Heartland trails success with spnsors

Open any fishing publication and you’ll likely see Skeet Reese mentioned in some article or advertisement. This national touring pro made a name for himself on the West Coast before he began fishing B.A.S.S. events. It was on the West Coast that Skeet began establishing most of the contacts that have become his sponsors today. Like most anglers, Reese started small with simple non-paying product only sponsorships. Gradually, he groomed those into “pay to fish” deals and currently makes a comfortable living from the fishing industry.

Reese realized what sponsors want early on. He began to work boat shows and seminars at an early age. His previous job, managing a tackle shop, also prepared him for attracting sponsors. “Learning how to sell a product is the key to gaining sponsors,” advised Reese. “You’ve got to sell products, either by winning tournaments or simply by promoting the sponsors’ product,” he added.

Skeet’s sponsor list includes industry giants such as Champion Boats, Mercury Outboards, MinnKota, Terminator Lures, Lucky Craft Lures and Lowrance Electronics. He also gets support from Lamiglass Rods, Spider Line, Extra Edge Fishing Products and Flowmaster Exhaust. Skeet typically works forty days a year doing promotional work for those sponsors. Additionally, he makes frequent phone calls to them, keeping up on new products, giving feedback and helping develop new products as well as marketing strategies.

Skeet knows how difficult it is to land a quality sponsor, so when he does pick one up he tries to do a lot for them. Since he has the background from managing the tackle shop, he’ll give feedback on packaging, sales and related areas that may help increase sales of the sponsors’ product. Anglers wanting to attract sponsors should take the cue from Skeet and do all they can to promote and sell product for those sponsors. Usually that hard work will be rewarded with extra incentives from the sponsor.

Most pros will agree that loyalty and longevity are the keys to reaping rewards from sponsors. Skeet mentioned that he has had most of his sponsors for several years. In fact he has been with Champion Boats for seven years, through thick and thin. When Champion fell upon tough financial times, Reese stuck with them rather than jumping ship to another boat company. His loyalty was rewarded when Genmar purchased Champion Boats and renewed his contract. “A lot of guys switch sponsors regularly,” states Skeet. “It’s a small industry and it’s important to show loyalty to your sponsors. Don’t burn bridges,” he advised. Typically the guys who often jump from sponsor to sponsor are the first to be eliminated when pro-staff positions are reduced. Companies appreciate loyalty, so align yourself with a product you use and believe in, surmised Reese.

Creativity is another key to attracting sponsorships. Scott Pauley, a regular on the B.A.S.S. trail as well as the Luck “E” Strike / Heartland Pro/Am circuit is a great example. Pauley had the idea of pursuing the Missouri Department of Tourism as a sponsor. Of course, when he approached them, he received the typical reluctant response.

Rather than walk away, Pauley offered to showcase his promotional skills for free in hopes of impressing the Tourism staff. It worked. Scott was able to parlay that situation into a paying sponsorship that also helped attract other sponsors.

Pauley realized that too many anglers have the mind set of “what can a sponsor do for me,” when they should be thinking about what they can do for the sponsor. The Columbia native travels throughout the nation promoting Missouri’s fishing as well as other outdoor activities in the state. Recently, he went as far as Japan and England doing promotional work for the State of Missouri. Pauley preaches to crowds about unique sights and opportunities available in his home state and makes every effort to bring both repeat and new visitors to the state.

"Anyone seeking sponsorship had better be able to deal with rejection,” laughs Scott. “You are going to get a lot more no’s than you will okays” he added. Being persistent is often the key to gaining an introduction for a sponsorship. Scott developed a relationship with his local Ford dealer, Machens Ford after purchasing several vehicles there throughout the years. Repeatedly he approached the dealer in an attempt to secure a sponsorship only to be turned down time and time again. Finally after two and a half years of work, Scott was able to impress Machens Ford enough that he received a sponsorship deal with them. Six years later, he still counts them as a sponsor. “The key to that deal was being persistent,” relates Pauley. “I could have given up very easily, but didn’t and now I have a valuable sponsor.”

Scott is sponsored by, Bass Cat Boats, Bottom Line Electronics, Jewel Bait, Machen’s Ford, Marty’s Marine, Minn Kota, Missouri Tourism, Plano Tackle Systems and Yamaha.

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