Are you on Fishing Welfare? After talking with a good friend and fellow Pro Angler Brandon Coulter about the status of Professional Bass Fishing, the term Fishing Welfare was coined. Like myself, so many anglers are trying to get sponsors for the upcoming FLW Tour and BASS Elite Series Trails, as well as Rayovacs, BASS Opens, BFLs, Team Trails etc. Its no wonder sponsorships are getting harder and harder to come by. A big reason this problem exists for us anglers is the fact that many of us dont mind to take the money from our sponsors, but very few of us understand the need to give our sponsors what they deserve from us in return for investing in our efforts. Most folks with any sense of pride that are competitive enough to fish on any tournament level, would never like to be classified as welfare recipients, but in reality, thats what we end up being if we dont produce business for our sponsors. Im in a unique position. Not only do I seek sponsorship for my fishing endeavors so I can play the game, but I also pay out upwards of $25,000 per year out of my own pocket to other anglers, tourney trails, big fish pots, bowling teams, baseball teams, golf scrambles, and more. Most of these sponsorships never result in any real tangible business for me but rather are touted as a tax write off, or advertising. Well, the way I see it, if you let me pay your bills or a part of them, and dont produce any real revenue for me in return, you are in fact a welfare recipient. And when I invest in advertising I expect to see an increase in revenue or I stop using that company. Dont get me wrong, I have some really great anglers and entities which I sponsor that have been wonderful investments and I am thankful for those connections. Others, not so much. I challenge all my professional fishing buddies to take this advice. If you want to get and keep sponsors, from the lowliest of product sponsors, to the almighty cash donators, start cheap and do big things for them. Do such a great job bringing them a return on their investment that they cant wait to renew your contract the next year. Ask not what a company can DO for YOU, but rather ask what YOU can DO for a company! That is the formula for success for all anglers from the weekend warriors to the Tour Professionals seeking sponsorship!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 22:40:48 +0000
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