[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
You're listening to the Motorsport Prospects Podcast.
Hey, it's Mark from Motorsport Prospects and welcome to the Motorsport Prospects podcast. This is where we dive into the world of motorsport with the people who live and breathe it. From driver coaches and sponsorship experts to team owners, pro drivers and more. You'll hear real stories, practical advice and insights you can actually use, whether you're just starting out or already chasing success on the track.
Now, I've often been asked why I started Motorsport Prospects. I founded Motorsport Prospects after hearing the same question time and again from drivers, aspiring drivers, their families and advisors. Who can I trust?
Many have found it really tough to find reliable guidance, so I created Motorsport Prospects and and the Verified by Motorsport Prospects designation to help them make informed decisions. The professionals I feature on this podcast represent that trust, a quality that drivers just have a hard time finding.
So if you work with drivers or racing teams, building trust is one of the most important things you can do. Over the years, I found that being clear about what you offer, following through on your promises and genuinely caring about your clients goals makes all the difference.
I put together some practical advice in my free white paper, the three Essentials for Motorsport Business Owners, which share simple ways to strengthen relationships, attract the right clients and grow your motorsport business naturally. You can find it in the show notes
[email protected] now let's get started.
My guest today is Ken Unger. Ken is the founder of the Charge Marketing Agency, an agency that specializes in sponsorship consulting.
He helps brands and properties unlock the power of sponsorship to achieve their business and social objectives.
Welcome to the Motorsport Prospects Podcast, Ken. Thanks so much for taking the time to speak to me.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: It's great to be here Mark. Thank you.
[00:02:03] Speaker A: Now I've, I've seen you on LinkedIn either through charge or through your own under your own name and you've posted some really great information that I tend to spread the word in my business of being a race driver column. So you know, if anybody listening, we'll, we'll show you how to get a hold of Ken in the show notes but definitely a great source of valuable information about the question that everybody asks who's involved in racing and its sponsorship.
[00:02:35] Speaker B: I appreciate that market our the work on LinkedIn is definitely a labor of love.
[00:02:40] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's a labor. I, I, I, I, I hear you because I post a lot on there and it's, yeah, it's definitely time consuming but I think it's the right medium for a lot of this information.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: Yeah, it's important for Networking. And I'm going to talk about that in reference to how important it is for young racers to do that.
[00:03:01] Speaker A: Perfect.
So let's get to it on the podcast. I have one question, one question only.
Based on your experience and expertise as a motorsport professional, what would be the one most important piece of advice you can offer a current or aspiring race driver?
[00:03:16] Speaker B: I think it's differentiate your brand. And in order to do that, you have to create a personal brand. I think that's kind of the number one advice I give to racers. And let me explain why.
So we estimate that in the US there are about 400,000 sponsorship transactions every year.
And we've also estimated that in racing, there are about 20,000 sponsorship seekers.
Drivers, teams, racetracks.
It's one sport, as everyone who follows this podcast knows, is built and driven by sponsorship.
So if you're competing, you're a race car driver, you're looking for sponsorship. And if you're competing with 19,999 other people looking for sponsorship, you have to one, create a compelling brand that attracts sponsorship investment.
But more importantly, differentiate yourself from all the other sponsorship seekers.
So, above all else, before you even send the first sponsorship proposal out, you are building your personal brand as a driver.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Right now with Charge. How does Charge fit into that whole Building your personal brand?
What do you guys do?
[00:04:39] Speaker B: Yes. So we are sponsorship consultants. So we help people from beginning to end find sponsorship. We're coaches. We're kind of. We take, for example, drivers and teams.
And if they're either struggling with sponsorship or they don't know where to start, we teach them the basics.
And it's all about, what do sponsors want?
What, what are the goals of sponsorship?
How do you put your best foot forward in finding that sponsorship? Because understanding what sponsors need and want is the first step to making a great partnership with a sponsor. And sponsors are just not out there looking to put their logo on either a race suit or on a car.
They're trying to solve a business challenge that they have.
So we teach sponsorship seekers how, how to identify that challenge, how they are the solution to that challenge, and how they would make a great partner for a sponsor.
Part of that is we coach them on how to build their personal brand, whether it's their social media profile, their website, their hero cards, everything that they might have as part of their racing program in order to be attractive to a sponsor.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: And, you know, you said something that's really critical, and I think a lot of people don't tend to understand that. I often say sponsors are Not.
It might be a bit harsh, but I say they don't care about your dream of being a professional race car driver.
