How to Get Sponsored by Boxo USA

Boxo USA makes tools, toolboxes and storage, and it shows up everywhere in off-road, powersports and drifting. Its roster runs from Ricky Carmichael and the Star Yamaha team to Cleetus McFarland, Formula Drift drivers and kids just starting out. Robert Wilson, Boxo's strategic partnership manager, worked in the sponsorship department at Lucas Oil for years before joining Boxo, and he also runs an agency that sells sponsorships, so he knows both sides of the table. He has joined several of my Sponsorship Summits and seminars, and his advice has been consistent every time.

Know who you're pitching

Boxo sells direct to consumers, which changes what it wants from a sponsored racer. "Anything that has a nut and a bolt, that's our customer," Wilson said. Powersports and the street car market are its biggest segments, but the brand also goes after boating, adventure bikes, motocross and more. ▶ Watch Robert Wilson describe Boxo's customers

It is also a much smaller company than it looks. "At Boxo we have five people total, and out of those five people probably four of them deal with sponsorship stuff too, so you have to be a little patient," Wilson said. On a bad day he sees 70 decks, DMs and proposals. ▶ Watch the clip

Content is the deliverable, not the decal

Boxo wants winners, but winners are scarce. "For us, content is the number one thing. We love sponsoring winning racers. There's only one winner in every race, right?... But if there's 300 racers, that's 300 pieces of content that there's a potential for." ▶ Watch Wilson on content

That content should show the tools being used. A desert racer might compete five or six times a year, but Wilson pointed out that the team is prepping the vehicle probably 250 days a year, and that's the footage he can't get himself. Once the race starts, he said, "the logo to us is probably the smallest piece of the puzzle." ▶ See the full answer

He spelled out why, using a drift car as the example: "If we're just a small sponsor giving you some product or giving you a couple grand, we're going to have a 10-inch sticker. It's going to be on the back quarter panel. We're going to hope that the drone doesn't pass by as soon as you hit the throttle and you create smoke. Our sticker's gone." What matters more is "the behind the scenes. You're at the shop getting the car ready." ▶ Watch the clip

Start with the affiliate program

Boxo's front door is its affiliate program, at the bottom of the Boxo USA website. You get a discount on your own purchases, a code for your fans, and a commission paid monthly. "This is the entry into sponsorship, right?" Wilson said. Boxo can't read every proposal, but it does read the affiliate report: "If that one person sold $40,000 worth of product, guarantee you that person's getting a phone call next month and we're going to start talking." ▶ Watch Wilson explain the first step

Boxo watches the numbers closely. "If we see somebody that's got their code being used 10 times in a month where the average is zero or one, that automatically allows us to start looking into that person." ▶ Watch the clip

Once you're on board, expect product. "We typically always start with product. There's very few of our athletes that actually get a check cut. Again, our budget just doesn't allow for that, but we try and get the tools into their hand." ▶ Watch the clip

Email or show up. Don't DM.

Wilson has said this at every session he's done with me: "You will never get a sponsorship from us from a DM. Don't even waste your time unless you are already the top guy, and we probably can't afford you if you're the top guy." Send an email or go through the website, and don't just ask: "Don't just say sponsor me. I mean, at least get a deck or something. Try and stand out." ▶ Watch Wilson on DMs ▶ Watch the closing advice

Better yet, meet him. Boxo works shows and races all year, and Wilson walks the pits. "I let everybody show me who they are, not tell me who they are," he said. "I see how they're handling themselves, how they're handling their crew people. If you're throwing tools and cursing and whatever at your crew or people around you, that's probably not somebody we want to be connected with." ▶ Watch the clip

Patience is part of the audition

The fastest way off Boxo's list is getting pushy. "The biggest turn-off that I always see is that if people get real impatient and they really start to turn the table and they start getting angry or bitter, that's a turn-off right away," Wilson said. ▶ Watch the clip

He sees it as a preview of the relationship: "If you tell me before I even talk to you that you're impatient and hot-headed, then that's not somebody we want on our brand." Plan ahead, too. "You shouldn't be reaching out to somebody if you only have a day or two or a week to get something in place, because it's gonna take longer than that to ship it." And lead with your offer: "It's always what you are going to do and what you are going to be able to bring to the table for that sponsor." ▶ Watch Wilson's advice

Small teams can turn Boxo's size into an opening. When I suggested racers could cover events Boxo can't afford to staff, Wilson agreed: "We see a lot of these teams that have toters and semis or larger trailers. It's more than what we have." He added a second idea: introduce Boxo to your local off-road shop or speed shop through its dealer program, and that can feed back into your affiliate earnings. ▶ Watch the clip

Your checklist for Boxo USA

• Sign up for the affiliate program first, then drive real sales with your code.
• Film yourself using Boxo tools in the shop and pits, and tag the brand every time.
• Reach out by email or in person at events, never by DM, and send a real deck.
• Act right in the pits. Boxo is watching how you treat your crew.
• Be patient with a five-person team, and ask months ahead, not days.
• Offer to cover events and introduce local shops Boxo can't reach on its own.