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[quote="JoshKeller"]...If you ...have good speaking and presentation skills ...you can get sponsers.[/quote]
I'm sorry, I nearly fell off my floor at the irony of this quote:
It's spelled "sponsors" :D

But on this same thought, I used to have kids all the time ask me if I was sponsored for skateboarding... and inevitably when I said "no", they'd say "you should try", or "why not", etc...

I'd been down that road before, and the benefits don't outweigh the responsibilities.
"Responsibilities" are key, to sponsorship... regardless of where. ;)

No company is going to give you anything, without a contract of sorts, saying that you are going to "pay them back" for the product in the form of promotion of their product.
...and since that product has such value, such expense, that's going to take a lot of work - you'll have obligations. ;)

That was what I didn't like about skateboarding sponsors...
When I had sponsors, I'd get a deck every few weeks or a month, for example.
And for that, they expected I'd find a way to get to contests that were hours away, and then turned out to be 15 kids in a parking lot.
Or, they'd expect me to get together with 5 other kids that I really didn't know to put a demo on at some little thing that they really didn't organize.
And it would eat up weekend after weekend.

OR...
I could get a part-time job working less hours, and get cash as pay that I could CHOOSE to use to buy myself a skateboard deck every few weeks... or do whatever I want with the money.

Think about it, it's not all "freebie!" :rolleyes:

Even if it was legit, you couldnt pay me to be sponsered by a car audio company. I like to change my setup a good bit.

I am currently sponsered by 9 fishing related businesses. (I'm a semi pro B.A.S.S. fisherman). In the sponsering world, performance isnt nearly as much as you would think it is. If you can promote a product, have good speaking and presentation skills, and have a tolerable look, you can get sponsers.

Its alot easer to get a salesman to cut you a deal if you help him out first. I used to get some really good deals from the guys at car toys. But I brought them alot of business, and basically worked as a sales man any time I was there and they were swamped. It was funny to see peoples faces when I told them I didn't work there. After spending 30 min answering questions and telling them about products.

And I try to do the same for people now. If they bring me a couple of people to install for, I will cut them the best deal I can. Now if they are always trying to cut corners, and I don't see them doing anything to help me. Well lets just say "It won't hurt my feelings"

geolemon is correct. Most people only want to get sponsored so they can get free stuff. This is one of the reasons companies have either quit sponsoring or have changed thier outlooks on it (made it harder).

I was partially sponsored by a company (previously mentioned I think). This was before Maxxsonics got hold of them. It was pretty nice but I didnt get freebies. I paid a good discount though. Then they got to where they basically quit paying attention to things (they were undergoing the "buyout"). I asked 2 months before Maxxsonics got hold of them about them selling the company.. Know what they said? NO! that was it, a plain and simple NO. After that reply, they never answered any more e-mails from me.

Needless to say I have no ties with that company anymore. Will I ever try to get sponsored by any comany again? Probably not. I'll sponsor my own vehicle.

That went a little off topic I think. I get asked daily about my company sponsoring peoples vehicles. Now, this is a part time business I run due to working for another company (not car audio related). I ask about the same questions as geolemon mentioned, and know that look (the blank stare) very well.

People don't understand, it's a scratch my back we'll scratch your back thing.

I have a sponsorship from them already the are pretty good.
Try this link to see some of what they have but you can't buy anything unless you are sponsored. [url=http://www.carsponsorship.com/catalog]http://www.sponsoramerica.com/catalog/[/url]

"want good advertising? hire a hot chick. dress er up in a skimpy bathing suite and hold up a small sign with your stores name on it."

Works for JL Audio, they've got some HOT representatives :D

[quote="Darthness"]want good advertising? hire a hot chick. dress er up in a skimpy bathing suite and hold up a small sign with your stores name on it.

i know i'd buy from you if you had a hot chick :D [/quote]
I dunno, I might not see the sign...

Now if you tattoo it on her chest then I might remember it...

want good advertising? hire a hot chick. dress er up in a skimpy bathing suite and hold up a small sign with your stores name on it.

i know i'd buy from you if you had a hot chick :D

We inevitably get people coming into the physical shop I work at looking for "sponsorships" (read: freebies :rolleyes: ).

And even with a little online company like Better Audio, I've had guys sending me Email after Email, phone call after phone call, with the same thing..

There's only ONE reason why ANY company would sponsor ANY person:
Marketing and advertising value. ;)

The company wants to be able to:
1) talk about (and create ads about) this tremendous accomplishment that some competitor made, using their products
2) get some advertising value, and (if needed) a product-credibility-boost by having the products in a very upscale-looking install (creating that picture that this is the product of choice for the ultra-elite ;) )... from either a competitor that goes to lots of events (read: lots of exposure to potential customers in attendence), or a builder that shows at lots of car shows (read: lots of exposure to potential customers in attendence).

First question out of my mouth whenever ANYONE asks about sponsorship:
[i]"What accomplishments have you made in the show car or competition circuit?"[/i]
...to which I usually get the inevitable 'I wasn't expecting THAT question' blank stare.

More amusingly, it's usually quickly followed by something like 'Well, I haven't done much to the car yet... but I'm PLANNING ON doing [insert laundry list here]..."
(what they really mean is "...if I can get someone to give me all that for free" :rolleyes: )

Just makes me wonder about people sometimes...
...why do you THINK I'd give you free stuff, Einstein? :p

"Go accomplish something, and THEN come back to me." :happy055:

[quote="veggie-man"]lol your still not going to give us the link... you bastard! haha j/ping i need not make fun of you, you already have made fun of yourself ^[/quote]


Sorry, TechSys had it right:

[url=http://www.carsponsorships.com]www.carsponsorships.com[/url]