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| April, 2004 |
How to Ask for Your Sponsorship:
How To Ask For The Sale |
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HOW
TO ASK FOR YOUR SPONSORSHIP
How To Ask For The Sale |
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Today we are
going to discuss the final component of your sponsorship meeting. Leading
up to this point of the meeting you have presented all of the sponsorship
opportunities and answered all the questions. Very
simply put, now it’s time to ask for the sale. This should conclude your
meeting with Mr./Ms. Potential Sponsor. HOW
TO ASK FOR THE SALE: Some people think
that the hardest thing to do in the world is ask for something. Maybe this
is true if you don’t believe in what you are selling or asking for.
Remember that today you are selling your dream. Tackle this endeavor with
the same enthusiasm you did when you were a four-year old
asking for ice cream. They will see how committed you are to this
effort and the enthusiasm will be infectious. When you are in this
enthusiastic mode, who can
tell you no? The actual act
of asking for the sale is very simple. Don’t beat around the bush or
stall the meeting to avoid the conclusion. Simply ask Mr./Ms. Potential
Sponsor how much support you can count on them for. Their response will
lead you in the direction of closing the meeting. Exiting gracefully is
just as important as entering gracefully. THREE
ANSWERS: After the above question you will get three answers. Let’s review the responses and how to react to them: “Yes, I would
be happy to sponsor your pageant endeavor.” - this is obviously the best
ending to your meeting. At this point you thank him/her for their support.
The next step is to confirm all the items you have agreed to. Then state
that you will send or drop off to Mr./Ms. Sponsor a letter of agreement
for their sponsorship. This will commit to paper all the items agreed to
in your sponsorship meeting. “Let me
consider your proposal and get back to you.” - this response leaves an
open ended answer. The best response is that you need a decision by a set
date. This can be explained by the fact that your pageant competition is
on a set date. Stay upbeat and be very thankful for the opportunity to
discuss this endeavor that is very important in your personal advancement.
Ask if they need any additional information to help in their decision and
then exit by saying you look forward to their answer.
“Sorry, at
this point we cannot help you with sponsorship.” - this is a response you
will hear often. Once again stay upbeat. At the very worst this is great
practice for your next pitch. Ask them politely if there was something
that lead to this decline of sponsorship. Sometimes you will get a very
good (and inexpensive) critique of your sales performance. Take it for
what it is.... a good learning lesson that will help in your next meeting. SETTING
A DECISION DATE: One of the most
misunderstood and sometimes hardest issue of sponsorship is actually
receiving the money or service. Payment is sometimes delayed, sometimes as
much as 30 - 60 days before you actually see the sponsorship monies. This
is important to know when you plot your sponsorship opportunities. So when
you set the date for when you need a decision, keep this in mind. KEEP
UPBEAT!: No matter what answer
you receive from your sponsorship meeting, keep your head held high. Sales
is sometimes very difficult and nobody gets a "yes" answer at every request.
This is why it is important to keep setting up meetings with every
possible sponsor until you receive your desired goal. This process of requesting monies will be a great trial for the benefit of your career well after pageantry. The ability to sell is something that is invaluable in the professional world. Once again another positive to your pageant experience.
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