There are various techniques for selling yourself to companies that you wish to get skateboarding sponsorship from. These tips are likely to be more useful for specific scenarios and personality types, but they can be versatile as well. Remember that despite the fact that raw skill & talent are important qualities, personality matters just as much; if not more than these characteristics when it comes to selling yourself to any company!
This first method can be very dangerous and it should only be attempted by one personality type. Throw away the sponsor package and don’t worry about qualifying yourself or writing a bio or any of those things! Basically pick the company that you desire to get skateboarding sponsorship from & harass the hell out of them! Call them every time you see anyone riding one of their boards. Post online about your experiences with the company every chance that you can. Send them pics or video from every skateboard session you have. Talk about them non-stop to anybody that may even be slightly interested in any one of their products. Go in to skateboard shops and tell the owner they should supply the company’s boards & don’t stop reminding the shop owner until they start to supply them. Do this at every skate shop you know of, even those that are in other communities… Get copies of the company’s catalog & stickers & pass them out at sessions! If the company host’s any events, anywhere, and of any size, be there and make yourself known! Show up to every event, bring your board, make a showing and let the company know you did. Post on their social networking site every day & make other people add them as friends. Show up to the factory with other people & smirk. If you ever have any reason to talk to them, do it! Call them anytime! If there is an event you think they should be involved in, make sure they are! If there is a product you think they should make, send them drawings! Plaster everything you own with stickers of the company. Inform the company that you have done all this stuff to promote their products! You get the idea?
Be highly visible, active, and dynamic in pursuit of a skateboarding sponsorship with the company. If you have done all of this and have not gotten punched in the face or had the company file a restraining order filed against you, then congratulations! You will no longer have to wonder how to get sponsored because chances are you have, or will soon have a bright future within the company! Being persistent is key in attaining skateboard sponsorship!
Another approach is when you are looking at only one specific company to get skateboarding sponsorship from. In this case you require to have as much ground work laid as possible before you even consider contacting them. A very methodical personality is tuned towards this system:
- Make sure that you have a very strong sponsorship package ready.
- Before you send it to them, start sending them e-mail updates about how your skateboarding is going, what you think of their products, etc…
- Link to them from your social networking sites and act as a (non-sanctioned) resource when people ask about their boards on forum communities.
- If you have any sick photos or videos of yourself, send them links and keep them informed of what you are doing.
- Show an interest in what the company is doing. Ask about board development, new gear that they will be releasing, and learn all about their technologies.
- When they sponsor events in your area, attend!
- Make a list of contacts from the company and who does what. Get well informed about who works for the company and whom to contact to promote yourself.
In your sponsorship package bio, make the content very specific to the company you are contacting. Remind them what you have done for their company in the past and let them know what you would be willing to do for them in the future. Include as many concepts you can think of that would permit you to help promote the company.
Present yourself as an asset to their business by demonstrating that you would do anything for a sponsorship opportunity with their company, and before you know it you will make money skateboarding.
Finally, when you feel you are ready; when you’re as close as you can get to the company, ask them that magic question: How Can I Get Skateboarding Sponsorship Through Your Company? In addition to the verbal, you should have already sent them a formal letter along with your sponsorship package a day or two prior to your verbal inquiry.