The Compelling Story is used to get an emotional response from the prospect. This is where you generate excitement or compassion. It’s the history of your organization or how you affect the community. It’s the page-turning biography or tale that you would hear on Paul Harvey’s radio program. It’s the in-depth conversation after the speed dating encounter, the keynote speech.
If you hooked your prospect with an enticing opener and they’d like more information, this is where you can highlight what you do, the benefits of them getting involved, and how your partnership with their brand will benefit the two of you. Depending on the situation (such as an in-person presentation, mailing a packet, phone meeting, etc.), you’ll have different amounts of time but the whole point is to keep it interesting all the way through.
Here are some tips to keep it compelling:
- Learn how to tell a great story: Any great presentation or story has key elements: great pacing/rhythm, a dramatic build-up (or multiple), it engages of the audience. What resonates with your customers or most enthusiastic followers the most?
- Talk to the brain, sell to the heart: People who are business-minded still have emotional operatives/motivations. Use hard data and facts to show why logically, it makes sense to work with you (access to a large audience, industry leader, etc.). But also include emotional reasons too: it will be fun and exciting, they can help save a life, etc.
- Keep it as long as you need to: Just because you could write 30 pages or spend four hours talking about what you do doesn’t mean that you should. Leave them wanting more, not bored.
- Focus on the prospect: Just like everything else in this process, you should be focusing on focusing on your sponsorship prospect: How does this information relate to them or their customers? Why their company and not their competitor? What can you do for them?
- It’s a telephone, not a megaphone: If you are able to present your proposal live rather than simply sending a packet, that’s even better! Use two way conversation to keep your prospect engaged, interested, and invested into the process.
Want more sponsorship tips? Check out my book, How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements, available for now. The eBook is only $4 and the paperback is $10.