Sponsor Question

Are you cooking PNWBA or KCBS?
Figure $150-250 for entry fees, your meats, greens, fuel, etc.

I would say what you ask for depends on thier motives, and what they get out of it... Are they looking for any specific performance from you?
Are there events that help them more than others (visability of thier name/product)?
Will you be flying a banner, or ?

Some sponsors are looking for a place to spend some marketing $ to get a different set of eyes on thier name. For example... they may have had $100 race sponsorship of a dirt track car to have thier name on the rear quarter panel, and now they are looking for someplace else to divert that money. 50 races would be $5000 over a season... So do you go for the $5K or just ask for $100 a contest ( numbers a ficticous, for example only).

Some folks have product or gear, and they might get more mileage out of sponsorship with you, so they go a little deeper... if they see extra value in having you in thier fold.

Figure out what the value to the potential sponsor is, and make it a win/win.

it all depends on yoru value to them, what is your exposure, how many contests do you do? how many people will see you and their banners at each contest, do you have a trailer with teir logo that looks impressive, does yoru trailer with their logo get a lot of highway/miles exposure, are people who attend bbq comps within their marketing criteria? do you hand out their sample product, brochures? are you a good speaker for their products, do you use their products in real life? will you offer them company meals in the deal? there are hundreds of variables....what are you worth to them are their dollars well spent on you, they will probably reevaluate this each year if you get them as a sponsor... do you promote their image? the list goes on.........

Do most of u with sponsors seek them out? Do you have a packet you give to ppl you would want sponsors from?
I also was wondering alot about this stuff, as hopefully I will be starting a team next year or the year after.(depends on how much of the tax money my wife lets me blow on bbq)

Now this is from a total noob to comp cooking but, I had thought of making a packet. That listed what they would get from my end.

A spot on the comp trailer, a sign at the comp, left overs, maybe a cook out at end of year. Depending on amount of sponsor. Maybe have a range of sponsor dollar cats you are looking for and a price range.

$25 a comp gets you a spot on trailer, and tshirt

$50 a comp gets u on trailer and a banner at comps, and on t-shirt

$100 on trailer, banner and discount on me cooking for you for a gig. tshirt

anything above that and I would throw in a free cookout at end of season or something.

I am prob way off on all that but have been trying to think of things to try.

I would prob guess for the first season, I am jsut going to do 3 or 4 comps to get feet wet, then go and try to get sponsors on the 2nd season, since I could show them how I have done instead of being a brand new team.

Also thinking of talking to a local butcher about if I could get a discount if I flew a banner of his store at comps and put him on trailer.

I think it really comes down to what you can do for them. This is a gift from them, not the otherway around.