Sponsorship Sales, Working Together

Move away from presenting a prospect with a list of sponsorship benefits. Your approach should be to work together with the prospect to craft a mutually beneficial package that achieves key goals.

Leveraging a Brand

Hats off to Maison Prive, the New York private-chef service that capitalizes on their experience at the restaurant Per Se. There are plenty of private-chef services out there but wouldn't you pay extra for that Thomas Keller perfection/brand?

From New York Magazine:
"The rich don't disappear during the recession; they simply cower and await the revolution. And while cowering, they still need to eat. Enter Maison Privé, a private-chef service founded by Jennifer Scibelli and James Vellano, two chefs who found love on the line at Per Se and now bring "Michelin quality dining into your home." They come into your kitchen, charge you money ($70 an hour), cook for you, and no one has to see you eat truffles. Also, it's a deal.

According to James, "Everything is completely custom, to make sure they get exactly what they want. We do our best to source organic, sustainable products, but some people don't care, so then it's much cheaper. It can be as low-end as you want — hamburgers and cheeseburgers — or high-end." Below is a fourteen-course meal the two prepared for a recent dinner party in Greenwich, Connecticut (obvi!). Cost per person: $260. Compare that to the Per Se tasting menu, and you get five more courses for fifteen fewer dollars. Most important, you don't have to expose yourself to the scorn of the masses!"

Experience is Everything

I took a stroll down Fifth and Madison Avenue today and visited amazing brands such as Gucci, YSL, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. Doors were opened for me, conversations were struck, compliments were made, clothes were tried on without pressure. Such temptation to buy that Balenciaga perfect coat that fit like a glove at Barneys.

Then I turned the corner and went to Bloomingdales on Lexington and 60th. Absolutely amazing how the experience and presentation hypmotizes you to buy or not to buy. No offense against Bloomingdales, but the experience was about mass amounts of people, poor displays, pressure selling, and a feeling of haste that made the merchandise look cheap compared to the boutiques on Fifth and Madison Avenue.

Experience is everything.

The Complex Sale

A Complex Sale is one in which a number of people must give their approval or input before the buying decisions can be made.
- As defined in The New Strategic Selling, 28.

The Big Ad Gig, Only 3 Entries So Far?

Are there really only three entries for the Big Ad Gig? The deadline is September 7. Maybe there will be a flood of participants at the last minute.

Copy This: Community Foundation Challenge

On August 18, The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan launched an online challenge to raise operational support for arts and culture. They secured nearly $4.8 Million (in less than 12 hours) that will go to 75 local organizations.

Read more about this successful campaign on The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan's website.

Take the Personality Quiz on L.A. Times

This personality quiz using images is kind of fun. Take the short quiz here on L.A. Times.