Win Over the Sales Team: The Racers Sponsors Can't Afford to Lose

Racers usually build their relationship with the marketing department, because that's who signs the sponsorship. But marketing isn't the only department with a vote. Inside most companies that sponsor racing there's a sales team counting orders, a sales manager reviewing what the program brought in, and an owner or CEO who wants to know what the money returned. When renewal time comes, the racer the sales people love is very hard to cut. Here is how the brands describe earning that loyalty.

Sales is the second gate

Julian Gill, CEO of Eibach Springs, described how off-road racer Jason Coleman ended up with Eibach as the primary sponsor on his trophy truck. The pitch didn't reach Gill through one department. It came through two. "A couple of days later I get the sales manager and the marketing manager come in with big grins on their face, and that doesn't happen when they both come in at my office."

He explained why that pairing matters. "We get tons of decks all the time. 90 of them don't make them out of the marketing office, and that 10 that do, probably only 10 more make it out of the sales office, because we have got to see that return of our investment." And when both departments agree, the decision gets easy. "Sales and marketing have very different views of what they want to do, but when they both come at you and say this is a good idea, it's very hard to fight it." ▶ Watch Julian Gill tell the story

What sold both departments wasn't only the truck. Gill said Coleman's "crew are incredibly accommodating to us," ready to welcome customers in the pits with "smiles for the camera and presentable and wholesome." That is what a sales manager wants to see: a race program his customers will enjoy meeting.

Give the sales team something to talk about

At a PRI Show seminar, Gill named the driver Eibach's sales and marketing people in the United States agree on. "Here in the US, our sales team, marketing team love Bryce Menzies. They say he keeps a name on the car, he keeps us in our conversation, and he gives us lots of media content."

Then he admitted what every component maker knows. "A spring is not a very sexy thing to sell. And we need stuff from the people we sponsor, so the more that they can give us that we can put out there and make us look a bit sexier, we're very pleased." ▶ Watch Julian Gill on this

"Keeps us in our conversation" is the phrase to remember. Sales reps need reasons to call dealers and customers. A win, a great photo, a new product proven in a race all give them one. Feed them those reasons and you become part of how they sell.

Bring them customers

On the same panel, Kyle Kietzmann of BELL Racing described the athlete behavior that matters most to a helmet company. "A good example is Matt Crafton, and Matt Crafton is a multi-time NASCAR truck champion, but Matt also races a dirt late model, and what's great about Matt is he's out there promoting the brand. He's bringing customers to us. He's selling helmets. He's texting us and saying, I've got a guy that's interested in this, can you help me? So he's really, really trying to not only promote the brand and influence other people, but he's bringing us sales, and that's really what we're looking for when we sponsor someone as an athlete." ▶ Watch Kyle Kietzmann explain this

A champion texting leads to the sponsor's office is about as clear a picture of loyalty as you'll find. The racer standing in a pit area full of potential buyers is in a position no salesperson can match, and the brands notice which racers use it.

Introductions are the fastest return

For a business-to-business sponsor, the most valuable thing you can hand the sales team is a qualified introduction. Dan Bailey, founder of EPIC Racewear, said it's the one return he never has to guess about. "When we start a relationship with somebody, if we are immediately able to provide them with their business products as well... they put us in contact with other business partners, that's an immediate return. We don't have to guess on which brand impression or which announcement on the PA or something made the needle move." ▶ Watch Dan Bailey on this

David Morton, SVP at Fifth Third Bank, explained how a bank tracks it. "We track it in our customer relationship management system, and we flag it when we know it's an opportunity that came through a discussion that was related to the team." The team doesn't even have to make the introduction itself to get credit. "Even if the team didn't directly introduce us, if we were in the garage and... we got introduced to somebody, and that led to business, and we wouldn't have that business if we hadn't been in the garage... we will directly attribute to that."

That record is what keeps the program alive. "What it does for us is it just helps us generate a business case that allows us to keep investing," Morton said. "Like for our NASCAR partnership that we have, we're going into our 12th season, and we've been able to do that because we're getting that return." ▶ Watch David Morton explain this

Put yourself in the sales manager's chair. A racer who produced three new accounts last year isn't a marketing expense. He's a channel.

Think of yourself as a sales rep

Morgan Lucas raced in NHRA before moving to the sales side of Lucas Oil, so he has seen both ends of the deal. His advice: look at the people you already know. "You might know people that have shops, auto shops, installers that need their products. You might know somebody who's got a motorcycle shop that needs BELL helmets. It can go on down the road." Then let your sponsor know. "And then you can go back... and tell them that you're out there repping them. You all kind of by proxy become a sales rep for a company."

He was blunt about why it matters at renewal time. "If you can go out there and help us sell and bridge some gaps, that's just going to add longevity." ▶ Watch Morgan Lucas on this

The takeaway

• Ask your marketing contact to introduce you to the sales manager, and learn which products, dealers and regions they're pushing this year.
• Send the sales team usable material after big moments: photos, short videos, a quote about the product.
• When someone at the track asks about a sponsor's product, connect them directly with the brand and tell your contact you did.
• Keep a running list of every introduction and lead you passed along, and include it in your year-end report.
• Treat your shop contacts, employer and other sponsors as potential customers for each of your partners.