Part 3: How to Find Sponsors in Your Personal Network
How to Find Sponsors in Your Personal Network
As a professional athlete, you have likely met many folks during your career who have said, “let me know how I can support you.” Have you ever wondered how to put these words into action? Here is how.
Build your warm leads list: First, go through every business card, email contact and person who you have been introduced to over the years. Compile these names and emails into a spreadsheet.
The Friends and Family Round: Second, include “family & friends” and people who have supported you along the way. While they may not all be the directors of marketing for major brands, there’s a good chance that they know someone in their network who is willing to support you as a business sponsor. Many of an athlete’s best deals will come from the “friends and family” round of asking for sponsorship.
Sending the email: Third, once you have your list, below is an example of how you can position the “ask” for sponsorship. The purpose of this email is to see who replies and says, “Hey, I’d like to introduce you to a few people I work with who I think would be interested. Are you and your team free next week for a meeting?” Start to talk to your list of potential sponsors and let them know that you are starting to formalize your partners for the next year and want to extend them an opportunity to be involved. Below is an example of how you could position this via email:
"Hi Sponsor name,
Hope the year has been going well for you. I am excited for the upcoming year as well as many new community projects I am planning for the 2022-2023 season. With that said, I am beginning to lineup my potential brand sponsors who I will be partnering with on these projects during and after my Olympic journey.
If you have time and are interested, I'd love to setup a call in the coming week or two and share more of what my team has planned. We would love to find a way to make you part of my team in 2022 and beyond.
Let me know and we can get something in the calendar soon. Appreciate your support - thank you!
Athlete Name"
