Profitmaker: Sponsor Point (page 2)

Just finding the correct contact at a large company can be a long and difficult process. And you probably have to plan promotions such as a premium giveaway far in advance. Even if you do a deal, it could take a year or more before it comes to fruition.

Approach your pitch to a potential sponsor as you would a bank loan. What does a bank officer think about when you ask for money? Not "How can I help this person," but "Will the bank get its money back, plus lots of interest?" That's the cold truth of the world. Everybody wants to know, "What's in it for me?" Your potential sponsor is no different.

If your video will be seen by an audience that the sponsor has not been able to reach, or a market that the sponsor has lost to a competitor, then your video will be attractive to the sponsor. Do your research before you make contact with the sponsor. Don't expect the sponsor to see the connections that are apparent to you.

Make sure your presentation materials are high-quality and professional. As an individual, you have to work much harder to land a sponsor than a large company (such as Disney) with a track record and existing distribution channels. You can't pitch a sponsor on a vague idea. Work out every detail of your proposal in advance, from celebrity spokespeople to packaging to how you'll deliver the finished tapes to how much warehouse space the boxes of tapes will need to what the postage will be on the tapes sent out as premiums. It is likely you will get only one chance to open that door and keep it open.

Think about every question that a sponsor may ask, and answer it in your proposal. Make the deal extremely easy to approve and almost impossible to turn down. Then you will be ready to find the person at the sponsor's company who has the power to say yes.

You may call a company, get to speak to the president and have a deal in 10 minutes. Anything is possible, but a more likely scenario is that you will contact the promotion department, be sent to the company's advertising agency, who will send you to the company's product manager, who will have you pitch the sales and marketing departments, who will then have you talk to the president of the company.

If this sounds like a lot of work (and it is), you could try to find an agent that specializes in putting sponsorship deals together. The next time you see a promotion that features a video similar to yours, call the sponsor company and ask them who put the deal together. And then contact the agent and make your own deal.

Finding a sponsor is a complex business, but a potentially lucrative one. There have been books written on the subject. One you might want to take a look at is Film and Video Financing by Michael Wiese. Then find your sponsor and start pitching. You could find yourself in a whole new ball game.

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