In my world, there is a huge difference between selling proposals and planning your revenue generation. It seems that some consultants and organizations focus solely on the importance of the proposal. I think this is wrong. As a selling property, you need to look at your overall revenue plan. Prior to COVID 19, your revenue split may have included sponsorship revenue, fees for service, ticket sales for events/activities/programs, donations, grants, merchandise sales, and so on. This revenue mix has changed dramatically for most organizations. For a major event, festival, sport season, or convention, ticket sales and “bums in seats” were a critical component. Perhaps programs were on site and then you went to “free virtual programming.” So, without active ticket/admission buyers and a population trained to get their programming free online over the last nine months, your revenue mix has probably changed dramatically. Where do sponsorship, donations, and grants now lie in that share of the revenue pie? And what are you doing about that shift in need and reality?
First, stop pitching the proposals you have been using for years. Stop focusing on the proposal. Start meeting (virtually in many cases) with your partners and prospects, find out where they are today, and where they plan to be in 6 or 12 months. How has their business been affected? What do you have in your arsenal of assets and within your organization that can help them achieve their goals, and what are they willing to pay for the success you can deliver? Understand their revenue shift and see how it matches yours. See where you can build a true business-to-business partnership versus selling them that “5 Steps to Sponsorship Proposal Success” that you have been told to follow. Custom build partnerships for mutual success rather than pitching proposals.
To learn more on building partnerships that work, check out this link for the upcoming WSC® Alberta Forum in Edmonton November 25-26. Seating for this event is limited, so register today to ensure you get all the support you need to make your sponsorship program bounce back with success. Refund guarantees are in place, so there is no risk if you cannot attend. Register today for best pricing!
Please remember to stay HIPS! (Healthy, Isolate when possible, Physically distanced from others, and Safe!)
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