I was wondering how many of you sponsor an angler in the Bass circuit? What type of response had you got from this? Did it increase your sales or exposure? Did you or do you find it worthwhile??

What do you give in exchange for what does the angler do for you? Shirts and hats plus a cut on rods for ??

Rolly Beenen
Rovic Custom Rods

I have, not much, less than little, absolutely not and it never was an issue.

IMO, it isn't any different than racing cars, horses or anything else ... if you can't afford an entire "stable" to increase exposure AND increase the odds of winning AND you don't have long, deep patient pockets it won't pay.

My advice ... do it IF you will enjoy having your own angler AND you derive pleasure equal to, or greater than, your overall expense.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2008 11:18AM by Scott Kleppe.

Depending on how you market things.
It can be very profitable. Look at the carrot stick because they sponsored the right angler put Bobby Night in a short blip talking to him at the Classic. They sold 32,000 rods over that week end alone. If it were not profitable to sponsor certain anglers then no one would do it.

Depends on WHO you sponsor. A consistent winner is a plus! An also-ran is not going to help nearly as much.

I do it. For what it is worth, I buy a $10 blank that is discontinued from Andy Dear or something. Build it and say it's a custom rod with a very special application purpose. Then if that sponsored person generates 2 sales. I'm in the black big time. Also my two guys in my promotional staff are already great salesman. All you need to remember is perception is reality, and you'll do alright. I'd go for it if the situation is right. I will say though over the last 5 yearsa I have replaced two rods free of charge, but don't mind one bit as the guys who help me out deserve it more than me likely.

One thing to keep in mind is: If the tournament Bassers in your neck of the woods are like the ones here, they aren't gonna share ANY information that gives them an edge. You have to remember, any time there is money involved, tournament anglers are gonna be very tight lipped. This is from my experience in fishing the BASS club tournament circuit here in WV. If your's are different, then go for it.

Bill in WV

If you are sponsoring an angler, this is a business venture (unless you are just helping out a friend and taking it in the seat on cost). They are working as a salesperson for your products and should generate increased revenue for you.

A sponsored angler becomes an ambassador for your company. Just because someone is a "winner" does not mean that you want that person carrying and promoting your rods. You don't want Joe Blow who is a jerk, keeps everything secret, etc. You can tell people how you fish with the rod without giving away the "secret" that makes it work for you.

I have 3 guys I sponsor. I won't disclose the amount of business they generate me, but it's significant enough to make it worthwhile to have three guys sponsored. All three of these gentlemen are respectable anglers, but also respected in the community, well spoken, take the time to "sell a rod" to someone asking their advice, etc. The other thing is I can make sure someone who is knowledgable about my rods is in a different geographic area to help spread sales. My guys understand what my limitations as a builder are, what types of variations I can do, and also some general pricing guidelines. The added plus is I can try out different things with these guys so I get more on water testing than what I can do myself. Plus I can get honest feedback about the rods and ways to make them even better.

Guys wanting sponsorships today understand a lot of what it takes to get those sponsorships and what's involved - show booth time, how much of a product they need to use, mentioning your sponsors at the right times, etc. I believe it's just like any other employee - clear, upfront expectations help you and them be more successful in a sponsor type partnership.

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Alex;
Very well stated!!

i sponsor my dragster......does that count?

Alex
So what type of deal do you work out withyour anglers? Do you give them rods or do you give a percentage off? Do you supply shirts with your logo or just pay for the embrodery on their shirts?

I realize that these are answers that you may not wish to post on a public foroum so you can email mae.

Thank you

Rolly Beenen
Rovic Custom Rods

I sponsor a few successful tournament guys because they are friends, but my best sponsorships are guides. Each guide I sponsor exposes my rods to 100-200 new customers every year. They are usually great sales people and can really help you increase your business. I don't give rods away, but sell them at cost plus $15-$20. I do this part time so a guide that directly sells 30-40 rods a year plus all the follow up sales is a great asset. As Alex mentioned, it also gives me a group I can try new ideas out with. There are more than a few boats trying out my different 8' crankbait rods at Lake Fork. Their feedback is invaluable.

The interesting thing for me is I sponsor 3 guides and they all have major brand sponsorship. I can't do for them what Loomis or Castaway or Kistler does for them, but they still buy my rods. Because of this, you'll also see many of them without labels on the decks of both guides I do and don't sponsor.

Russell -

Thanks for mentioning that about the no name rods. A lot of folks don't believe me when I say that a lot of pros use custom rods... they really believe all these guys only use sponsor products.

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