Why is it so Hard to Sell?

Nonprofit Edition

1. Insights from Nonprofit Industry Survey2. Understand what Sponsorship is and isn’t3. How to Work with Busy Prospects4. Sponsors are Flooded with Proposals,

yours must be on Target5. Skilled Selling makes a Huge Difference6. A Campaign is the Best way to Sell

Sponsorship

Recipe for Successful Sponsorship Acquisition

North American Sponsorship Continues to Grow

• Why is it growing?• How can you take

advantage of that?

Do you have difficulty securing meetings and conversations with corporate contacts in marketing and other departments outside of corporate philanthropy? For the full survey:

http://www.sponsorship.com/Resources/IEG-s-Nonprofit-Sponsorship-Survey.aspx

IEG’s Nonprofit Sponsorship Survey

Definitions: Sponsorship or Philanthropy?

• Corporate funding for a nonprofit with no expectation of a commercial return. • These funds can come out of either corporate giving programs or corporate

foundations.

Philanthropy:

Defined by IEG in 1982 as a commercial relationship between a company and a property in which the company pays a fee in return for access to the exploitable commercial potential associated with the property.

The payment is unrestricted and the amount is based on the value of the rights and benefits included in the sponsorship rather than on the budget or need of the rights holder.

Sponsorship:

Recognizing that more than one of the following statements could be applicable, please select the one that best describes your organization’s approach to sponsorship.

What Challenges do you face in growing sponsorship revenue?

Sponsorship is not Philanthropy

• It’s not a donation• CSR or Foundation staff is

not your target• Don’t put sponsorship

assets into CSR proposals• It may not be tax

deductible• No place for the “feel

good” pitch

Selling is a Skill

• Who is your default sales staff?• Sending out emails isn’t selling• Knowing your prospect’s pain• Listening• Internal or external sales?• Not the place to look for positive

reinforcement

Everyone that Matters is Busy

• Jill Konrath – Selling to Big Companies• Are you busy, they are too• No one has time to be sold to• Value Propositions

• The 8 second rule• The goal of the first sentence

The Sponsorship Proposal• TMI• Avoid Hyperbole• It’s all about them – Not

you!• Don’t you dare put a price in

there!• Alignment first• Data in the appendix• Your audience is not the

people you help, It’s the people who care about you help

Principles and Mindset for Successful Sponsorship Sales

• You are competing against everyone in the sponsorship space, not just other Nonprofit organizations

• You have advantages, do you know what they are?

• They are your point of differentiation

Who are Sponsorship Buyers?

• Brand Managers• Business Development Executives• Marketing Executives• Product Placement Marketers• Sales Executives• Sponsorship Executives• Communications and PR Executives

Hurdles are Opportunities!

• Air Cover really helps• Educating and Selling 2x the work• Are you a salesperson? Be honest with yourself• Too much time vs. Not enough time

Example: Bank needs more accounts

• Charity helps people with financial literacy – pitch is in 10 years the folks we serve will be customers

• Bank is measured every quarter. People in 10 years don’t help

• Charity’s fund raising committee is made up of VP and CEOs, may have referrals or business to direct

• People who care about your cause via newsletter, event or social are more likely to choose a bank that cares about the issues that are important to them

• Example borrowed from Chris Bayliss at The Sponsorship Collective

Making the ask

• Value propositions• Present the

Problem, especially new information

• Sell the solution• Call to Action• Competing in a

Clickbait World

Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.~ Wikipedia

The most common big mistakes

• Not allowing enough time• Build it “and they will come”• Confusing activity with

progress• Believing what the prospect

says• “Send me something”• “No Budget”

• Not speaking with the decision maker

• Not moving on• Pricing based on cost not

value

• Background• The Lunch Itself• The Lesson

Charlie’s Lunch:

Best Practice:Infographic• (Doesn’t look

much like a grant proposal)

Best Practice:Infographic

Best Practice: Just the Facts (on request only)

If you can Only do a Few Things

• Media kit. Get real about data especially social• Know your value to your prospect• Make sales and marketing a priority• Don’t wait until it is too late• Avoid hyperbole

Keeping Sponsors

• Fulfillment reports• Activation• Get feedback • Get ahead of problems• Bad activation impacts you

If we still have time! • They have alternatives• Borrowing the halo• Don’t send cold proposals• Giving up too soon• If you saw it on line or in the paper it

is too late• Customization• What are you good at?• Consider the cost of activation• Examples, references, competitor info,

results

Larry Weil

TheSponsorshipGuy.comlarry@thesponsorshipguy.com

www.linkedin.com/in/thesponsorshipguy