Grapple Fight: 2013

Before I get into the portion of how you go about securing a sponsorship deal you need to ask yourself a few questions..

Why do you want a sponsorship?

Why do you want a sponsorship? Are you looking for money? To say you have one? To look cool to your training partners?

This is something you really HAVE to yourself. A sponsorship is something you need to take very seriously. By being a sponsored athlete you will have responsibilities to fulfill. It takes effort on your part to earn the trust of a company and you sure don't want to lose a sponsorship because you ignored those responsibilities or just simply didn't take them serious.

What kind of a sponsorship are you looking for?

Money? Gear? Recognition? This is another tough question you have e to ask yourself. Figure out what it is exactly that you want from a company before you even ask!If you apply for a sponsorship to a company with no real idea of what you’re looking for then you will find yourself quickly being turned down for obvious reasons.

Résumé

When you apply for a sponsorship, one of the first things a company will ask from you is your résumé! (competitions, a bio of yourself, etc). Your résumé and how you word it, punctuate, and spell is a representation of YOURSELF. If you’re too lazy to sit down and write a correct and professional resume to represent yourself then how can you professionally represent the company you’re applying for? Take your time when writing a résumé, make sure it's professional!

Dedication

How much you train and how long you’ve been training play a CRITICAL role in getting a sponsorship. Statistics show that people don’t reach blue belt, or they quit right after getting their blue belt. So, when you keep training after blue belt and put in some serious mat time it shows a company you have what it takes to represent them and want to continue your education in grappling. Companies want to sponsor athletes that are dedicated to the mats and are constantly training. In order for most legitimate companies to sponsor you, you have to be AT LEAST a blue belt! and I'm not just talking a recently promoted blue belt or a blue belt who doesn't compete much.. You have to put in the work! my personal advice is don't even ask unless you've been a blue belt for a year and also try to compete as much as you can!

Competition Results

A lot of the companies want results. Especially in the IBJJF competitions. If a company is relying on competition results then there is no better way to wow them than with IBJJF wins. I'm from Florida so IBJJF tournaments come around only once a year but if you live in a State where IBJJF constantly holds tournaments then pick to compete in those instead of the usual NAGA!

On the other hand there are companies that don’t judge you based on your competition results. They understand that not everyone can be a highly successful competitor. Most people can’t compete every month or they just don’t have enough competitions around their area for them to compete in, so some companies will understand.

Remember, there are more important things some companies are looking for. Competition results are great, don’t get me wrong but they’re not the make or break in whether you’re getting sponsored from a lot of companies.

Exposure

Do you have a lot of Facebook friends? Do you compete a lot? Do you travel for the competitions? Are you actively marketing yourself and getting your name out there? Can you advertise for that company and help them clear their shelves of inventory? What is your Brand Value? This is just as important as any one of the traits I will list.
Most of the companies want to see how visible you are in the Grappling world. If they go to your Facebook page and Instagram feed and you have 100 friends and maybe 20 followers then what does that say?

Social media is CRUCIAL

And that leads me to ask one question, “What can you do for them?” A sponsorship is more than just, “Hey, give me free stuff and I’ll wear it everywhere”.

You need to have a plan of action to pitch to these companies on how you can help their business grow. If they give you some of their product, which by the way comes out of their pocket, and you don’t even mention them on your Facebook page or go out and try to get people to buy their product then how does that help them?

Image

Let’s say a company does decide to sponsor you. They go and check on your Facebook page and they see you posting a lot of inappropriate and highly offensive content. Maybe you talk about how you get drunk, high, how much girls you get. Perhaps you post about the amount of illegal drugs you do every night of the week. How about they check on your last tournament results and there is a video of you showboating while winning or throwing a little baby fit after you lost, swearing at the ref and telling him or her they suck and they should read the rules? How do you think this reflects on the company?
How you carry yourself as an individual and the choices you make greatly impacts how people view you. Obviously if they decide to sponsor you then you represent that company ON…and OFF the mat. Your actions and character will decide whether or not the company wants to take a risk on you. Please take this into account when applying for a sponsorship to a company. It will weigh on their decision heavily. If you have poor character and a terrible image then why would they want to associate themselves with you?

What are some don’t s when applying for a sponsorship?

1. DO NOT ASK FOR MONEY RIGHT OFF THE BAT!

You haven’t proven anything to them, why in the world would they give you their hard earned money?

2. DO NOT ASK FOR A SPONSORSHIP IF YOU ARE A WHITE BELT OR A NEW BLUE BELT!

Unless you’re training with World Champion Black Belts who already have a sponsorship with the company that you're applying for and can vouch for your amazing white belt skills then, in all honesty, don’t waste your time! Even then, there is a good chance you will be denied. And why?   Because unfortunately you're a white belt.
Remember, you’ve only just began your journey and sadly most people don’t take white belts seriously, this includes companies. Use the time you would spend campaigning to companies to enhance your skills on the mat or start making a name for yourself.

3. DON'T BLOW UP THEIR E-MAIL OR SOCIAL MEDIA!

Companies hate this. It’s annoying! Do not constantly email and post on their social media pages about sponsorship. Sure an occasional post letting them know about your most recent win while wearing their gear is good but don’t go overboard. If they post about openings for sponsorship then by all means go for it. Do not beg. (Yes I’ve been told that people beg and plead for sponsorship :/)

3. DON'T GET MAD IF YOU GET TURNED DOWN!

This is a big one. In reality you will get turned down 9 out of 10 times.
A lot of companies have told me the people who are applying get mad and start trash talking the company when they declined to sponsor them. This will not work out well for you. BJJ is a small world compared to other sports. We’re just now really getting somewhat popular guys and girls.
Almost all legitimate companies in the Jiu Jitsu world know each other. That’s how small this sport is. Most of them are, indeed, friends and do talk a lot.

The Hard Truth

If you do get sponsored, most of the entry level sponsorships are discounts on products that you will use from that company. You won’t see a lot of free products until you start generating some sales for them. So, don’t think right out of the gate you will get free gear, sure you might get a t-shirt and some patches but that's it. Prove yourself on the mat and constantly promote the company, and your sponsorship will take off and you will see more!
Lets be honest with ourselves though. The truth is I would say a good 80% of you will not get a legitimate sponsorship.
I hate to say it but that is fact. 80% is me being generous with that number as well.
If you take all of this information into consideration and you follow the guidelines I have provided here then this will definitely increase your chances of a REAL sponsorship. It doesn’t guarantee your success in getting sponsored but it can help. Obviously the bigger the company the harder it will be to get sponsored. If you get the opportunity to have a smaller company sponsor you, help them out. You never know how big that company will get!!!!

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