure that everyone knows that Acme Corp. supplied the XYZ brand muffler bearings for your custom creation. Lastly, when the vehicle is done, get it out in front of the public. If you stay true to your word, you'll have a much better shot at the next company as your project progresses. Good luck and be sure to let me know how your sponsorship quest pans out.

© 2007 Project Responder

4 steps to warm up cold calling conversations

Our thoughts are always at the basis of our behaviors. If our thoughts are fixed on the goal of making a sale, then we’re not really being forthright. We’re not focused on the conversation or the truth of a situation. We’re chasing people -- or at least chasing the sale.

Here are 5 important steps to help end the "chasing game" in our cold calling efforts.

1. Avoid reading from a script

Life is not a script, nor are normal conversations. When we read from a script, we’re not being natural. We’re playing a role. And that means we’re chasing a sale rather than enjoying an opportunity to meet someone new and find out if we can help them.

Allowing a conversation to naturally flow helps you enter into a dialogue based on trust, which lets your potential client’s real issues emerge.

Formal scripts, on the other hand, don’t give you the freedom to take conversations in the direction they may naturally want to go. And this feels stilted and awkward.

If you begin to view your cold calls as conversations or dialogues, you’ll find it easy to let go of the idea of scripts. And you’ll sense the shift of the energy in your conversation when the emphasis of the call is about the person you’re talking with and not about your making a sale.

So generate a spontaneous conversation, based on the problems you can help the other person solve. This will diffuse your feelings of being awkward and artificial, and allow you to enjoy the journey.

2. Address a Core Problem

People connect with you when they feel you understand their issues before you focus on yourself and your solutions. Come up with two or three specific problems that your product or service solves. And talk about it with the potential client first, before offering your sales pitch.

When you offer your presentation or solution without first involving the other person by talking about a core problem they might be having, you are focused on the sale rather than the conversation. And your whole energy tends to drive the interaction into a sales mode. Remember, whenever someone feels "chased," they usually run.

So stop for a moment. Convey that you’re a problem solver.  Invite a mutual exchange of information that explores whether there’s a possibility that the two of you might work together. Help them understand that your thoughts and goals are not focused on selling them anything at all.

Most people will welcome your interest in their problem as long as you’re not operating out of the hidden agenda of making a sale. So overcome the temptation to discuss what you have to offer and move into focusing on your caller’s world. Invite discussion, express interest, and stop chasing the sale.

3. Uncover the Truth of the Situation

Make your objective to uncover the truth of the potential client’s situation and to be okay with the outcome, whether it’s a yes or a no.

We can do this by checking in at various times in the conversation to make sure it makes sense to continue the dialogue. If we just move ahead without doing this, we’re in "chase mode." And in this case, we may be chasing something very unrealistic for this particular potential client.

So we ask important questions such as, "Is this a top priority for you to solve right now?"  We may find that the potential client is very interested in working with us, but the budget or staffing may simply be too thin at this time.

We stop at various checkpoints in our conversation to make sure we’re moving ahead together. If our thoughts are fixed only on our own goal of eventually securing the sale, we can miss very important signals that the other person may actually have no intention of following through.

4. Where do We Go From Here?

Here’s something very surprising. Allow the conversation to end without chasing other person into an sales appointment or commitment, and the other person will often be the one who initiates further contact.

So when you feel as if the conversation is coming to a natural conclusion, you can simply say, "Well, where do you think we should go from here?"

This question reassures potential clients that you’re not using the conversation to fulfill your own hidden agenda. It invites the other person to take charge of where things are going, and all you need do is follow along.

When you stop chasing the sale, you’ll be truly surprised at how often the sale gently awaits you within a friendly conversation focusing on the needs of others.

