The 'YOU' Difference
In another tip where we asked you to think about PARTNERS instead of SPONSORS, we asked the question, "What do you offer potential sponsors that is DIFFERENT from all your competitors?"
In order to answer that question, the first thing you need to do is identify all the things that make you the SAME as everyone else's and cross them off the list of 'My Difference Makers'. Let's get started.
EVERY RACE TEAM OFFERS THE SAME BASIC THINGS... On-Car Logo Placement (lots of differene levels, lots of different sizes, lots of different places), 'Meet-and-Greet' Opportunities with the driver, 'Car Appearances' at their business to draw attention to it, On-Uniform Logo Placement (whether it's just you in the local dirt series or your whole crew at other levels), Logo/Link on a website, and a few other things that we're sure you can continue listing.
So, what's left? What is there that can make YOU different?
The answer is actually within the question itself...
YOU!!!!
That's right... YOU are the difference between you and your competitors. It's not necessarily about whether you're a better driver or if you're still struggling to get better with every lap. The 'YOU' Difference is all about how YOU stand out from the rest of the field.
Maybe this sounds like it's so simple and you're wondering, "Why the heck do I even subscribe to these tips!?" Here's why...
The reality is that, assuming your sponsors are getting many of the same things from the above list from you as they would from any other racer, IF YOU STAND OUT, YOUR SPONSORS WILL STAND OUT MORE THAN THE OTHER GUYS'!
Think about Boris Said.... what comes to mind? Great Road Racer... A Ringer... A Hired Gun at Road Tracks... Yeah, those are all the racing things that racers think about... but how does Boris Said stand out in the minds of a lot of fans who probably couldn't separate Jamie McMurray from Reed Sorenson in a lineup?
HIS HAIR!!!!
A couple of years ago leading into Daytona, there was a big to-do about all the 'Said Heads' and many times when the coverage was on TV, the cameras scanned the crowd and showed people who had wigs on just like Boris' hair... They stood out and whenever they showed a 'Said Head', they undoubtedly showed a shot of Boris in his car or uniform and his sponsors got noticed too!
We're not taking anything away from Boris as a racer... we are simply acknowledging that a 'non-racing characteristic' is probably one of his greatest assets that allows his sponsors to not only get all the 'other stuff' listed above, but they get the benefit of being associated with a racer who has AN EXTRA THING that makes him stand out.
Now, think about how YOU stand out in a crowd of racers...
"Who's that show off wearing the neon green racing suit?"
"Who's that racer who spends an hour talking to kids after every race?"
"Who's that girl who wears hot pink racing shoes?"
"Who's that racer who hasn't just logo'd his race car, but his SUV also?"
"Why was that Team Todd hauler surrounded by people before the race while all the others were empty?"
If you can answer the question about how YOU stand out from the crowd of racers you compete against both on and off the track, you can then start to understand how to ALSO get your sponsors noticed more than the next guy! Once you understand it, it's even easier to explain it to your potential partners!