How to Get Sponsored by Engine Ice

Engine Ice has spent more than 20 years as a coolant brand in powersports, with riders in Supercross and American Flat Track. Now it's moving into cars, and that opens the door for drifters, drag racers and grassroots car racers. Scott Lukaitis, Engine Ice's director of sales and marketing, has been one of the most open brand people at my Sponsorship Summits about what he wants and how to reach him.

Understand that you're being hired to sell

Lukaitis is clear about why Engine Ice sponsors anyone. "As much as we like to give product away and give discounts, that's not what we're all in business for," he said. "The idea is for every dollar I spend with sponsorship, I want three to five times back." That puts the job on the racer: "If we count on the distributor reps to be salesmen, we want all of our sponsored riders to be salesmen as well." ▶ Watch Scott Lukaitis explain this

He does the math out loud on cash deals, and it's sobering. "If I give you $1,500, you better be selling 500 extra bottles of coolant for that $1,500, and above and beyond what I would have sold," he said. ▶ Watch the clip

Expect product first, especially in cars

On the automotive side, Engine Ice is new. Lukaitis wants partners who can help it get into dealerships, repair shops and the big online parts retailers by building "that ground swell of drivers and customers asking for our product." For now, that means product only. "You got to sell a lot of coolant to make a cash deal worthwhile to us on the return on investment, especially for a brand new product," he said at my Drift Sponsorship Summit. He expects that to change as the automotive line grows: "Initially it's ground swell, grassroots. Here's some product, try it, tell people." ▶ Watch the full session

He invited drifters on the call to reach out for exactly that reason. "We're a new brand into automotive, so we don't have the reputation like we do in powersports. So I want people to try it. I want people to tell me this stuff works." ▶ Watch the clip

You don't need a million followers

Lukaitis doesn't measure racers by follower counts. "Everyone's an influencer," he said. "If you're a local racetrack guy, you're the micro influencer in your neighborhood. You're probably the car guy in your family, you're probably the car guy in your block, and you're the one that people go to asking for advice." Those people buy parts. "That's the company or the type of drivers and the type of people we want to work with." ▶ Watch the clip

He loves racers who sell without being asked. He remembers a minibike racer who bought cases of a hard-to-use helmet cleaner and did demos in the pits. "I was like, this kid's got it," he said. Racers who share their coolant with friends so they become customers are doing the same thing. ▶ Watch the clip

Get introduced, then get to know him on LinkedIn

Most Engine Ice deals come through people. "Several of our drivers right now, they come from just a relationship we've had with somebody else," Lukaitis said, including his NASCAR Xfinity drivers. He still reads decks "because you never know," but trade shows have worked better: drifters who talked to him at PRI, came back to say hello and reported, "Thanks for sending me a couple of cases of that product, it works really good, I've been telling friends." ▶ Watch the clip

If you don't have an introduction, he suggests LinkedIn. "Start to comment on some of their posts. If you find some value in something that they do, 'hey, that was really nice,' 'hey, congratulations'... all those little breadcrumbs add up," he said. Just don't pitch right away. "I don't want you to connect with me and then the second thing I get from you is a proposal." A better opener is a product question, such as asking how his Hot Rod coolant compares with his Pure Performance line. ▶ Watch Lukaitis on meeting sponsors

Tell your story, and keep it clean

Engine Ice wants to see what makes you different. "There's hundreds of drift drivers," Lukaitis said. "What separates you from somebody else? What is your story?" The best version shows the product in that story: "We want them to tell their story and how our product helped make their story better." Keep it honest but family-friendly. He told one young racer's dad that his vlogs should be something "you would tell your grandma on Easter dinner," because otherwise "I don't want to have that conversation on a Monday morning with the CFO." ▶ Watch the full session

He's fine with some personal life in your feed, since it helps people know you, but "I don't want to see you out drinking on a Friday night and posting that stuff." His paid athletes also make themselves available when Engine Ice needs them: "If we're going to do an event, a sales meeting, and we want somebody to come in, making them available." ▶ Watch the clip

His best example is flat track champion Jared Mees. The relationship started with a real problem: "When I started talking to Jared, he was having problems where his vehicles were running hot, so we offered a performance solution that continued into a relationship." Winning helps, but so does character. "Jared is just a nice guy too. He's somebody that you want your brand associated with." ▶ Watch Lukaitis on Jared Mees

Treat your racing like a business

Lukaitis's final advice was to run your program like a company and look past the usual endemic brands. "Drivers need to treat their racing as a business. Have a marketing plan, have a business plan," he said. He believes in "the power of one," meaning one conversation can change everything, and LinkedIn is where he thinks a lot of those conversations can start. ▶ Watch the clip

Your checklist for Engine Ice

• Try the product, then tell Lukaitis and your friends how it worked.
• Expect product support first. Cash comes only when you can show extra sales.
• Act like a salesman: share product in the pits and know the difference between Engine Ice's coolants.
• Get introduced by someone Engine Ice already works with, or meet Lukaitis at PRI.
• Connect on LinkedIn and comment before you ever send a proposal.
• Tell your own story, with Engine Ice in it, and keep your social media clean.