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Fourth Quarter Intervention: Are you where you wanted to be in 2013?
We’re over halfway through the fourth quarter of 2013, and I’ve got two questions for you:
- Looking back, did you accomplish what you set out to this year?
- What can you do in these last few weeks of 2013 to hit your goals and kick off 2014 right?
The first question is pretty serious – I don’t know about you, but it automatically made me think about all of the ways that I fell short this year. The projects that I haven’t completed yet because I set unrealistic timelines or (I don’t know…) life happened, the miserable client work I slogged through because I didn’t sign a contract or didn’t value my time, the fun well-paying projects that I had to turn away because I was working for other clients practically, and sometimes actually, for free.
But this self-induced panic attack actually gave me two opportunities: to figure out what the actual hell went wrong and to think about what I did right and how to voice it to myself and others.
Now that I’ve re-evaluated my year, I’ll probably write at least one blog post about the mistakes I’ve made in my business and how your race team can learn from them and avoid them – think about not leaving money on the table and getting sponsors to chase after you. Because, after a few Jack-and-Ginger’s, I was able to move on from beating myself up for my mistakes to learning about what I could have done differently and how I’ll do that in the future.
Because the cold, hard truth is: if you’re not happy with where you are right now, it’s your own fault. But taking ownership of the mistakes also gives you ownership over fixing them.
And that, my friends, is power.
So you know what you need to do: change it.
How? I propose a 10-step program to getting you closer to where you want to be. (<-Just kidding. Get out of here with that.)
Here’s what I actually propose: write down all of the things that you wanted to accomplish and didn’t. Then, cross out all of the items that aren’t within your control (anything lottery-ticket-related goes). Then, cross out anything that you’re not logistically able to accomplish between now and the end of the year. (Wanted to win four more races? Sorry, the 2013 ship sailed on that.)
Keep in mind that there is a big difference between what you want and what you have to do to get what you want. This topic also deserves its own write-up, but for example: if what you want is to get a big sponsor, then the things you have to do to get a big sponsor might include finding the right person to talk to, reaching out to them, having lunch with them, putting together a proposal, etc.
This list is long and will probably freak you out. It sucks, but it’s reality.
On a separate piece of paper, take everything that’s left on that list and write down only those things that you could (and will) do between right now and smooching under the mistletoe.
And throw everything else away. Because those things, the trips to victory lane you didn’t make, the owner you didn’t call for the ride you didn’t get, the sponsors you never met…they’re all the things that are holding you back.
Because 2013 is almost past and you have to let go of the past to move forward. Any time or energy you spend worrying about it now is just taking time and energy away from things you can actually do.
Just get started on moving forward, even if you don’t know all of the gory details. Stick to it, and you’ll be surprised what you can figure out. (Have questions? Email me or ask in the comments below. I’ll do what I can to help you, and I bet others might have the same question or a different answer to share.)
Even if you don’t cross off every single thing on that list, you’ll still be closer to where you wanted to be. And that will feel good, maybe great, maybe even inappropriately spectacular (the way we like it. Wink.)
By the way, in case I didn’t make it clear earlier, this feeling of failure or mediocrity happens to all of us. Sometimes you need a reality check to move on and get real shit done, but I think you also deserve this reality check:
You probably accomplished a lot more than you think you did this year. And you deserve to feel good about that.
A few weeks ago, I heard a driver get asked about how his season went. He said that it was fine and that he ended up fourth in points at his local track. His response pretty much blew my mind because, although it was the truth, it was nowhere near accurate from the outside looking in. For god’s sake, he doesn’t even race for points!! Statistically, he accumulated more, better quality wins than ever before in less races than he usually runs. He also got more sponsorship than ever.
When describing his season, he measured himself lower than others on a scale that he doesn’t even aspire to win at.
Shockingly enough, I told him exactly what I thought of that and, even though I dabble in having super powers, I couldn’t read his mind. But I could tell he felt better, even more accomplished than a few minutes earlier. Which brings me to my final point:
We are what we think.
So after you beat yourself up over what you didn’t achieve, think about the things you actually did win at (checkers with your grandma counts) and what you can do to add to that list.
Because we all deserve both a kick in the ass and pat on the back now and then.
xo.
Kristin
Finding a Sponsor is Like Online Dating (Or, why sponsorship templates don’t work.)
What if finding a sponsor was the like the process of dating? Specifically, online dating?
It’s getting more and more common for couples to meet on sites like Match.com, eHarmony and – be still my heart – FarmersOnly.com. So online dating, and how it works, shouldn’t be a foreign concept.
When you think about online dating, the first, and most daunting, part of the process that you’ll have to address is creating a profile. Or, rather, the right profile – the one that says every bit of what you want it to say, and none of what you don’t.
You want the profile that gives them some details – successful career, great social life– but still leaves some mystery. You went to a good school and your hobbies include woodworking (he’s good with his hands!). You want the photo that says ‘I’m smart’ (glasses) but still sexy (two layers of eye liner). I’m young (purple hair feather!) but I know what I’m doing if you know what I mean (leopard print scarf). I’m in shape! (No full body shot.)
See, there are lots of variables.
And that seems like the hardest part of finding a lovah: You imagine the perfect lovah and then you imagine what they want in a lovah and then you craft a profile that matches it.
But love, angel friends, is a two-way street. At least it is if you want to keep it legal.
At some point, you’re going to have to actually talk to this person if you want to date them. You’ll have to meet up for an awkward coffee shop conversation or glass of wine on a bearskin rug, preferably. (I just like picturing bearskin rugs. Probably because of this photo ->) 
And if your profile doesn’t match you, some doubt will start creeping into the other person’s mind.
Friendships, romantic relationships and business relationships are all predicated on an intimate level of trust. When that trust gets broken, even it it’s just a small discrepancy in your mind, it becomes harder for them to give you their trust. And their money. And their pants. Because that’s kind of a form of currency, right?
The problem is that, unlike most people’s recognized need for romance, people don’t need to sponsor racecars. Or at least they don’t think they do.
That, combined with the many other aggressive fish in the sponsorship sea, makes it very easy for potential sponsors to jump to another team or out of the sport entirely when they stop trusting you.
Add to that the existing negative connotations that many companies have about motorsports sponsorship, and you’re balancing on a thin, icy rope.
You are courting your sponsors, and if you think otherwise you’re either as in demand as Jimmie Johnson or delusional. Flashing them a standard, canned sponsorship proposal that you updated with your own information is like re-using a popular dating profile.
It might get them to look into you further, and you might be hoping that it gets you a meeting so that you can win them over with your good looks and pet koala bear, but unless everything out there that represents you matches up (think: website, social media, press releases, newspaper interviews), you’ll never get that meeting.
Because it reeks of insincerity.
I’m not saying all sponsorship templates are bad. In fact, a few of them are good. And it does help to have an idea of what you need to say in a sponsorship proposal.
But, by and large, sponsorship proposals are crutches that confine you to what someone else thought a potential sponsor wanted to read. Unless you’re pitching the same sponsor with the same assets, it’s just not going to match up strategically or philosophically.
And at the point, even your koala bear won’t save you.
Do you use a template, self-made or otherwise? Have any great ones you can point us to? Or do you do every pitch from scratch like me? Would love to hear in the comments section below.
xo.
Kristin
P.S. Want to take it a step further? We’ve created a workshop just for this: Creating Effective Sponsorship Proposals.
How to deal with people who (kindly) don’t support your racing dream.
If you’re in the racing business, especially if you’re a driver, you’ve probably run into quite a few critics in your day. The fans that boo you, the crew that gives you the stink-eye, the millionth guy that asked for ‘anyone else’ when you answer the phone because he wasn’t going to talk to a girl about racing, thankyouverymuch. (← Oh, just me? AWKWARD.)
They’re everywhere.
And they’re easy to brush off. Because we all know haters are gonna hate, my friends. We can easily choose to walk away, cut them out of our lives, even (gasp!) un-friend them on Facebook.
But what happens when the person criticizing your choice of dreams is a relative or a friend? What happens when the criticism comes wrapped in a nice, well-meaning package? You can’t just tell them to shut it, and peace out. At least I can’t, anyway.
I know what it’s like to tell the people you love that you want to do something they think is crazy. I moved to a ‘dangerous’ city where I didn’t know a soul for college. I hauled my butt across the country to another city I never visited before for a job at a major sports franchise, with no safety net and no guarantee of what are considered basics in most jobs. I left a really successful career in advertising to be un-ceremoniously un-welcomed by my own team as a young racetrack promoter.
And to really brings things around in the risky and unstable department? I left that job, the last salary I ever collected, two years ago to start my own consulting company with no real plan or vision, just the knowledge that I would figure it out eventually.
In short, I’ve gotten my share of well-meaning ‘why’s’, ‘how’s’ and ‘you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me’s’ from my family and friends.
Sometimes it’s especially hard for the people that love us to support us taking a risk. Sure, they’re just thrilled for your Johnny-crack-smoking neighbor when he decides to live his parents’ basement so he can design a better eBay.
But you want to pursue a career as a racecar driver? Now that’s just crazy.
What if you get hurt?
You’re never going to make any money in racing.
Do you know how few guys make it, and how long it takes them?
Are you sure that’s the right decision?