They have a specific business problem that they need solved. And like you said, you need to understand that because you.
The whole idea is to bring a solution to them where they solve their business problem. Yeah, you get sponsorship out of the deal, but really that's a secondary. That's important, maybe for the driver, but less so for the business.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: Yeah, Mark, I don't think that's harsh at all. I think it's really safe to say that sponsors don't care about your problems. They care about their problems. Right.
And that's just the nature of business.
And so, for example, one of my pet peeves or like, one of the pitfalls that I see drivers fall into is they'll share their season budget with a sponsor going, like, I'm looking for $200,000, because that's the cost for me to run a season, et cetera, et cetera. And sponsors are like, I don't really care what you need. The question is, what value are you bringing to me? What problem are you solving for me?
And so I share with drivers that they have to start with solutions first. And their needs are just irrelevant. Right? Their needs are just, you know, they under. They know what they need, but your sponsor doesn't have to know what you need because they just don't care.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: Right. And the thing also about sponsorship, and I find this. I hate to sound like an old guy, but I find this sometimes with the younger generation is a couple of things. One of them is there's sometimes almost a fear of actually networking in person. You know, speaking to somebody, looking them in there and shaking their hands. And the other one is it's almost this fear of rejection that it almost freezes them.
Do you guys deal with that? That. That whole, you know, that whole. You have to go out and shake their hands and speak to them directly and not strictly emails and.
[00:08:09] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. You know, selling is hard.
It's filled with rejection.
If you send out 100 proposals or you make 100 requests, you're going to get 99 rejections, at least.
And so we get people comfortable with the process to understand that it's not personal.
Right. It's business.
And they have to come out. If they're introverts, they have to come out of their shell and really learn to love, learn to embrace networking and speaking to people. And it's an acquired practice. I mean, some people are just not born with that. And it takes Practice to do that, we help work with our clients so they get very comfortable with it. Just like they get comfortable behind the wheel of a race car. Right. That is also an acquired skill.
[00:08:54] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:54] Speaker B: That takes practice.
And eventually you get very, very good at it. Very calm, very, you know, at one with the race car. Well, it's the same thing with, with sponsorship.
We teach you how to do that.
[00:09:07] Speaker A: Perfect. Now, if people want to find out more about what charge does, how do they get a hold of you guys?
[00:09:17] Speaker B: Yeah. So they can check out our
[email protected] it's filled with over a hundred pieces of free resources. How to find sponsorships, how to identify prospects. So feel free to check out the website. There's lots of resources for race racers and race teams who want to find sponsorship. Or you can reach out. My email address is k unger. K u n g a r chartsponsorship.com perfect.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: And I'll. I'll put those in the show notes as well, so that if anybody wants to get a hold of you, they'll have an easy way to do it.
I lied. I said there was only one question, but there are actually two questions. And I always like to end the podcast with this question of what is your favorite racetrack, whether it's current or historical.
[00:10:08] Speaker B: Well, Mark, I'm going to cheat because I worked at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for almost 10 years.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:17] Speaker B: And so living there day and night, participating in some incredible events. IndyCar, NASCAR, IMSA, F1, I have to say, above all, my heart will always be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
[00:10:33] Speaker A: Well, that's not a. That's not a bad place to keep, to put your heart. That's. That is a.
Well, it's an iconic venue for sure.
[00:10:41] Speaker B: It really is.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: Really appreciate you spending some time with me today, Ken.
Sponsorship is probably the number one question that drivers, and not just. Not just young drivers, all drivers that are looking into.
It's, it's a. It's a constant battle. Budgets tend to go up, you know, every year over year. So, you know, any little bit of.
Any little advantage that they could possibly get is definitely something that should be taken advantage of. And it's interesting that you put that number, 20,000, you know, people seeking sponsorship. That's, that's quite, quite an eye opener. But it is doable, right?
[00:11:29] Speaker B: It is doable. There's it. I say it and it's true. There's a sponsorship out there for everyone.
You just need to find it.
[00:11:37] Speaker A: Right.
[00:11:38] Speaker B: And learning how to find it is the first step.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: Exactly and I think that's a perfect way to end the show. Thanks so much, Ken, for being on.
Really appreciate your time.
That's it for this week. This is Mark from Motorsport Prospects reminding you to stay fast, stay focused and keep chasing that checkered flag.
Thanks for listening to the Motorsport Prospects podcast. For insights, advice and and the latest news racers can use, visit motorsportprospects.com.
