If your organization isn’t constantly striving to build and grow sponsorship opportunities, you’re missing out on an important revenue stream. Understanding why sponsors buy, what techniques generate the most revenue, and how to price based on value rather than cost, are all key to selling sponsorships successfully. In this free webinar, Dustin Gilbert, Business Development Representative at WebLink will share his wealth of experience with selling sponsorships in the association industry, identify the pitfalls most commonly seen and show you how to avoid those mistakes. In this webinar, you will learn: - Common misconceptions of selling sponsorships, and how a few quick fixes can mean big revenue. - The keys for taking inventory and determining the various levels of participation you have to offer. - How to research and qualify your ideal sponsors, and what messaging and value propositions will get them to buy. - How to structure your pricing and packages in order to generate the maximum revenue for your organization.

1. 15 Myths and Mistakes
of Selling Sponsorships

2. ABOUT WEBLINK
• Leading SaaS AMS Company
• Over 720 Association Customers; 5,500
Users; Supporting 650K Members
• Established in 1996
• Based in Indianapolis, Indiana
• 60 Employees
• 94% Customer Retention Rate
• 96% Average Daily Satisfaction Rating

3. WebLink Customers

4. WebLink Customers

5. WebLink Connect™
 Association Management
Software Solution
 One web-based centralized
database
 Prospects, members, non-
members and all reps in same
system
 Financials, events, email,
committees, website, reporting

6. 15 Myths and Mistakes
of Selling Sponsorships

7. Dustin Gilbert
SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
REPRESENTATIVE

8. SPONSORSHIPS.

9. AUDIENCE POLL
What is the biggest challenge
you face when selling
sponsorships?

10. Myth #1
Sponsorships Just Benefit Your
Association

11. WHAT
is a sponsorship?

12. WHAT
is a sponsorship to the customer?
WHAT
is a sponsorship to you?

13. Myth #2
That’s A Wrap!
Your Event is Over & It’s Time
To Relax…

15. FACT: The majority of
your sponsorship
selling and dollars
should come from
renewals from the
prior year.

16. Myth #3
If It Worked Last Year, It Will
Work Again Next Year

17. THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH

18. Meet Joe
 Joe is the owner of Joe’s Plumbing
and Water Damage Repair
 Sponsorship Package Options:
1. Gold, Silver or Bronze
Sponsorship OR
2. “DRAIN IT” Sponsorship
Get Creative With Your Sponsorship Real Estate

19. Myth #4
Category Exclusivity Does Not
Add Value To Your
Sponsorship Packages

20. Category Exclusivity
Giving the right to one organization
within any given industry, product or
service category exclusive sponsorship
rights

21. Myth #5
The More Sponsors, The Better

22. How Many Sponsors Is Ideal?
 It’s simple – there is no right answer.
 The number of sponsors that you have is
dependent upon the:
– Event
– Anticipated attendance
– Type and quality of attendees
– Promotional and marketing efforts utilized

23. Logo Soup

24. Myth #6
Cash Is King

26. In-Kind Donations
 Noncash contributions and/or contributed services
 Example: A supermarket or local grocer donates a food for your
event
 Remember to steer clear of “logo soup”

27. Myth #7
Accounting For In-Kind
Donations Is The Same As
Accounting For Cash

28. Nonprofit Accounting Basics
 There are specific to account for in-kind
donations
 Be smart and know the accounting guidelines
that you need to follow to properly account for
these donations on your financial statements

29. Myth #8
The Deeper The Pocket, The
Better The Sponsor

30. Who Should You Be Selling To?

31. Qualifying Potential Sponsors
 Research and qualify potential sponsors
 Ask: Is this sponsorship the right fit?
 Understand potential sponsors’ marketing
objectives and leverage them with your
organization’s marketing

32. Myth #9
Fundraising & Sponsorships
Are One In The Same

33. AUDIENCE POLL
Do you currently bundle
multiple event sponsorships
into one sponsorship package?

34. Myth #10
Discounting Sponsorships
Should Be Avoided To
Maximize Revenue

35. Bundle, Bundle, Bundle!
 Give sponsors the
option to bundle
their sponsorship
and marketing
dollars over
multiple events

36. Myth #11
Spell Check Catches All Errors

37. The Proposal
 Tailor sponsorship proposals based on the
sponsorship package
 Be specific and ensure that all sponsorship
details are explicitly outlined
 Always have someone proofread the final
proposal before submission

38. Myth #12
You Set the Value Of Your
Sponsorships

39. Pricing Your Sponsorships
 Be realistic - your sponsorship is only as valuable as
potential sponsor’s perceive it to be
 Communicate value
 Don’t over promise and under deliver
 Always remember sponsorship sales are all about yearly
renewals

40. Myth #13
Your Event Attendees Want To
Interact With Your Sponsors

41. ENGAGEMENT.

42. Myth #14
New Customer Acquisition Is
the Only Metric Your Sponsor
Cares About

43. Sugar Coat Statistics
 Make your sponsors feel GREAT
about their sponsorship
– Share stats to pump up the value of
your sponsorship (ex. social media
metrics)
– Understand your sponsors’ goals
– Remember, savvy sponsorship
buyers care about SALES

44. AUDIENCE POLL
Do you provide your top tier
sponsors with performance
metrics after your event?

45. Myth #15
You Thought Your Event Was
A Huge Success, So Your
Sponsors Feel The Same

46. The
Fulfillment
Report

48. Thank you!
WebLink International, Inc.
1-877-231-4970
www.weblinkinternational.com
marketing@weblinkinternational.com