For most of us, the criticism isn’t directly negative – it’s much more subtle and veiled under the guise of helpfulness. And they most likely do want the best for you.
And that’s why they try to protect you from your dreams. Because dreams are risky. And they don’t always come true.
So what do you say to these well-meaning friends and family members who tsk at how much money you spend on your racecar and how you haven’t gotten a real job yet over the Christmas Jello mold?
I can’t tell you what you should say, but I can tell you what I say.
I tell them they’re right.
Yep. I swallow my pride (and some whiskey, duh). Then I tell them that even though they’re probably right, I know I would regret it if I didn’t try to pursue my dream while I still have the chance. I can always go out and get a ‘real’ job in a few years if it doesn’t pan out.
Shuts them up every time. (We all know that’s a lie, but it sounds nice.)
Still, that’s a hard response to argue with. You’ve acknowledged their concern and advice, and told them you’re probably wrong but you’re going to do it anyway. You’ve also told them you’re ‘trying’ it, not committing the rest of your life to what they think is a bad decision. And you need to do it now. Because you’re still young, you don’t have kids, you don’t have a huge mortgage…whatever works in your situation.
Then slowly back away from the Jello mold. It’s for your own good.
Now, this is just my advice for dealing with your favorite critics family members. How has this happened to you? If you’ve ever had someone be unsupportive of your racing dream, what exactly did they say? How do you respond?
Share your answer in the comments below. I’d love to hear it!
Searching for sponsors this off-season? Ask yourself these 2 questions.
It’s the conclusion that everyone comes to at some point in their racing career, if not every single season – ‘we need more sponsors.’
We don’t just hit that wall in racing – it’s obviously a problem in business, too. In order to survive, we need more customers. Side note: It’s worth mentioning that for you to be able to thrive instead of just surviving, you also need to get deeper investments from your current or future sponsors. But that’s a discussion for another day.
So, why don’t you have more sponsors?
Chew on this: there are really only two ways for you to form a partnership with a sponsor. Even though there are a lot of variables, the general equation is pretty straightforward and can be boiled down to the following:
- They find you. This can happen in a variety of ways – through your fan network, social media, word-of-mouth, at the race track, through your personal connections. They’re your ideal customer and they sign on to your sponsorship program. (In the grand scheme of things, how they find you actually matters a lot but it’s not important for this discussion.)
- You find them. This can also happen in a variety of ways with the right content. You’ve reached the right audience, they’re your target customer, and they sign on to your sponsorship program.
Most racers make the mistake of focusing on the beginning of the equation – how you find or get found by sponsors. Yes, that’s hard and requires time and dedication.
But the bigger problem is identifying the potential sponsor as your ideal marketing partner. Because it doesn’t matter how many businesses you reach if they’re not right for your program.
That’s where the math gets torturous. And if you’re human (unlike me) you hate math:
You’ll get the same results by targeting 1,000 of the wrong businesses as if you literally didn’t do anything at all. Except you will have wasted your time and money.
Because if you’re smart, you’re spending some money. You can’t have ROI – return on investment – without an investment, friends.
That’s why it’s crucial to focus your efforts on identifying the right kind of potential sponsors. So here’s where the questions come into play. You need to ask yourself:
- Who is my program right for? Get really specific on who you are, who your potentials sponsors are and what they’re looking for. It goes without saying, I think, at this point in our relationship that the size of their wallet is not the most important quality in a sponsor.
- Is what I’m doing in my program speaking to them? Put yourself in their shoes. What do they want? What are their business goals? Yes, it’s probably to make more money. But it’s not always by getting more customers. Sometimes it’s by getting deeper investments from customers they already have like we talked about above. Sometimes it’s by making their employees happier and more loyal => more productive.
Think about what you’re putting out there (and how you’re doing it) and it will start to get clearer in your messaging how you can solve their problem.
Yes, it’s important to reach potential sponsors. But the more you focus on identifying and attracting the right types of people, the better your results will be for the same or less effort. Pretty sweet little cycle, right?
Go get ‘em, tiger,
Kristin
P.S. If you want a great example of why knowing who you are is important to finding sponsors, check out this great interview (below) from Bloomberg TV this week with NASCAR driver Ricky Ehrgott and his new marketing partner David Potter of Platinum Wealth Partners. Potter discusses where the value lies in racing for his business, which should make it clear that every business has a different reason for getting involved in motorsports. Ehrgott clearly knew what his program offered when he got hooked up with Platinum Wealth Partners.
What I learned about racing from a Craig Campbell concert.
Over the summer, Carl and I decided to make our way to the Craig Campbell concert at the Indiana County Fair for obvious food and entertainment-related reasons. I mean, who doesn’t love gawking at how redneck teenagers act right before they drop a pulled pork sandwich all over their own (white) shirt?
