Sponsorship Strategist

What a difference 3.5 years make

Flashback alert! You may recall – unless you've repressed it – that at about this time 4 years ago, our economy was going you-know-where in a handbasket. Think bailouts, bankruptcies, collapses, more bailouts, mass layoffs, home foreclosures, a presidential election, more bailout requests delivered by men in private jets, etc. And finally don't forget the Toxic Asset Relief Program, better known as TARP, in which $700 million or so were doled out to banks, fiscally sound and not so much, to relieve them of unpaid mortgages and loans, to get the economy flowing again. (Those dollars have mostly been returned... Read more →

More on your role as sponsorship seller

Early in February, at an event I partnered on with the Boston Business Journal, Ray Hoefling, Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking, at Webster Bank was our special guest. Audiences had an opportunity to hear some of the creative ways Webster Bank, a well-known Connecticut brand, is engaging sponsorship, particularly with the nonprofit sector, to introduce its brand and build relationships in a competitive market. When we opened it up to the audience for questions, the first one was a familiar refrain. A gentleman wanted to know how he could reach Hoefling or the proper decision maker, something that he was... Read more →

Join me in Boston for a wicked good sponsorship seminar

I'll be presenting a seminar on Thursday, February 2, 2012, 7:30-10 a.m., for the Boston Business Journal, called Creating More Powerful Partnerships & Sponsorships, and I hope to see you there. Whether you buy or sell sponsorship, in a nonprofit or for profit setting, you'll leave with lots of ideas on how to improve your sponsorship results. The networking opportunities will be tremendous – how often do you have the opportunity to get together with other sponsorship specialists, on both sides of the table? – and definitely worth getting up early for. If that's not enough for you, check this... Read more →

Crazy stats and breaking through

I just heard a set of astounding statistics from Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies. Your corporate sponsorship prospects are likely to: Have 59 hours of work sitting on their desks waiting to be completed Have about an hour or two each week in time not previously taken up by meetings Let voice mail pick up about 95 percent of the time Receive 150-300 emails a day (and she said they love the delete button!) Want to spend NO time with a salesperson Here are my questions to you: is your sponsorship offering compelling? Is... Read more →

Getting and Keeping Sponsors When Times Are Tough - Sponsorship Strategy in a Recession

Gail Bower, astute specialist in sponsorship, published a book more than a year ago titled, How to Jump-Start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times. via nonprofit.about.com In case you're on the fence about whether to invest in my guidebook, How to Jump-start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times, check out non-profit leader and writer Joanne Fritz's review on About.com. Thanks to Chris Schultz of Active Kids Assoc. of Sport for sharing the column with me. Read more →

Gail Bower speaking at the Bridge Conference outside Washington, DC

If you're attending the Bridge Conference, grab your coffee and head over to my session first thing tomorrow morning. At 8:30 a.m., I'll present 6 Steps to Sponsorship Success: What Nonprofit Leaders Need to Know. Geared towards nonprofit executive directors considering corporate sponsorship as a way of diversifying revenue, the session will help you understand what sponsorship is and isn't; common mistakes nonprofits make, causing them to leave lots of money on the table; and the process you'll undertake to develop a strong sponsorship program for your organization that yields benefits beyond new dollars. I'll have How to Jump-start Your... Read more →

Book recommendation

Since summertime is a favorite time to curl up with a good novel – even a juicy beach read – you may be surprised to learn that my recommendation is a book on sales. Go ahead, try and imagine curling up in your hammock with a book on selling. Seriously, it's that good. It's called SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers by Jill Konrath, a sales consultant, author, and speaker. One of her previous books is Selling to Big Companies, a topic she seems well-versed in through her own experiences and those of... Read more →

Announcing: 7 teleseminars for nonprofit and event leaders on corporate sponsorship, marketing communications, event topics

Would you benefit from enhancing your skills and knowledge working with corporate sponsors, conceptualizing and producing events, or communicating more powerfully with key audiences of your organization? Please join me for BowerPower Programs, a series of 6 teleseminars, plus a bonus session, on corporate sponsorship, event, and marketing communications topics, designed to improve your results in these areas for 2010. Check out the details of all 6 teleseminars. Be sure to register early, before June 25. You'll automatically be registered for the bonus teleseminar, Jump-Start Your 2010 Sponsorship Strategy, on July 7, which will provide an update on what's changed... Read more →

IFEA Book Reviewer Calls Gail's Corporate Sponsorship Guidebook a "Must-Read"

IFEA, the leading industry association for festival and event leaders worldwide, released its review by Ira L. Rosen, CFEE, of my guidebook, How to Jump-start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times, in the latest issue of ie magazine. See below and scroll to page 15 to read why he believes the book's ideas and recommendations are "incredibly valuable." As a special bonus, if you scroll to page 32 in the magazine, you can also read an article I wrote, entitled 5 Trends in Corporate Sponsorship and What They Mean for You. Read more →

Yo, Philly: Supercharge your sales

If you need a back-to-business break from all the holiday fun next week, join Lyn Kremer, publisher of the Philadelphia Business Journal, and me on Thursday, December 17, for a dynamic breakfast event: Supercharge Your Sales: Jump-start Your Nonprofit's Sponsorship Strategy. Why you should attend: Lyn will share with you recommendations on how to make reading the Philadelphia Business Journal a richer experience that truly will supercharge your business development efforts. I will share ideas about ways you can improve your relationships with existing sponsors, find new ones, and enhance your sponsorship program and operation to improve your sponsorship results... Read more →