The Importance Of Senior Management Involvement at Successful Charity Golf Events!
By Bob GaudreauPresident & CEO, Media Golf Productions, Inc.
First of all congratulations to CEO Magazine and the fine people there who recognize an opportunity to provide information on a $3.2 Billion Dollar Industry-Charity Golf Tournaments! I'm thrilled to be a part of your contributing Golf Tournament Consultants and field staff writers and promise to be informative, resourceful, and interesting to your readers.
Now on to the Driving Range where we ask you, the event coordinator/sponsor chairperson to list your: 3 Important KEYS To Selling Sponsorships? As you begin loosening up the cerebral part of your game, let's try a simple exercise before you begin your initial warm up strokes. Let me begin by taking a 7-Iron swing at the word SPONSOR as defined in Webster's: Someone who supports or champions something! This definition is critical to your Tee Shots at securing Sponsorship Money! What is the something concerning your charity? Don't waste time calling people or companies you may not know personally, or have no referral to, unless they have a TIE to the something? I'll be adding some personal experiences to reinforce the 3 KEYS:
Tom Smith (name has been changed to protect the innocent golf enthusiast), wanted to contract us to assist in Tournament planning and Sponsorship acquisition recently for his Golf Event! Tom stated that he wanted to provide Baseball Scholarships to his Baseball Academy, through his Academy's Foundation. So in reality he would be taking funds from his Foundation to pay for needy kids who may not have an opportunity to attend the Academy otherwise..nice gesture. but can you tell me what's wrong with this picture?
He went on to mention that he had contacts with several Major League ballplayers and the New York Yankees! Needless to say we politely mentioned that this "SOMETHING" lacked the proper cause related message. We both agreed to gather ideas and reconvene at a latter date when we could better identify the champions and the something!
As you can probably guess, Tom would have trouble finding champions for this Tournament Fund Raiser! He was wasting valuable time chasing after a proverbial HOLE-IN-ONE, a company or influencers/decision makers! In this case he would be chasing NO-ONE! OK enough of the warm-up, we should be very loose by now!
Let's pick up the pace and discuss KEY # 1:
Interview everyone associated with the something-the charity, for at least 10 minutes and take notes. You want to start with the Executive Director, proceed to individual Board of Directors, Individual Past Board of Directors (not current), Full Tine Staff and finally Volunteers. Every person you talk to is a potential source to those who support the charity presently and have done so in the past, no stone goes unturned here in your research! Once that list has been compiled you have a working blueprint for success..talking to someone who supports or champions the charity! Oh by the way, don't forget to ask everyone you talk to if they too would also be willing to provide support championing the charity in its efforts to attain the funding goals of this year! Who knows you may uncover a GEM of a CHAMPION!
KEY # 2: Sponsorship sales take planning and sometime a MAGIC FORMULA!
I face many interesting questions, having completed 150 -LTS LeaderBoard-Tampa Charity Golf Tournaments in 4 years. The most often asked is: "Can you tell us the MAGIC formula on how to stage a successful golf tournament?" The answer to that can be very simple..you must attempt to find the very best corporate partner you can and then keep asking them to help you raise the level of success every year by acquiring new sponsors. As most experienced sales people will tell you, the worst you can do is get a NO!
However, in one true Tournament example, a very small Adoption Agency we contracted with in 2003, experienced some huge gains through a relationship with a "CEO-CHAMPION". The event had a Net Profit of $12,000.00 with 82 players in 2002, then experienced rapid gains with many "CHAMPIONS" in place in 2003, & 2004 and finally netting $110,000.00 + with 210 golfers and sponsors in years 2005 & 2006!
Once you have a plan, then it's time to utilize a strategy...DO NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE....do not leave the job of selling sponsorships to one person! Go back to your champions and ask them to make the initial contacts and set up a time to meet with one of your "KEY" Sr. Managers! Split the list up among your champions and ask them to take a small and detailed sales kit, and begin the process of presenting the SIZZLE--- or "THE SOMETHING"! The next step is the most critical in this streamlined sales process: The champions then ask "KEY" SR. Managers, your eventual sponsors, if they would be willing to assist in the event by also becoming champions of the charity? The level of support does not matter at this point but what does is the commitment! It never hurts when the sponsors being asked to support the cause are good friends & vendors of the champions!
Finally the last KEY #3 in the process is closing the sale! This job should also be split among no more than 3 VIP people who have some knowledge of the sales process. Charities that do not provide sales training for their employees or companies who are championing the Event Sponsorships sales who do not have VIP's doing the calling/selling are sure to fail at KEY #3.
The event mentioned above not only is heading for another level of new sponsorship acquisitions but the committee is now made up of people from various departments within the "KEY" corporation championing this charity's major event! In fact, they are so committed to the cause they have taken ownership by providing a key SR. VP to the role of Tournament Director!
MAGIC FORMULA:
(VP- Tournament Director + 'VIP Company reps on the committee + the "CHAMPION"- the CEO/President of the company who in this case had an adopted baby delivered to he and his wife by this adoption agency = a Golf Tournament Fund Raiser without a future funding ceiling!)
Finally, you don't want to oversell, just stick to those "UNIQUE OWNERSHIP" opportunities you want to fill and then strategically figure out what is the best fit for the sponsor! In this case study above, keep asking the champions for additional commitments and by all means-----SHUT UP until they say YES! (The old sales adage states: he who speaks first ---BUYS!) Make sure you have their commitment, get the paperwork and collateral in their hands, and ask them to send the check and player names ASAP! Until next time follow the 3 KEYS TO SELLING SPONSORSHIPS!
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