5 Tips for Landing Corporate Sponsorship with Roberto Candelaria

Business strategist and consultant Roberto Candelaria has been in the business for years, and is a pro when it comes to sponsorship. Roberto has experience working with big brands like BMW, DELL, Disney, Hilton, State Farm, Wells Fargo, and Zappos. He sat down to talk us through the ‘RELAT’ model – his top tips for landing a corporate sponsorship for your startup.

Represent

Know who you are as a company and what your mission and values are. Strive to work with companies that share a similar vision and will compliment your company rather than turn it into something it’s not.

Establish

Determine what you want to have sponsored, and plan out your timelines. Look at this as creating your business plan for what the sponsorship will look like. That way, when you reach out to various companies you are well prepared and informed.

Lay it Down

Write down every brand you want to work with, anyone and everyone. Once you know your end goal, you can start small and work your way towards it.

Assess

Do your research on the companies you wrote down and look for potential fit. Find other companies that they work with and see what their relationship is like. Is it still a good fit? If so, get them on the phone and determine their business goals before sending them a customized proposal. You want them to benefit from this partnership as well, so think about how they will benefit from working with you.

Take Stock

You want to over-deliver on promises to the companies you work with. Consistently take stock in your business to determine weak spots you can improve on. This is the key to building long-lasting relationships with corporate sponsors.

For more tips from Roberto, watch the full video here and let us know what you think @startupsco.