Where all the fun happens.
Dropping knowledge left and right. But mostly left.
Happy Thanksgiving + Gratitude
Just a quick note today to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends! I hope you enjoy a day of love, happiness and gratitude.
As racers, we’re always striving to improve. To get better. To find the next best way to get ahead. And I’ve found that every once in a while, I’m straddling that line between wanting to be better and wanting more…and forgetting that what I have, and who I am right now, is enough.
So I just wanted to say that I’m grateful. I’m grateful for so many things, including you. Whether you’re here for the first time today or tune in every week, I appreciate you spending time with me and my lofty ideas for what our racing could be. And I’m grateful for what our racing is. It’s my family, my community, my work and my play.
And for that, I’m grateful.
xo.
Kristin
Consistency Wins Championships (and Other Fun Things. Like Money.)
“Bad marketing done consistently will beat good marketing done inconsistently.” – I’m not sure who said it, or even where I first read it, but I like it. A lot.
It’s a good reminder to me that just showing up consistently is more than most people will do.
On every level of racing, there are champions. Championships are designed to name and reward the best performer over the course of a season.
How many times, though, have you seen or heard someone gripe about a champion who didn’t win that many races? That’s why championships can be so controversial, and why NASCAR in particular has struggled with how to determine a champion over the last decade.
We all know that consistency is the key to winning championships, even if that means you rarely, if ever, see the top of the podium.
In racing, I get that. But for me, this ‘consistent bad marketing’ principle can be frustrating. And eye-opening.
Because while I’m toiling away, whittling every sentence to perfection, other people are showing up more often. See, I’m a perfectionist. A lot of times, this is a great thing. My clients especially love it. But some times it slows me down, waiting to release things or submit a piece of work until every little detail is perfect.
(By the way, I’m not trying to say that others are doing bad marketing and I’m doing good – often, we’re just different. In fact, that’s DirtyMouth in a nutshell. The reason that I created my business and started publishing (free!) content here is that in many ways, I don’t think we do our sport justice with our marketing and business practices. We’re behind. And I wanted to change that. I still do.)
So, while it can be frustrating, it’s a good lesson for people (like you and me) who want to do great work. We want to put out the most drop-dead apparel, the most eye-catching sponsorship proposals, and the most likable, shareable social media updates.
But I see that – the fear of not being perfect – stopping many people I’ve worked with, myself included, from doing anything at all. And that’s what’s got to change.
If you want to finish races, you have to be consistent in the garage. If you want good results, you have to be consistent on the track. If you want to pay for your racing, you’ve got to be consistent with your budgeting, sponsorship marketing and building your audience.
See, wins are nice. Well, better than nice. They’re fun. They’re sexy. They’re what we live for. But if you’re serious about racing, you’re here for the long haul.
You’re here for a championship.
And we know how champions are made – with consistency, of course.
With love,
Kristin
P.S. I’m learning along with you, here. What does that mean? If you follow along on social media – you can find me on Twitter and Instagram as @kswartzlander, and on Facebook as DirtyMouth Racing – you’ll notice more consistent updates. I’ll be sharing new and old blog posts, media mentions and other great content more consistently. Boom, y’all.
Be Specific to Get What You Want.
About a month ago, my husband Carl and I were able to take our first ever week-long vacation. It was well-timed… I had just finished up work on the super-successful Dirt Classic Presented by Kasey Kahne and he was capping off a successful racing season, too. We finally had time to sit back, relax and talk about the future for the first time since the previous winter.
Sneaking a moment at the Dirt Classic. Photo by TJ Root.
See, last year we did something a little bit different – instead of making New Year’s resolutions, we sat down and set our goals and intentions for 2014. We picked a few areas of our life that we wanted to improve on – everything from t-shirt sales and wins to blog subscribers and income levels – and wrote out really specific goals. Thirteen of them, to be exact.
I know, I know. I’ve done this a million times before, too. And what did I do? Stuck that little piece of paper God-knows-where and rarely, if ever, thought about it again.
This time was different, though. Our goals were specific and measurable, with numbers and a timeframe. The other thing that changed? I hung this sheet up on the wall in my office so I could see it regularly.
(Which also means that every time I got a harebrained idea, Carl could point to that wall and ask if it would get us closer to one of those goals. Eek.)
One thing that Carl had personally been disappointed about was that he hadn’t hit his goal for number of wins this season. He wanted to double the previous year’s win count of four to eight and with only one race left on the season, his win count totaled six.
On our vacation, we took an afternoon to review the season from all perspectives. And it hit me – we had gotten specific with eight wins, but we didn’t specify what kind of wins.
