Hey Bob,
Thought I'd throw in my two cents, as I'm in the same boat as you, so to speak..
I presently have two sponsors - HT Enterprises and Fin-tech. Been with HT for a few years now, and recently signed on with Fin-tech. First and foremost, you must believe in a product before representing them. I hear of too many people willing to wear shirts, decals and promote a product that they know is garbage, just so they can say they are sponsored. Never a good idea.
As most have mentioned, you have to show a company what you can honestly and truely do for them. By taking you on as staff, they want to make sure that their revenue goes up. Bottom line. Trade shows are an excellent start. You truly have to be a people-person. If you can't communicate with folk, you are not going to represent the company well. Being outgoing and friendly is paramount.
I feel that there is a shift beginning in the sponsorship game. Years back they were fairly easy to come by. Nowadays, you really have to work for them. And fishing a few tournaments here and there just doesn't cut it anymore. You definitely need to branch out. I'm lucky that I am an outdoor writer/photographer first and foremost. Being a Field Editor for OOD also helps tremendously. Companies realize the effect the internet and print media has on buyers, and if you can work well in this media, things can really look up for you.
Case in point. I do a lot of reports on numerous fishing sites. Very detailed, showing what lures, lots of images. Some of these reports get 1000+ views. Now that is certainly promotion for a company you are involved with. I also write a monthly newletter article for this site - again, promotion. Get a pic of your companies product or a mention in a mag like OOD - 90,000 readers will see that. Again, excellent promotion. Write for the American sites, such as BPS etc......promotion. Now, I am not saying that everyone can enter the writing field, but I believe it has become part and parcel or sponsorship deals. If an angler never makes it to the podium that has a crest or sticker on his shirt, yet another guy has promoted their product to upwards of 150,000 people (above scenerio), which do you think looks best? Photography is also a huge deal. I always send my sponsors a disc at the end of the season filled with images. In HT's case, they used some of these images for retailer mailouts, and national advertising campaigns. For Fin-tech, I just shot images for their next catalouge. This season I plan on producing video tips...just another wrinkle in what I can do for them.
Seminars, appearences, guiding etc. are also part and parcel of the game.
As for monetary gains - not many companies operate like this from the start. They don't want to sink money into you until you can prove your worth. Yes, you will get oodles of goodies, shirts, hats, decals etc. at the beginning. Depending on what you can do for that company, that may be all you ever get. Go above and beyond their expectations, and hopefully their is a payout in the near future.
As someone stated, Canada is different from the States. The budgets just aren't as big here as down south. But they are their for the taking. You just have to figure out how to present yourself slightly different from the hundreds of other guys that are also gunning for that same deal.
Hope this helps a bit..
Good Fishing,
Justin
