Over the last while, I have been working directly with several clients on prospect meetings and discovery sessions. One of the big faux pas I have witnessed over the years, and still do today (and am guilty of myself at times), is the misbelief that we think people know what we are talking about. This goes for any industry, but I will focus on sponsorship.
We often use jargon like Activation, Measuring ROI, BATNA, CPM, IAV, and more. (If you go here you can access all these definitions… not enough word count to include in this TMC!) We throw these terms around as though everyone knows them. This is done by industry veterans like me as well as newbies who have learned the terms and use them like common language. It goes beyond terms alone. We talk about planning and vision as though it is clear to everyone.
We need to slow down. We need to make sure the people we are talking to (be they a property or brand, a savvy professional or small charity) understand what we are talking about. This means saying IAV and then explaining what it is. If they already understand, they will tell you.
Use examples through story telling. Rather than giving the definition of activation, give an example of a sponsor that activated at your event or an industry example you can showcase. Work with others to help them understand our own industry better. Once we have been able to educate them, we can engage them. And this should all be interactive, not “classroom teaching.” Talk in discussion and explain as you go along.
By doing a better job of explaining things, we can build better sponsorship programs that generate better experiences for the audience, and better ROI for the brand and property. I love this quote by Albert Einstein. It could not be more fitting than to have Einstein, one of the most technical and brilliant minds ever remind us, “You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother!”
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