GO Indoor

SPONSORSHIP: STRATEGIC SELLING by Chris Moler, USIndoor Director of Sponsorship Sponsorship sales can be exhausting. Trust me. I live it every day as I serve my clients, including USIndoor as well as individual indoor sports facilities. There are several strategies to keep in mind when working to determine how and whom to approach for the sake of effectiveness and efficiency. Let's examine our product: You are the local indoor sports facility. You provide positive and dynamic opportunities related to health and fitness, as well as sports and recreation. You serve many demographics, including children (and their parents), tweens, teens, young adults, corporate adults and active adults into their 50s and beyond. You serve a popular and ever-growing market—the amateur sports market—and your business supports many other businesses through vendor relationships. You have an economic impact, as your facility may affect the value of homes and businesses that surround it, and you provide jobs. You enhance the quality of life for the people you serve. You are mom and apple pie compared to many sponsorship opportunities. Bank on that and learn to leverage it. When you cultivate your list of leads, look inside and outside the facility. First, look at who plays at your facility— at who has the ability to champion your cause. Players and parents of players already know your value and may work for a company that can sponsor you. Whatever their position is within the company, they may be able to help you, but, of course, the higher up they are, the more influence they are likely to have. If several people who work for a potential sponsor play at your facility, go for the top dog. Find the best resources in your community to cultivate the best leads. Your Chamber of Commerce has a membership directory. The state newspaper or business paper generally publishes lists of businesses divided into market segments, as well as company directories. You may need an intern, however, to scour them for the best contacts. State agencies in select business categories have lists. If you join the agency, you can acquire their lists. Don't forget Facebook or other social and professional networks. When, for example, someone from LinkedIn joins your network, open their network and scroll through it to find their contacts. Attend meetings of the local American Marketing Association or other marketing groups to meet some of your top local marketing executives. They may be solid leads to that elusive Director of Marketing. The key is to network, which means getting out of the facility and into the community. Categorize your search results into business segments. A lead list could include the following categories. This is by no means comprehensive. • Bottling companies for soft drinks, bottled water and other beverages. • Food sources: Co-ops such as a Sysco, US Foods and Ben E. Keith, or a local distributor such as Kellogg's, Oscar Meyer, Sara Lee and Tyson. • Auto dealers. Payment-in-kind services may include leasing a vehicle. • Wireless companies for products and/or services. • Insurance companies. • Grocery store chains. Payment-in-kind services may include snacks for after- school programs and camps. 12 • Security and alarm companies for equipment and services. • Waste management companies. Payment-in-kind services may include trash pick up. • Heating and air companies for products and services. • Electric companies for products and services. • Cleaning services. • Printing companies for services and/or banners and dasher board decals. • Shipping companies. • Companies that sell personal care items. • Companies that sell vitamins and supplements. • Local sports shops such as Academy, Dick's and Sports Authority. • Healthcare providers such as hospitals, clinics, family practices, orthopedists, sports rehabilitation centers, chiropractors and dentists. Look for companies that brand themselves as community-minded. Such companies may also be interested in recruiting at your facility, which has value. • Energy – Oil, Gas, Natural Gas and Wind • Utilities – Gas, Electric, Water, Sewage • Legal – law firms, bail bonds • CPAs and tax services • Insurance • Real estate • Home builders and remodelers • Investment firms All of these companies have two things in common: The need to market and

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