A guide on how to keep sponsors happy

It’s pretty awesome when you start getting given free product because you’re a good skater or surfer. It’s fun to set up that new board, peel off the sticker and place it on your board to show the world how awesome you are. It’s exciting when they add your name to a list of rider or announce you instagram. You’ve done it, you secured a sponsor! So, what now?

Well, the next step is to deliver on what the sponsor is hoping for out of the partnership so you can maintain this sponsor. Ideally you want to grow the partnership so you can one day get paid, and also get more sponsors along the way.

Knowing you now have a job

When you land a sponsor you feel like you’ve done the work, and you should celebrate this moment. Enjoy it. You’ve done well! But, the work, that starts now. A sponsorship isn’t just free product because you’re good on a board, it’s an agreement. An exchange of goods for advertising, and you are the advertiser.

“I’ve got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.” - Larry Bird

So sponsorship is kinda like a job. An agreement for a set amount of time where the job title is ‘Rider’ and the role is ‘Ride for us’. Clear as mud, right? Well we’re gonna help you clarify a bit more about what this job means and how you can do it well. The better you do the job, the more chance you have of turning this into a career. Getting paid to skate, surf, snowboard, etc.

”I’m not a businessman I’m a business, man” - Jay Z

DENNIS DURRANT popping a Kickflip on command for Tourism Mackay and Rumble on the Reef

Understanding what the job involves and how to do it well

Setting yourself up to succeed.

By understanding what the company is hoping you will do for them, you can make a plan to deliver on and exceed their expectations. Most sponsored riders don’t take the initiative when it comes to delivering for the partnership, so actioning these will put you in the top 10% of sponsored riders.

“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do” – Derek Jeter

The Job and Responsibilities of the Sponsored Athlete:

Be a Brand ambassador - Show the brand in a good light. Being friendly, reflecting the brands values, being positive about the brand.
Be a Billboard - You’re a walking billboard. That means you should wear and use the products the company has sponsored you for whenever you are doing your activity, and ideally in your daily life too. Now this doesn’t have to be cheesy, if the partnership is right, the gear will look normal on you, it will fit your style.
Be a Content Marketer - Film clips, shoot photos, get interviews. You are now a part of the companies marketing department, and your job is to film, edit, and share content. Deliver content for them that they can use.
Be a Personality - Attend events, contests, if the company wants you at a particular event you should be there.
Ask what you can do to grow the partnership - As well as just delivering on the general outline of what a sponsor wants, you should actually ask them; “what can I do for you? How do we grow this sponsorship”

When can you say ‘no’ ?

What to do when parts of this don’t match your personality.

It’s worth knowing that not every a pro athlete does is relevant or ‘on brand’ for you. That’s fine. You need to be true to your personality and not force things for a brand which then come across as awkward. The best approach is to be open and honest with a company before starting a sponsorship partnership and ensure you both understand the terms. If you hate contests, make sure they know that, and being at a contest isn’t a requirement. You don’t have to do it all and you can make up for it in other areas. Open discussions and honesty is the key. Talk it through, don’t ignore it.

Top tips:

Grow you own personal brand and following. The more you work on building yourself, the more the brand will benefit from that.
Be pro-active. Ask what you can do to help, offer time, skills, ideas.
Deliver more than is asked of you.

Quick Summary

Be a great brand ambassador
Be a walking billboard (in a good way)
Be a content Marketer
Be a personality
Ask what you can do to help

Next Steps for You

Listen to the audio episode of this article on the ‘Make It Happen’ Podcast for Athletes from ESM.

Additional Resources

Watch

Jamie Thomas - One of the most legendary Team Managers of all times shares his insights on going Pro.

Can’t do much better than listening to Jamie Thomas when it comes to turning pro and making sponsors happy. Check it out below!

Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdFFtRB0Fdk

Read

Hawk. Occupation: Skateboarder - by Tony Hawk
If you fancy reading a book, you can’t go wrong with this old Tony Hawk biography. Although it’s now 20 years old and he’s done a lot since then, the way it chronicles his early year is a great example of how hard he worked. He treated it as a job and used it to pay bills. Well worth a read!

Check it out here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/hawk-tony-hawk/book/9780060958312.html

Listen

Ryan Decenzo got given a list of 10 things to do as an Am by Globe

A great cut from Ryan’s interviews n the Nine Club podcast where he talks about what Globe wanted him to do when he was Am.

Check it out here: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxN5jbKqaQcL-o2_5bEtQsKmXfnbF8la1h

The Job of a Pro Skater or Surfer - How to stay sponsored