Hypothetically speaking.
(Also, see my screenshot of what popped up when I searched for Indiana County State Fair on my iPhone at right. Just for fun.)
Partway through the concert, while the drunken teenagers were making a mosh pit, it hit me how different 
this set was than the first time we saw him play at a Hard Rock Café. Here, in front of thousands of people, he played mostly upbeat songs. He didn’t take a break in the middle of the set. There were no long pauses between songs.
And when his radio hits came on, he did something that I’ve seen at every large-venue concert – he turned the mic around and had the audience sing the chorus.
And then it hit me. He wouldn’t do that unless he felt 100% sure that they knew the words.
He knew his audience and what they came there for. He wouldn’t have done that unless he knew they knew they’d sing it back. How awkward would it have been if it was just* crickets*? The crowd would have deflated.
Instead, he knew what song would resonate with them and gave them the opportunity to feel like they were on stage with them by belting it out.
He validated them.
When he played at the Hard Rock, there were probably no more than 100 people in the room. And he talked to us. He told us the stories of his songs. He played riffs that we’d never heard before and he told us why he wrote them and why he was playing them. He told us about his life.
It was an intimate setting. We didn’t go there to get hammered and scream at the top of our lungs from atop a mosh pit. We wanted to feel like we got to know a relatively unknown musician.
And he totally nailed it.
Craig Campbell set himself up for success by knowing what his audience wanted and how to give it to them.
We’re in the entertainment business – shouldn’t we be doing the same?
xo.
Kristin
Warm Up Prospective Sponsors (Snuggie not required)
Ever sent a cold email to a prospective sponsor? I have. And it’s not the crappiest feeling you can imagine – that’s a cold call – but you’re still interrupting someone’s day with a request.
And often all you hear is crickets. But do you think someone would be more likely to open that email or take that phone call if they recognized your name first?
Absolutely. There’s no doubt about it.
Whether you’re trying to chat it up with a reporter at a newspaper or a prospective sponsor, warming that person up before reaching out can be what gets your email opened and, eventually, your opportunity considered.
So how do you do it? Not with a Snuggie and a hot toddy. Unless it’s that kind of sponsor and, hey, I’m not judging.
You can warm them up via social media. I recommend Twitter, specifically.
Here are some key tips for doing it the right way (and not scaring them off in the process):
1. Know who you’re targeting (Hint: It’s not everyone with a wallet.)
This is actually one specific example of a time why you need to know why you race. It matters. If you stand for a Christian message and you’re looking for press coverage, locate a reporter for a Christian publication. If you’re looking for a marketing partner, find a Christian organization that already does some advertising and could use a way to further their message.
You can start really broadly and just identify groups of people – for example, publications in your local area or businesses that target dog lovers – and then narrow down as you dig deeper.
Bonus: Want an amazing way to keep track of your targets and what they’re tweeting? Add them to a private Twitter list. This will pool their content into one place, so you can be sure you’re using your time wisely to catch everything they’re saying instead of spending an hour clicking on funny cat videos.
2. Make sure they’re going to see something good
In other words, take down the wrong kind of topless selfies and get your feed in shape. Think about what that person or company would see if they clicked over to your profile right now. And ask yourself what you want that to be. Then, bridge the gap.
Make sure your profile is accurate and relevant, and your tweets reflect you and your program. Your feed should give information about you and what you care about, and content from the people and things you care about as well.
The content itself I can’t advise you on, because that’s different for literally every one of my clients. And that’s where the value lies – it’s what makes you you. Sponsors will either be attracted to your feed or disturbed by it. And hey, it takes all kinds.
3. Interact with your target’s content
Now that you’ve got the right stuff on your feed and profile, you can put yourself on their radar by following them. When many people get notified of a new follower, they will click over to that person’s profile and see who they are and if they should follow them back. At the very least, your name is in front of them.
By the way, if you get a 20-30% follow-back rate, you’re doing pretty well with your alignment.
Then, when you like something they say, you can retweet it. Take it another step further and RT with an interesting comment in front of the RT.
After an appropriate length of time, you may be able to confidently get to third base by using the @mention to notify them of your tweet. What’s an appropriate amount of time, you ask? It’s like dating – every girl is different. Use your very best judgment.
If you’re sharing an article they wrote, @mention them. If you’re using their product or service, @mention them (bonus points if you include a picture). If you think they’ll appreciate an opportunity or thought you’re sharing, @mention them.
Now, you should really be getting their attention, and maybe showing them you have something insightful to say. Even if it is about cookies. (What? Never mind. EVERYTHING IS ABOUT COOKIES.)
It’s getting warm in here.
Love,
Kristin
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