Don’t be afraid to get paid

In the last few months, I’ve sat in planning meetings for two major regional races where people have referred to the process of finding sponsors as “soliciting donations.” Donations? For cyclists?

Think about the people that you ride and race with. If they’re anything like the people who took the Northern California/Nevada Cycling Association’s survey of NorCal racers and serious recreational cyclists, chances are that 43% of your riding buddies have a household income greater than $100,000 per year.

That doesn’t sound like a group of people in need of a handout. But still, it is common for teams to approach their sponsors as patrons and even for major events to trumpet their non-profit mission and volunteer staff.

There are plenty of worthy causes in the world, but the sport of cycling – especially at the elite level – just isn’t one of them. If an event helps pro racers and sponsors make money, why should the people who make the event happen work for free?

Earlier this year, I was surprised that most of my fellow attendees at a pricey sponsorship sales seminar in San Francisco were representatives of small arts groups and community organizations. If the trend in the non-profit world - even at the most local level - is moving quickly away from simple donations and towards “cause marketing”, then the trend in the sports world - also at the local level - must move even more quickly towards the “marketing” parts of “sports marketing”. That’s why we should look at cycling as an area of the sports world that needs to raise its game.

If you are confident that your team or event reaches a desirable audience, sell your sponsors on the marketing benefits of that. If your sponsors know that you take seriously your responsibility to deliver value, the sponsorships will be worth more to them. And if you land a major sponsor, keep some of that money and go on vacation at the end of the season. You will have earned it.

Our sport is not a charity. It’s a group of healthy, educated, well-off individuals riding bicycles around industrial parks on Sunday mornings. In some ways, it’s not that different from healthy, educated, well-off individuals playing golf. And no one would dare “solicit donations” for a golf tournament’s prize list.

As a sports marketing consultant, I want my clients to run businesses – even if they’re side businesses – that turn a profit. I have no problem saying that, but it makes some people uncomfortable. Cycling in North America is more mature and developed than a lot of cyclists realize, and we have to shed this collective discomfort with the idea of people making money off the sport.