Dans plusieurs sports nous voyons des athlètes qui se demandent comment trouver des commanditaires. Ce sujet a fait l’objet d’échanges sur le FORUM de The Canadian Cyclist en mars 2002. Nous reproduisons ici les échanges qui nous ont semblé les plus utiles.

Capitalist Corporate World
March 16, 2002 at 23:10 by crush you
I am looking for feedback on how fellow junior / other racers are coping with the fact that the corporate world is very greedy unsupportive of Canada's athlete's. Especially cyclists who are the minority here.

I tryed twelve large too local companies for sponsorship and advertising deals (I offered them a spot on a team jersey, total ten jerseys) and not one was positive, In fact a few were even hostile. This disturbs me greatly. I am a Cat 3 junior and Junior Expert racer, racing Canada Cups and Nationals in both disciplines, leading my province and have my sights and grasp on a Provincial team spot for 2002. No one seems to care.

Try socialist corporate world
March 17, 2002 at 11:00
Obviously the capitalists aren't worthy.
Call them hostile, put your hand out, see what you get.
You need one big attitude adjustment. Try growing up with some maturity and etiquette.
With your attitude, who would want you representing them?

March 17, 2002 at 11:11 by Daddy Warbucks
Capitalist is the key. What did you offer them for their money? You cannot expect them just to hand you money you have to sell them. They have to see what benifit they will receive from the money they give you.

It is true that US companies are more in tune with this type of relationship. Canadian companies can come up with the cash too. You cannot just walk in and say give me some money so I can be a bike racer and you should support sports. The guy might like hockey or his kid's little league team wants to go to a tourney in Japan. What about your needs, appeal to the guy you are approaching? Is he hostile to Cyclists, and are you ready to deal with that?

Think about this. Most people ask for sponsorship like they were panhandlers. Hey buddy can you spare some corporate sponsorship money for a hungry amateur athlete ? I don't know about you, but I feel a lot of hostility toward most panhandlers. That is not to say I don't ever dig into my pocket, but not too often.

There is money for our sport. It is harder to find and not even in proportion to the relative size of our sport vs. say hockey. So maybe you have to be ready to approach a hundred potential sponsors.

Good luck

March 17, 2002 at 16:42 by hwy2hell
You have to be very specific when you're explaining "what's in it for them". You have to understand who their "target market" is...so to speak. Why should they sponsor you? What have you actually won? If you have won anything, does anyone outside the cycling community care? (This is where it gets tricky!) What goods and/or services do these businesses offer? Are these goods and services closely "aligned" with the age/income/gender/culture of the competitive cycling community in Canada?

Find a handful of carefully chosen businesses and make sure you have good answers to the questions you know they're going to ask.:)

March 17, 2002 at 17:32 by Boo Yah
Get over it, you're not working in a soup kitchen or finding a cure for cancer, you're a bike rider. The work you're doing is not for the benefit of mankind, you're racing for yourself.

Why is anyone going to help you out unless 1) you have something to offer them for their money or 2) they are cycling fans and they support cycling because they have a passion for it. Most cycling sponsors are the latter and maybe that's where you should look.

Not to say you don't have anything to offer, but at this point it's probably not what a company has in mind when it's trying to decide where to put it's advertising dollars.

I guess if somebody doesn't just give you money for free it makes them `greedy capitalists'.

March 17, 2002 at 19:28
Your introductory letter should start out with exactly what you stated above "I have my sights and grasp on a Provincial team spot for 2002".

Lose the greedy corporate capitalist idea. If there ever was such an attitude, those days have come and gone. There are many very wealthy generous people and companies who would love to be a part of your success. Don't try to show them how to market something, just tell them what you want to do. Believe me, they know all the angles. The only thing they respect is honesty.

Prepare a budget for the full year, get help from an accountant. In fact, that should be your first sponsor (just his or her help, no money). Keep receipts and excellent records of your spending to show sponsors, start now. If you don't get a sponsor this year, it will serve you well next year.

Once you have your package ready, find out who the competitors of current sponsors of cycling are. You'll need to make 12 calls a day, not 12 in total. Be prepared for rejection. Start a web page. Acknowledge your accountants help. Don't let yourself go cheap. Don't let anyone pick your pocket.

March 17, 2002 at 23:06 by Chris Helwig
I have found over the years two types of people tend to sponsor cycling. Those that used to race or still race, and those that are close to someone in the racing community i.e. immediate family etc. These people are more prone to sponsor cycling teams or riders.

Start looking at where you have connections and who you know. By all means you can keep trying corporations where you don't know anyone, but I think you will find a better success rate if you have a connection.

It's tough out there...
March 19, 2002 at 16:56 by maw
It can sometimes take years and years to build your team/organization to a point where you are actually WORTH something in advertising dollars. Sometimes we get so "caught up" in our worlds (cycling, snowboarding, whatever you are into - that we "over estimate our actual value). When you are passionate about things it is easy to think that you are bigger than you actually are. This is not meant to be an insult. Honestly - very often we are so excited and enthusiastic we really feel bigger than we are.

Try to get television as this has the highest value over magazine and newspaper coverage. Sadly - the bottom line is that you MUST be worth something in return to receive monetary donations. Hopefully people like Mark Bonham will begin to change the way that Corporations look at Sponsorship. He has done a great job with Gears and we should all be that lucky! Work on getting exposure on ALL LEVELS.

Jersey logo placement has a small value because the reality is that unless it is on tv - very few "hits" actually happen. You want to reach a wide demographic if possible. Reaching only people at race events has little effect one someones bottom line. There are some good websites to check out as well that give breakdowns for value vs. placement.

Your best bet is to WORK LIKE CRAZY over the summer and get in as many newspaper, magazines and if you are clever tv spots. Websites are good too - along with volunteer work at Schools etc...this will create a dossier for you that will have actual worth to a potential sponsor.

Good luck and don't stop believing in yourself!

page mise à jour le 19 mars 2002 par SVP