How to Get Sponsored (part 2)
(Going Pro)

Part 1|2|3|4

 Why Companies Sponsor Athletes
     Lets back up for just a second. Why would anyone want to sponsor you or anyone else for that matter? You have to understand this and understand it from the companies’ perspective in order to make sure you riding for them is right for their company.

    For most companies their team is an advertising expense. Instead of spending their hard earned dollar on a newspaper or magazine ad they are putting it into a team. They in turn expect their team to do the same things that an advertisement would do but for less (for a business the bottom line is money more times then not.)

    So what does this mean? It means you have to first of all help them sell their product so they can make their money back (if the company does not have money left over after the bills then they have nothing to put into advertising and therefore their team).

    Second, you have to help them sell, but indirectly. This means by showing the rest of the world who they are and how great their product is. The company sponsoring you hopes that people will see you winning contests with their product and that everyone wants to win contests so they will buy their product which then results in more sales.

    They also want to make sure that anytime a conversation comes up about their product you are there to talk very highly of it.

    Besides using a team for advertising sometimes a company will use a team of sponsored riders for research and development. These riders are responsible for developing and perfecting the company’s next line of products. However, these teams are very hard to become part of and are only open to a select few. For example, Burton’s R&D team, The Development Team, consists of only five people and Burton has 40% of the market.

Step 1
    Connecting with shop owners is also a great first step in the process to living the sponsored life. A lot of specialty snowboard shops will have a small snowboard team to represent the shop on the mountain. Typically a shop sponsorship will include some discounts on in-store products, some shirts or sweatshirts with the shops logo and probably a lot of stickers. It will also give you access to the magical pro form.

   A pro form is a special order form, that shops are given, that allows the shops employees and riders access to heavily discounted product from companies that the shop carries. Companies usually do this because it allows the people that are directly related to selling their product to have first hand knowledge of the product and hopefully sell much more of it. For example a shop employee usually doesn’t have a lot of money so they will buy something on pro-form. They then get to use that product everyday they go ride allowing them to know more about it then they would reading about it while at work. This in return allows a sales person to give more info and better descriptions to a potential customer, which in turn makes it an easier product to sell.

    This first step of riding for a shop is essential as it makes your snowboarding addiction a lot less expensive. Instead of dishing out a lot cash for needed gear on top of buying your pass to the local resort you can get new gear at usually less then half the price now. Sometimes, although a little more rare, the shop will also have a pass that the riders can have access to. The shop may also allow you access to their tuning equipment, which allows you to learn the intricacies of your snowboard and how to keep it in tip top shape. At this step you have gone from spending a lot of money for your addiction to spending a lot less. Granted your not making a living yet but you are one step closer.

    Typically your responsibilities while on a shop team will include competing in local competitions, riding a ton at the local mountains and interacting with as many people as possible in a positive way. This means helping people out while they are trying to learn, handing out shop stickers and generally being very approachable and a nice person anytime you are in public (that includes the bars.)

    It is also best to stay in close touch with your shop. Make sure you bring all your friends there to shop and just check in as much as possible. However, when you are there don’t demand attention. If there are other customers then let the owners or team managers or even employees work with them first. You come last there and your patience will be appreciated.

    One thing you can do that speaks well of you is to volunteer at the shop during their super busy season (Thanksgiving to Christmas). This straight up shows how important they are to you and they will be thankful for the extra coverage. It should strengthen your relationship even more.

-> Part 3 Becoming a professional snowboarder->
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Did we miss something? Do you have any suggestions for others?