Have A Game Plan Before Requesting Sponsorship - Mar. 11, 2010

 It happens every spring.

 Like clockwork.

 And I understand and appreciate how difficult it is these days to find sponsorship for everything and anything.

 Heck, it was not that long ago when one of the teams I toiled with was sponsored by a beer company. You literally backed the truck up to the loading dock, the employee plunked X amount of cases or flats and you took the delivery to the coach or general manager's house where it was dropped off and doled out over the course of the season.

 Those days are not here anymore.

 So, if you are organizing or hosting an event and want Animal Essentials to play a role in your endeavour, come armed with a game plan.

 Because I ask questions.

 Lots of them.

 The reason for the rambling today?

 Well, an individual is part of a show scheduled for this summer. She came into the store and spoke with Shelley about being a sponsor.

 During the conversation, she willingly told Shelley she does not shop at our store.

 As radio personality The Champ would say..."I said, pardon?"

 We have a fairly easy approach to sponsoring events.

 If you shop at the store, you have almost a 100 per cent guarantee that we are going to return the favour.

 The best items we can give include a gift certificate, identification tag or store savings coupon. That means there is a prize for you to give out at your event and folks have to come back to Animal Essentials to claim it.

 Makes sense, eh?

 We also donate food to various causes, usually Blue Seal products because of our exclusivity. If your dog, cat or hamster likes it, you know where the only place in town to get it is located.

 We have a long list of community involvement and that list is posted in various places around the store.

 From banquets to fundraisers, to leagues to teams, we cover a lot of bases.

 It is about name recognition.

 It is about you scratch our back, we will certainly scratch yours.

 Have a game plan coming in. Know what we sell and what we do.

 And try and refrain from telling us you do not shop at the store.

 Or the gameshow buzzer will be found out back.