This guest post is from Larry Weil. Larry is the . And with nearly two decades of experience and over 4,000 brand and industry contacts, it鈥檚 a title he鈥檚 proudly earned.
What鈥檚 your go-to method for contacting event sponsors? In a recent survey of event professionals, nearly half (42%) said their primary method for contacting sponsors was email. So if you said email, you鈥檙e in good company.
But while email is an effective tool for reaching out to prospects, you can win more sponsorship deals if you pick up the phone.
The 鈥減eople don鈥檛 answer phones鈥� myth
What鈥檚 keeping you from picking up the phone? Whatever it may be 鈥� general reluctance or fear of rejection 鈥� the end result is procrastination. People have given me every excuse in the book for why they don鈥檛 call sponsors. Here are a few:
- It鈥檚 lunch time.
- I will call right after I (fill in the blank)
- People don鈥檛 answer their phones
Recognise any of these symptoms?
If you said yes, then you鈥檙e in luck. I鈥檝e used the following guidelines to help my clients get over their reluctance and see positive results from their conversations.
Know your value proposition
Most events I鈥檝e worked with have a value proposition that articulates the benefits of attending their event. But very few have one describing the benefits of sponsoring them.
This is the first piece of the puzzle. No one wants to hear you prattle on about how great your company is, its cutting-edge technology, or how it is the industry leader.
Sponsoring your event is a business opportunity! Instead, ask yourself what you can do for them. What problems do they have that you can fix?
When you call, for example, tell them how you just helped their competitor reduce activation costs by 15%, or improve average transaction speed by 30%.
Turn your cold call into a warm call
Whatever you do, don鈥檛 call a prospective sponsor and say, 鈥淚鈥檇 like to learn about your company鈥檚 needs鈥� or anything of the kind. They are too busy.
Instead, do your due diligence and try to gather as much information as possible before contacting them. If you鈥檙e unsure how to get started, here are a few places to start:
- LinkedIn:听Look up your contact鈥檚 profile on LinkedIn to confirm whether they鈥檙e the right person.
- Company website: Review their website to get information about their product or services and who their customers are.
- Google News: A quick search here will let you know what the company is currently up to and shed light on any challenges they鈥檙e trying to solve.
After a little bit of research, you will be able to open the conversation: 鈥淚 see your new initiative targets millennials; our event has thousands in your key markets.鈥�
Use a script
Clients frequently tell me they don鈥檛 like scripts. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 sound natural,鈥� they say. But what鈥檚 鈥渘atural鈥� about stumbling through your talking points, trying to figure out what you鈥檙e going to say next? Because 鈥� unless you鈥檙e a natural on the phone 鈥� this is the outcome of most unscripted calls.
If you鈥檙e worried a script will make you sound like a robot, consider making a decision tree. That way you鈥檙e ready for what鈥檚 next, no matter what the other person says in response.
Give this a try and you鈥檒l feel (and sound) more comfortable 鈥� which is much more likely to get you a positive response.
Know when to move on
Some prospects are just going to be a no. Even if you think they鈥檙e wrong, don鈥檛 waste time trying to change their minds. Move on to the next call.
Study and practice
Even with a script, it may take some time before you鈥檙e completely comfortable with the phone in your hand. As with anything you wish to be proficient at, it takes practice.
Call your own phone and leave a message that you would leave your prospect. How did you sound? It鈥檚 no different than checking yourself in the mirror before you head out the door. You should know how you sound. Do you sound upbeat and positive or like you are grinding it out?
When you鈥檙e ready to start calling prospects, don鈥檛 call your best prospects first. Start with the least important sponsors on your list. By the time you鈥檝e worked your way up the list and are ready to call your 鈥渨hite whales,鈥� you鈥檒l have polished your pitch and will feel more confident.
Get more expert advice
People often say I鈥檓 a natural on the phone. That wasn鈥檛 always the case. Throughout my twenties I avoided making calls like the plague. What happened? Practice 鈥� lots and lots of practice.
Even now I still prepare for every call 鈥� doing my research, writing a script, and practicing beforehand. Now you can do the same.
Want more advice from me and other sponsorship experts? Download the 2018 Guide To Event Sponsorship and you鈥檒l learn how to offer sponsors access to their target audience and deliver an impressive return on their investment.
