Amateur Motocross has never been more exciting to watch than it is right now. The kids are getting faster and faster and the racing is epic in almost every class. The effort put in by not only the kids, but their families, trainers, and everyone involved in their support system to help their rider perform on the track is truly incredible to see.  A large portion of that ‘effort’ comes in the form of expenses and while Motocross is a passion for me and so many others, it is without a doubt, an expensive sport. Support in any capacity from a sponsor or brand is extremely valuable in the higher levels of Amateur Motocross.  

As the Marketing Coordinator & Athlete Manager here at EVS Sports, I wanted to share some insight and advice on how I feel that many amateur motocross racers and families should be communicating to potentially new and even current sponsors. 

Traveling to the major Amateur races throughout the year allows me to interact with our athletes, prospective riders, and their families on a face-to-face basis and, in my opinion, that face to face interaction is incredibly valuable with both current and prospective riders.  That face-to-face interaction allows me to learn more about how the athlete carries themselves, how they interact with their families, how they feel about the event, the racing at hand, and so much more.  These interactions help me learn more about a rider’s personality and what other ‘value’ the rider can bring to EVS Sports outside of what they do on the track.  

While I’m still a fairly new face on the Amateur Circuit representing EVS, I’ve already seen a huge range of approaches in how new to the brand riders and their families approach me and EVS inquiring on support or sponsorship.  The most common approach from an inquiring rider is a kind, respectful, but quiet kid where often the parents of the kid do most of the talking.  There is nothing technically ‘wrong’ with approaching a new sponsor like this and I would much rather have an interaction like this than one where the inquiring rider is rude, disrespectful, and obnoxious (I have also had this happen -_-), but a small change in approach could lead to bigger things for the rider.  I would love to see more inquiring riders find the balance of incorporating more of their personality without going over the top when speaking to me. 

That personality is what teaches me the most about you as a person (shocking!).  Answering questions I ask in one or two words responses or, even worse, answering me with a ‘Yes sir’ doesn’t help me learn anything more about you than I most likely already knew and, as a result, can make it more challenging for me to see what value you can bring to the brand outside of what you do on the track.  This by no means is the go ahead to act like a goofball in front of me, but as an inquiring rider, finding the balance between being reserved/quite and outgoing/fun is what I would like to see as a Marketing Professional in this industry. 

Inquiring riders finding that balance is what we (us marketing guys) in this industry value because it opens the door to more ideas and initiatives the supporting brand could potentially do with the inquiring rider and, for the inquiring rider, only increases their chances of earning said support from the brand. 

Be on the lookout for future tips and advice from Jackson on how to communicate and work with your sponsors in the coming weeks!