3 Things Dark Chocolate Will Teach You About Sponsorship Success

If you’re anything like me, you have a few guilty pleasures. A good book, your favorite movie, that go-to dessert, or a glass of wine!

That said, I have a confession.

I love dark chocolate. I love the way you can taste the sweetness long after you’ve finished it. More importantly, I love the way it pairs with and, often times, enhances food and wine.

In some ways, I see business and entrepreneurship like a fine wine and chocolate pairing.

I love the puzzle and mystery of finding sponsors that enhance the work that my clients are doing – like my client’s mission.

Their deep-hearted why – the reason (or reasons) they do what they do? It lights me up to have them share their experiences and heart with me, and it makes me that much more excited to work with them.

The driving factor that motivates you? The delicious story and purpose? That’s what your sponsors want to know about. That’s what they want to invest in.

Setting up your sponsorship package is very much like stirring your own brand of delicious chocolate.

Today, I’m going to share with you three ways being a dark chocolate devotee has helped me polish how you can present your sponsorship opportunities.

1. Let them know what you’re made of. 

The core values of your brand and property have to be strikingly clear to your potential partners. Great chocolate is over 70% cacao bean. It’s powerful, clear, and unforgettable.

Don’t make your sponsors groggy or slow them down with corn syrup and trans fat. Give them the stirring flavor of your original product right off the bat. That flavor should ignite their brain in the right places and have a long lasting, energizing effect.

QUICK TIP: Test yourself! See if you can tell someone about your business or nonprofit 10 seconds.

2. Add in all the right spices.

The beautiful Juliette Binoche played a wonderful character in the movie Chocolat. She made a whole village of obstinate disbelievers fall in love and find confidence and strength by crafting her treats with spices and herbs that would bring out the best in every villager.

If you haven’t seen it, give yourself a chance to enjoy a remarkable love story featuring another favorite, Johnny Depp. Now, about how to manage your own spices…

When building your sponsorship plan, consider the needs of exposure of the potential sponsors and make sure that your proposal shows how you will highlight their brands’ values. Provide enough exposure points and ways of interaction for them to appreciate the value of getting on board with your vision.

Juliette made her recipes perfect by observing everyone that came into the store – their energy, their talk. Make sure you observe your sponsors before using an approach that’s bland or undercooked.

QUICK TIP: List all the benefits you can offer your sponsor in your presentation, sweetening the pot for them!

3. Share your story + experience.

The whole reason dark chocolate (or whatever your favorite treat might be!) strikes at our hearts is because of the memories tied to these favorite moments: a heartwarming talk with mom over a late night homemade brownie, roasting marshmallows over a summer campfire or treating ourselves to our favorite snack over a summer vacation.

Capture the hearts of your sponsors by letting them in on the heart of your project – make your presentation an experience that they’ll remember.

QUICK TIP: Go over all the elements of your presentation to make sure it highlights the powerful opportunity for everyone involved. Keep in mind that a relationship with layers of experiences and the proper high quality product is important for building sponsorship that everyone will crave as time goes by.

Ahhhhhh… The pleasure of lighting up a person’s heart with something we’ve crafted, by keeping it authentic, attentive, and connected. Just like our brains on high quality dark chocolate.

Run over this bite any time you need to keep your sponsorship packages flavorful and enlivened.

And keep in mind that my book Relationships Raise Money: A Guide to Corporate Sponsorship is an outstanding companion for your next glass of red wine.