With no end in sight for rising gas prices, fuel retail outlets are eagerly searching for new ways to attract cost-conscious consumers to their pumps this summer.  For gas station operators one solution in keeping gas volumes up while gas prices increase, has been to incorporate a novel concept called Additech, which is basically a “coupon at the pump”. Additech pioneered the "tune-up at the pump" engine care service that dispenses and blends specialty fuel additives into gasoline while consumers pump their gas. The company operates its system at 1,500 fueling positions across 18 states at major retailer fuel centers and expects to have the systems installed at over 2,000 fueling positions in over 450 sites by year-end.  The product offerings range in price from $1.98 - $13.95.

If consumers have any anticipation of saving at the pump this summer, they must be aware of the following data:

·Less than 15% of the energy in gasoline is actually converted into road power; most of the fuel energy is wasted due to exhaust and friction within the engine.

·In a typical gasoline vehicle, 62.4% of the energy is lost in the engine, 17.2% from standby / idling, 2.2% from accessories such as air conditioning, power steering, and windshield wipers, 5.6% from the transmission and other parts of the driveline, leaving 12.6% to move your vehicle down the road.

Improved fuel economy:

·A vehicle that gets 30 MPG will cost you $750 less to fuel each year than one that gets 20 MPG (assuming 15,000 miles of driving annually and a fuel cost of $3.00). Over a period of 5 years, the 30 MPG vehicle will save you $3,750.

Driving more efficiently:

·For each 5 mph you drive over 60 miles an hour, you are effectively paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas (cost savings based on an assumed price of $2.91 per gallon). Driving the speed limit improves your fuel economy by 7 - 23%

·You can save $300 - $500 in fuel costs each year by choosing a fuel efficient vehicle.

Maintain your vehicle:

·Repairing a serious engine problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your MPG by as much as 40%

·Repairing a car that has failed an emissions test can improve your MPG by 4%, resulting in effective gasoline savings of $0.12 per gallon.

·Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your gas mileage by up to 10%, resulting in effective gasoline savings of $0.29 per gallon.

·Keeping your tires properly inflated will improve your MPG by 3.3%. Under inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4% for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires.  Gasoline facts:

What we pay for in a gallon of regular gasoline:

·In January 2006 with an average gas price of $2.32 per gallon, 20% went to taxes, 7% distribution and marketing, 13% refining costs and profits, and 60% crude oil

·In 2003 with an average gas price of $1.56 per gallon, 27% went to taxes, 14% distribution and marketing, 15% refining costs and profits, and 44% crude oil

·U.S. consumers purchased an average of 9.145 million barrels a day in 2005, the equivalent of about 35 million fill-ups a day.

·Gasoline imports increased 20% in 2005; averaging more than 1 million barrels a day.

·U.S. refinery output was down about 2% in 2005, and is expected to be about 0.3% less than 2004 levels in 2006, due to outages caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

·The largest U.S. refinery is ExxonMobil in Baytown, TX which produces 557,000 barrels a day.

·Pipelines move about 66% of crude oil annually. There are approximately 200,000 miles of oil pipelines in the U.S.

Convenience Stores:

·The three largest convenience stores in 2004, were Shell Oil Products with 15,821 locations, BP America with 14,200 locations, and Citgo Petroleum Corp. with 13,694 locations.

·Gasoline and Diesel fuel sales totaled $262.6 billion in 2004, accounting for about 66.5% of total sales but only 36.6% of gross margin.

·In 1974 only 15% of convenience stores sold gasoline. In 2004, 79% of convenience stores sold gasoline. Sales increased in a similar manner from 17,370 gallons in 1974 to 107,852 gallons in 2004, a 620% increase.

·Sales of premium and mid grade gasoline have declined from 21.9% in 2000 to 17.4% in 2004 and is projected to continue to decrease as gasoline prices rise and more consumers purchase regular grade gasoline.

Hypermarkets:

·In July 2005, 3,860 hypermarket stores sold gasoline, representing only 2 - 3% of fuel retail locations but 7.7% of the gasoline sales.

·Hyper market retailers sell approximately 298,000 gallons a month, more than double the 108,000 gallon monthly average at convenience stores.

Get Rich Quick Scams RevealedRead this article before you consider paying for a "get rich quick" program.

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