Stop Calling It Sponsorship: What Drivers Are Really Selling to Business Owners

Although I use it all the time ‘sponsorship’ is an awful word.

I have to use it because it’s what drivers automatically recognise as the way to money to pay for their racing.

But it carries implications with it that set drivers up all wrong mentally as soon as we use the term.

Sponsorship isn’t necessarily defined this way but here are some implications when we use it with drivers.

It is giving money, it’s generosity, it’s support, it’s a tax loophole. It is a way to support someone.

Immediately these implications put you on the back foot. You are the recipient of support and generosity from a wealthy benefactor. And really, with that mindset, as drivers we’re trying to get a gift from someone with money. Then, we will put on some stickers as a performative gesture.

That’s why most businesses are once bitten twice shy about the idea of spending money on a racing driver. They get absolutely nothing in return. So far as the driver is concerned, they get the money because they deserve support and charity, then they spend it. End of story. Having to actually do something in return is nothing but a pain in the arse, done begrudgingly in the extreme, if at all.

Knowing that, I think anyone in business in a position and with a latent desire to invest in a driver, would never do it on those terms. Not because they want to keep their money, but doing so would send all the wrong messages, and damage the driver’s prospects long term.

What a Driver is Really Selling to Business Owners

In the sales business they are genius at selling with emotion and then sealing the deal with logical justifications.

We all understand that because we buy cars with our heart because they are fast and beautiful. The car also needs something like a certain mpg figure, or luggage space or whatever, so we can calm down the logical brain that says wtf are you doing!!

That’s why you do need to put stickers on your kart and do the social media stuff for a business, and do their events. That’s really box ticking that helps them justify why they spent money on you.

The real sale was to their heart. Now some business owners actually know that and will tell you not to bother with stickers, one day you’ll meet them - they are usually way up the ladder.

The sale to the heart, which is what they really buy into is this: