As a former competitor, I completely understand how the expenses of pageantry add up.
Now, I have to admit that as a pageant winner, the prize dollars of pageantry also add up, so of course that is the ultimate goal.
In my first 5 years of competition, I probably spent close to $8,000 – but I made over $12,000 – and that was without sponsors! Ladies, you have to invest something if you want to get something.
Wallstreet says: You don’t get a return without an investment.
The law of Karma: You get back only what you put out.
The Bible says: You will reap what you sow.
If you aren’t sowing seeds before the pageant, then you won’t be reaping a crown.
Here’s a life lesson for you: You will always have to invest something (usually time or money) in order to get something back.
If you feel strapped from the beginning, you may not make wise choices about your expenses, which could leave you settling for third-rate services, wardrobe, or foregoing necessary elements of pageantry all together.
It’s likely that you’ve heard of other girls getting sponsors for their pageants – they are usually featured in the program book and are often required by the pageant.
Why would a pageant require sponsors?
Glad you asked. The pageant benefits from the contestants having sponsors for 2 reasons.
+ Their pageant is better because the contestants are more prepared through coaching, have great make up, and gorgeous wardrobe that they may not otherwise be able to have without sponsorships.
+ If a pageant woman is able to secure her own sponsors, she is a much stronger asset as a titleholder to the pageant itself.
This is part of the reason that sponsors are featured in the program book. To show them gratitude, but also to honor the contestant who is a rockstar sponsor-getter! Don’t think the judges don’t look at that.
Here’s the problem. There are lots of pageant girls out there that can’t find a sponsor at all. Or, they get a little $50 here and there, which gets eaten up pretty quickly in just one coaching call.
The best way to search for sponsors is not to find a billion people to give you $10. Nor is it spending your time and energy on a zillion fundraisers, drain the energy of everyone you ask to help, and net $200. That doesn’t even pay for your make up for one day. I did all of this in my early years of competing, until I learned this 7-step strategy!
As soon as I learned this 7-step strategy, I landed a sponsor over breakfast for $3,000.
In this episode, I’m gonna outline for you the 7 steps to get a pageant sponsor to help you pay for nearly everything. Now, don’t get me wrong – these steps aren’t Easy… there’s no such thing as a free lunch!
What you need is a clear strategy to position yourself to be worth a large investment that will pay off for the sponsor rather than a charity.
Ok….enough of the wet-noodle beating. Time to jump into the steps.
Phase 1 or 3 is the “What Can I Offer” Phase:
Most pageant women ask for sponsors like a 10 year old asks mom for money for the concession stand at a ball game. Listen, ladies, you’re giving us a bad wrap. Don’t worry, I did it for years, too, cuz I didn’t know what I was doing. Then, when I started approaching it from what I can offer, that’s when it changed.
You need to know your skills, your contacts, your strengths, and what you bring to the table. This comes from understanding your personal brand and image. When you know who you are, what you can do becomes way easier.
Step 1 – know your skills and values
Step 2 – know your brand
Phase 2 – I call this the “What Do ‘We’ Want” Phase:
In this phase, you’ll incorporate your platform, vision and mission statement and then align this with companies that have similar missions, visions, and platforms. It’s usually not non-profits. The best sponsors are for-profit companies.
Step 3 is defining your platform, legacy project, and goals
Step 4 is aligning yourself with companies that share your values.
Final Phase – “How Can I Contribute” Phase:
There are three steps in this phase that get you from introduction to follow-through.
Step 5 is the proposal.
When you approach a company for sponsorship, you’ll use everything you know about them and you to design an unbelievable offer that they can’t say no to. “I’m gonna give you an offer you can’t refuse.”
Step 6 is to negotiate any changes.
Did you miss the mark? If so, what can you adjust to be better aligned from their perspective.
Step 7 is to deliver on your end and impress the heck outta them! Always over-deliver!
You don’t get a return without an investment. So, you have to put in the time.
Cuz, that ladies is how you win a pageant!
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