While I am sensitive to everyone chasing the same dollar to fund their tournament fishing endeavors for 2013, for those that will remain nameless on Facebook that continue to solicit sponsorships from The Dall Outdoors Group, please understand (again) that we are NOT a manufacturer. Perhaps if you would read our websites before your inquiry, you would know that we are a fishing charter company and an independent manufacturer sales rep group for select manufacturers. But here at TDOG, we want to help our fellow anglers out, especially during this holiday season, so grab a pad of paper or print this advice before you even approach ANY company when seeking sponsorship:
• Resume and Cover Letter….Present yourself like a professional and to me, there is absolutely nothing worse, or as I often read, “worst”, than poor grammar and punctuation in a resume. This is a reflection of who YOU are and ultimately how you will represent yourself on behalf of the company you seek sponsorship from. Get it right or hire a professional to do it for you. www.wefishmedia.com is a great company with very reasonable rates.
• Can you honestly say you know something about the product you seek sponsorship for? Have you ever used it? How it performs against a like product? What it is made of? Where it is made? Tell the company why you choose to use it and what you like about the product…..it’s called Product Knowledge.
• While your tournament accomplishments may be grand on your mantel and we are all proud of you, no really, we are, how does winning the local Tuesday night tournament help a company sell fishing tackle? Ease up on the personal accomplishments, because if you are not fishing at a high level and have media exposure, keep the accomplishments to a minimum.
• ROI…..if you don’t even know what that means, stop reading, open a new browser and Google it. If you Googled it just now, are now back and have a remote idea of what it may mean, justify the expense you are seeking: “I seek X amount of dollars and/or tackle for the 2013 tournament season, but by investing in me, I will yield you a return of X”
• Understand that less is actually more….if you want 15 sponsors, go for it and get all your logos over to Gemini, The Winning Team and whoever else will print you a shirt, but if you truly have 14 other sponsors, how can you honestly service your sponsors if you are spread that thin? Sponsorship can and should, require endless hours of provable networking, travel, phone calls and anything else that your agreement lays out for you.
• Approach the relationship as a partnership. Do your part above and beyond what the expectations are and you will get results.
• And last, my all-time favorite question you must answer, because I don’t care if you are seeking sponsorship from a burger joint, Aunt Suzie’s Flower Shop or a major fishing tackle manufacturer, this HAS to be answered, justified and proven…..How can you sell more of the product you seek sponsorship for?

This is an independent opinion and in no way expresses the views of any of my current sponsors or companies that I am affiliated with.