Great thread Gemma. I can see this winning the next 'tMP Best Thread' contest ....
What we found might work is to present a Business Case outlining the advantages of setting up a Sponsorship deal with a potential supplier. When trying to convince a business to part with their money one needs to be aware that the business will need to know how they can benefit out of the contract.
From my experience it sometimes appears that some bands simply expect that a business should part with their money just because it has been requested... :? this obvipously doesn't work.
I think the management of any band considering sponsorship need to consider first exactly what the band is willing to offer to the sponsoring company. This might very well be different for different potential sponsoring organisations so a lot of research needs to be done beforehand. Once this has been established then the business case needs to be prepared. This should show exaclty, and in as much detail as possible, how the sponsoring company will benefit in terms of publicity figures, attendance at corporate hospitality events, community good will, national/local coverage, use of media/press etc. It would also be good if the business case could show some form of reporting at the end of specified periods i.e. how many people attended events/concerts, what the potential audience figures were if media (TV/Radio) were used - businesses like that promotional/publicity information.
It should also show what the band expects to receive from such a deal. This could include instruments, music, assistance with travel etc.... - anything really associated with the costs of running of a band. As much information regarding costs - as well as income & expenditure - should be included.
In my opinion you also need a good 'front man' salesperson type to do the 'pitch'... look for the
win-win situation with any potential sponsors and present a professional detailed business case in a pragmatic and well thought out manner. Make sure that whoever is doing the 'pitch' has been a part of its preparation and fully understands what is being discussed. A confident, articulate and pragmatic approach is paramount. I do understand though that this all depends upon the organisation you are approaching and the extent/scope of the sponsorship deal you are looking to clinch.
The main hurdle/difficulty of course is actually getting the opportunity to present your proposal to a potential sponsor in the first place.... but once the opportunity is 'live', then a band should do all they can to secure their 'deal of the century'....
Just some of my thoughts.....
tMP Consulting available for any bands who are looking to prepare Business Cases :lol:
