The Inches: A Podcast About Sports Sponsorship
Welcome to The Inches, a podcast that looks at how digital is changing the sports sponsorship & marketing game. Each week we dive into the struggles and issues we face in the sports and event sponsorship space.Hosted by Nick Lawson & Rich Franklin.Nick is the co-founder of SQWAD, a digital sponsorship activation company that works with some of the biggest sports teams in the world to help them bring ROI & engagement to their in-stadium activations.Rich is the Sr. Director of corporate partnerships for the Oakview Group, Acrisure Arena, and AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds. He has over 30 years of sponsorship sales experience in the sports and radio broadcast industry.Jump in and take a listen as we navigate through some of the toughest and most challenging aspects of the sponsorship business!
Episodes
244 episodes
Rookie & The Vet: 30 Day Plan after you've closed a new Sponsor
You did it, you signed that new sponsor. The ink is still wet on the contract.What you do immediately afterward sets the foundation for the rest of the relationship. In this episode, we dive into a 30-day plan your team can impl...
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42:40
Rookie & The Vet: Talking Relationships with return guest Jon Grove
Relationships are the foundation of any sales position. But authentic sales are the key.So how can we maintain and keep authentic relationships with the people we look to work with and sell to?This week we have the return of a g...
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49:23
Rookie & The Vet: How to re-engage after a sponsorship prospect tells you 'NO'
You aren't going to close every sponsor you talk to. It's just a part of the sales job.We will get a lot of 'No' answers.But, that doesn't mean the deal is totally dead. We can still re-engage them for a future deal.So h...
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34:25
Rookie & The Vet: Resources for Learning in Sponsorships
We have to constantly be learning in the sponsorship industry. But not just on 'sponsorship' content. It's important to stay open-minded to advice and resources from other industries that we sell into.But where can we find them?...
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40:32
Rookie & The Vet: Diving into Innovation in the Sponsorship Industry
The only thing constant in this world is change. Innovation drives change every season.But how can you harness innovation in sponsorships? And what are we looking at to come next?In this episode, we dive into innovation in the s...
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41:24
Rookie & The Vet: How to maximize & sell 'off the shelf' activations to sponsors successfully
We all have those trusted, off-the-shelf activations that are proven to work for certain sponsor categories. But is it enough to just pull them off the shelf and sell them as-is? And how can you effectively sell them across differe...
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36:42
Rookie & The Vet: When Your Proposal is Off the Mark
Our goal in sponsorship is to find the right balance between what we charge and the value it brings to the partner.But what happens when we are way off the mark? In this episode, we dive into what to do when your proposal is not...
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25:22
Rookie & The Vet: 3 Trends in Sponsorships for the second half of 2024
Sometimes the best way to see & confirm what's happening in the sponsorship industry...is to head to the bar.Connecting with other people working and prospecting deals can help drive our strategy.In this episode, we explore ...
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33:23
Rookie & The Vet: Managing Sponsors who are Impatient for Results
In any advertising, results take time. Especially when the buying cycle is long for a sponsor.So how can we manage our sponsor's expectations when they grow impatient for results?This week, we dive into how you can ensure that y...
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39:36
Rookie & The Vet: How to successfully build holidays into your sponsorship packages
Holidays have become a staple in sports. From the 4th of July baseball and soccer matches to Christmas being a battle for viewership between American football and basketball.But how can we build them into our sponsorship packages to bri...
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34:41
Rookie & The Vet: Building Championship Inventory into your Sponsorships
Playoffs aren't promised...and championships for most teams are a rare privilege.So how can we make sure we're ready as a sponsorship department for when our team gets there?On this episode of The Inches Podcast, we dive into th...
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34:42
Rookie & The Vet: Getting internal buy in from other departments
Many times in sponsorship, we need buy-in from other departments to execute the packages we sell. Whether it's the social media team, facilities, or even game ops...we need them to help and authorize the items we sell.So how can we get ...
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41:36
Rookie & The Vet: Finding Great Sponsorship Prospects In Unusual Places
We've all been there in prospecting. We either have hit a rut...or we're plateauing and struggling to find new business.So where can we find those diamonds in places that few salespeople would look?In this episode, we dive into ...
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40:19
Rookie & The Vet: How to deal when a sponsorship pitch/meeting goes bad.
We've all been there. You went into the pitch with a great plan, a great package, and a great feeling this will be a win with a new prospect.And then, it falls flat. You get those stares, frowns, and bewildered looks throughout the pres...
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36:13
Rookie & The Vet: Maximizing sponsorship inventory in your offseason
When we are in season and have full stadiums is normally when sponsors are looking to reach our fans. It's where most of our sponsorship inventory lives.But what about the off-season? How can we maximize our revenue with off-season even...
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36:52
Rookie & The Vet: How to break into a Sports Sponsorship Job if you are Outside the Industry
You want to work in sponsorships...but the problem is you have been working in another industry for the last 5 years.So how do you make the jump into the industry if you don't have any direct sports sponsorship experience?In thi...
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37:46
Rookie & The Vet: The Rise of Women's Sports and it's Effect on Sponsorships
With this year's NCAA WBB March Madness, we are seeing the exciting sports and players getting the distribution and attention they deserve. The result is an explosion in viewership rates and popularity.So how will this affe...
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42:40
Rookie & The Vet: How to Run Successful Recap Meetings in Sponsorships
Recaps are a part of life in sponsorships. Your sponsors paid you money for a service, now it's time to show them the results & value.But are you doing recaps in a way that builds confidence and future business?In this episo...
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35:38
Rookie & The Vet: The Logo Slap Episode
We've all heard the term in sponsorship, Logo Slap....It's a vivid term used to describe simply putting a sponsor logo on an asset and calling it a day, hoping fans will notice it in the stadium.Brands hate it. So why is it so p...
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35:14
Rookie & The Vet: Diving into our BEST & WORST Moments in Sponsorships
When you're in the sponsorship world for long enough, you will have some great days that make you proud, and some worst days that have you rethinking this industry.So what have our best & worst times been?In this episode, we...
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45:16
Rookie & The Vet: 2024 Super Bowl & Sponsorship Episode
Love this episode each year, and 2024 SB brought some interesting items and trends.On this episode of The Inches, we dive into how RIch & I saw the Super Bowl this year from a Sponsorship lens.--The Inches Podcast is...
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43:48
Rookie & The Vet: How to manage problem clients in sponsorships
We've all had them. Sometimes great clients will turn into problem ones quickly. It is always on us in sponsorships to help guide them through the tough positions they sometimes put us in.But how can we specifically do that for each typ...
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41:16
Rookie & The Vet: Staying Connected with Sponsors after the sale
You did it. You closed that prospect. Now they are a bonafide sponsor of your team. The work is over now...right?Nope. In partnerships, it is critical to stay connected with them throughout the year if we want a shot at keeping their bu...
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27:28
Rookie & The Vet: How To Successfully Do Prospect Research In Sponsorship
Research in sales is key. We can't go into a pitch with little to no understanding of our prospect's business or vision.But how much is too much research? When does it become overkill?We dive into a listener's question to answer...
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33:59
Rookie & The Vet: Our 2024 New Year's Resolutions for Sponsorship
New Year's Resolutions are a funny thing. While a great way to reset the year, we also somewhat look to predict what is important to us for the upcoming year.So what about sponsorship in 2024?Here are our biggest resolutions for...
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29:05