What about winning the Lernerville Speedway Track Championship? That’s a win. Then we got a call this week from a friend sharing some news that clinched it for me: with a second-place finish in his final race, Carl had won the #1 Cochran Cavalcade Points title. Sounds like eight ‘wins’ in 2014 to me.
We seemed to have gotten exactly what we asked for.
In fact, when we looked at that goal sheet a few weeks ago, we had already hit 11 of 13 goals we’d set out for this year. Numbers 12 and 13? They’re already in progress. I know that taking this approach to goal-setting was the key to us making strides forward in our life.
If you’re working towards a goal – whether that’s finishing your first feature or building the #1 sprint car series in the country – it’s crucial to set specific intentions for what you want.
Then, keep yourself accountable to those intentions. You can do that by:
- Telling a friend and sharing updates
- Posting your goals or intentions somewhere you can see them regularly
- Setting up your goals in an action-provoking phone app like Lift
- Investing in a coach that’ll help keep you on track (you value what you pay for!)
Are you already thinking about 2015? I am. And goal setting is one big part of that.
To a successful 2015!
Kristin
The Proposal (a.k.a The Sponsorship Clincher).
I’m often asked: how do I get (more) sponsors?
The answer is pretty simple: get on your local message board and bash all the other drivers using an anonymous screen name. Their sponsors will come running. Duh.
Kidding.
But seriously, this is obviously one of the most common questions I get.
And the answer is really simple on paper: connect with a like-minded company, craft a win-win opportunity, agree on the terms and, most importantly, execute.
But we all know that there’s a ton of work that goes into the in-between of a marketing partnership. Most of us can identify the right companies, find the decision maker and draw up a marketing plan.
Then comes the sales pitch. And the proposal. And the sweating.
We’ve all been there – you bust your butt to get in the door and have the opportunity to pitch the perfect company for your race team. You’re fist-pumping with excitement and then it hits you – you now have to produce that clinch-worthy proposal.
That irresistible piece of marketing material. The one they can’t put down. It’s the proposal that perfectly reflects you and your racing program, and the success that you’ll have together.
And your confidence begins to falter.
I’ve been there myself. In my career, I’ve submitted, evaluated, reviewed and approved (or denied) hundreds, maybe even thousands, of proposals. I’ve seen it all – from hand-drawn submissions to tricked-out seven-figure deal materials.
And I know the kind of work it takes to produce a piece that’s both beautifully eye-catching and undeniably effective.
If you want a real shot at working with a company you love, you need to help them see why they should love you back. You have to make them feel it.
And if the proposal process is what trips you up – if building race cars is more your forte than building proposals – I’m here to help. I’ve gotten a ton of requests to review and evaluate proposals, and worked on a case-by-case basis in the past. As the offseason approaches, I’ve decided that it’s only fair to open a more formalized opportunity for everyone on a first-come, first-serve basis.
So if you’re interested in working with me one-to-one on perfecting your existing proposal, all the information you need to stop spinning your wheels and start winning lives here. If you’re starting from scratch, you might want to check out our Crafting Effective Sponsorship Proposals Workshop.
If it’s not in your budget right now, don’t worry. Take a look around on the blog – there are tons of free resources that you can use to tell your story, set your pricing and create a winning opportunity for both you and your marketing partners.
Because isn’t that what it’s all about?
Xo.
Kristin
P.S. If you’re looking for coaching or consulting beyond sponsorship proposals, I’ve also put up more information on how to work with me here.
Sponsorship is a Dirty Word (But You Still Have to Use It.)
A few weeks ago, an article that I wrote received criticism on LinkedIn because it used the word sponsorship in the title. I understood the commenter’s point of view – some people hear sponsorship and think ‘free money’ – and I actually do prefer the term ‘marketing partnership’.
But I had to laugh when other commenters questioned him and his responses included the word ‘sponsorship’ instead of ‘marketing partnerships’ over and over again.
Let me be clear: I don’t think he’s a hypocrite. It’s just difficult to strike the word from our vocabulary.
Our brains are wired to recognize familiar patterns. For example, if the other cars on the racetrack begin to slow, your brain knows to make your eyes look for the caution light even before you think about it.
‘Sponsorship’ is how we in racing, and in many sports, refer to our marketing programs. So, it’s really hard to talk about sponsorship programs without using the word sponsorship. Our brains can recognize it, even if it doesn’t best describe what we do.
To a potential marketing partner, the word ‘sponsorship’ immediately conjures up an exchange of value. And that’s where things can go right or wrong. If they’ve had a bad experience in the past, they might have a negative response to the term. It has positive associations for some, and negative associations for others.
But here’s why I disagree with striking the word ‘sponsorship’ altogether:
If someone has a strong, negative association with the word sponsorship, you’re not going to change their minds by using a different term in place of it.
In fact, only using another term might even have the opposite effect. You’ll look like you’re hiding the fact that you are presenting a sponsorship proposal – a wolf in sheep’s clothing. (Ex. ‘Are you trying to trick me into sponsoring you, fool?’)
Sponsorship is a concept that companies and decision-makers get. It’s up to you to help them see the value in your program beyond their initial connotations with an engaging pitch and effective proposal. It’s up to you to match their needs with what you can provide, and it’s up to you to show them how you’ll provide that.
Basically, it’s on you to confirm their positive view of sponsorship or shift their negative view.
The truth is, you’ll have to provide proof of value and a guarantee of fulfillment on that value whether they love or hate the term. So you might as well be up-front from the beginning – hey, people actually appreciate honesty from people they do business with! – and start the train down the right track.
Yes, that means you may not always be able to get in the door with the word sponsorship. But if their perspective is already that negative, they’re probably not going to consider it anyway.
Consider that a time-saver.
Kristin
P.S. Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments section below.
P. P.S. If you want a Don Draper twist, check out this clip from Mad Men where Don talks about only selling to believers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y4b-DEkIps. Tell me that doesn’t get you fired up.
I quit my job (and I liked it.) What I learned about racing and work.
(Did you get my Katy Perry reference there? That song has been in my head all morning and now it’s probably in yours, too. You’re welcome.)
Four years ago this week, I left my last ‘corporate’ job at a downtown advertising agency. In some ways, that seems just as scary today as it was then. But it was also exciting and exhilarating, also the same as it is now.
I took a risk, and it paid off.
I didn’t have a showstopper exit that I can wax on about. It was like most – I delayed the decision until I couldn’t ignore the voice in my head that said I was ready to take the leap. I put in my notice, wavered, agreed to help the company transition my accounts, and was woken by 4am phone calls from my boss asking me to reconsider. We, the company and I, held on to our safety nets for a long time.
But at some point, not quitting became riskier than leaving my cushy salary and benefits, the security of a corporate ladder and a solid paycheck. And that’s when I pulled the plug.
Many ‘success’ stories we hear go like this: I had a vision, I quit, I worked hard and I got a big break or built a company and now I’m a success. In racing, you often hear: I got my first go-kart, won a bunch of races, moved up to sprint cars, got a ride and now I’m a success.
But it’s what’s in between the lines, the time that you stayed at the corporate job after you knew you were leaving or lived on ramen noodles before you got your first wins, that I think is really interesting. I learned a lot at my ad agency job, and when I worked in the NFL and AFL, even when I knew I wouldn’t be there forever.
It’s not just the building of the business, or race team, that’s illuminating. The things you learned and the decisions you made before that are just as pivotal to your success story.
Here is the biggest thing I learned before I struck out for the motorsports camp and went to work for a racetrack and a parts company, building DirtyMouth along the way:
I wanted to feel like I was directly contributing to something I loved. I truly enjoyed working with my clients to help them achieve their gaols. Whether it was a technical whitepaper written for an engineering journal or a consumer marketing campaign with splashy ads and mobile activation, I loved doing work that made my clients happy (read: profitable).
At the end of the day I knew I wanted to work in motorsports. But that wasn’t the biggest issue keeping me from feeling satisfied.
I wasn’t helping people become successful. I was helping companies, mostly large ones. There’s a difference, and it started to matter to me.
I learned a lot of other things, too. I learned that it’s important to me to work with people who also want to make a difference and who care about integrity and the quality of their work. I love people who are willing to embrace change and who see opportunities instead of obstacles. I want to work on projects and tools that are bigger than just one client. Or me.
Overall, I learned that I want to do work that will make a difference in someone’s life.
Think about this: when you’re building shocks or tuning engines, or building your own racecar or event schedule, it’s easy to think that your work will effect what happens on the track. And it does. But what happens on the track effects a person’s whole life. I know this for a fact.
It affects their mood and mindset. It affects their bank account. It affects their relationships. It affects their future. It affects their whole life. I’ve seen and experienced it, and it really is a gift.
Good work goes beyond the purpose of the work itself. And that’s what I wanted to do with my career, my life, after corporate.
Thanks for going on this journey with me.
Xo.
Kristin
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