Time Line.. Hurry up.. Sit and Wait?

November 28, 2007

I have talked with many hurry up sit and wait people over the past few weeks and getting the same vibe all away around. Truth is we hurry to get our resume package out there to meet companies deadlines, only to sit around and wait for a response. Don’t worry you are not alone.

Many companies have a deadline of acceptance and then once received they go through and put into categories. The budgets get set and the selection process happens. Remember just because they want a proposal yesterday doesn’t mean you will be an answer today. Be Patient.

The best advice I can give you is to be pro active and to start feeding your funnel. Not the funnel you would drink beer out of (LOL) but your funnel of prospects. How does one do that? Well for starters here is a plan.

You have a business plan and a budget in play. Your business plan is what you need to race and your budget is what it will cost to race. Yes some of the plan will trickle down into your budget. So for example your business plan is the venue, schedule you plan to run and what bikes/karts/etc you plan on using. Plan on running with a team or solo.. Etc etc.. you get it. The budget is what you will need to run your business plan. $20000 for travel expenses for example, parts budgets, product budgets etc. Understood?

Ok so now you need a funnel. Your funnel will include Industry and out of industry. Your industry is the easy part because you have already used or using those products or know someone that is. Get those resumes to them first as those are the basics then you will build from there. If you can create a master list of all the industry sponsors and find out contact names and resume deadlines you will always have those in the years down the road. Hence, saving you time the next year around. The next tier would be dealers (industry), If you a running a HD or a Honda you will want to get a list of those dealers around your area and go to them personally to create hype about what you do.. Build a relationship. Ask who makes the decisions and get contact information. The next tier is the tricky part can be both industry and out of industry for example: Jack Daniels… Those companies have a tie in with the fans of the sport not necessarily the riders or maybe so. You will have to be creative to come up with those types of companies. Lets say you live in Orlando, your races are in the south. A good match would be Fun Spot, Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Busch Gardens, Orlando Magic etc… Companies that would want to advertise/sponsor you because of your reach. If you approach a company that does business only locally say in Washington and you live in Orlando.. Not a fit and a waste of time.

Now how the funnel works is just how it works. As you fill your funnel the product sponsors trickle down first then the next tier and then the next. If you only have 20 contact names and potentials your funnel will eventually run out and you will not be successful. You should always be feeding your funnel. Could be anyone from your bank contacts to your Doctors office to your next vacation destination. Be alert and always focus on the big picture.. Feeding your funnel.

If you are in the hurry up sit and wait mode.. You are not feeding your funnel. Good luck… Have a blessed holiday season.

Jennifer