Having a Business Sponsor
Having a business sponsor (a.k.a. point man) inside your target / anchor company is crucial - his presence brings a plethora of benefits. A really good business sponsor meets certain criteria, and has a role to play in bringing a venture to fruition.
Criteria of a Good Business Sponsor
Appreciation
Your sponsor must have faith in you, and appreciate your idea and/or your approach. If you recruit someone who does not have these, he could sink your business instead of rocket it. Here's an example:
"Hey CEO Jack, we are losing way too much because of XYZ. I just met a bright feller at a conference, and I really think he could solve this for us! When are you free so I can schedule a meeting?"
Versus
"Hey CEO Jack, is that XYZ thing really a problem? I might have someone, let me know if you want to meet him".
Interested in his Company
If your sponsor is not interested in the company he works for, people know. Most people have an intuition around people who are uninterested or don't care about their role / team / company. If a person with a negative aura promotes something, it will result in everyone else having a negative feel for your product/solution.
Action-maker
What good is a business sponsor if he doesn't push your agenda ahead? Your sponsor should be setting up meetings for you, getting you the information you require, and generally promoting your product whenever the pain you're solving (or opportunity you're leveraging) is observed.
Benefits
Legitimacy
Having someone on the inside pitching your idea gives your idea legitimacy. It means that someone who understands the organization has bought into the idea... so why hasn't everyone else?
Network
He will be able to connect you to people that you hadn't dreamed of meeting, and even setup meetings with them. Your proposals and paraphernalia can land on desks you wouldn't otherwise see. And more people will hear about your idea within your target audience than you could have mustered at a conference.
Time for me to connect with my business sponsor again!
Criteria of a Good Business Sponsor
Appreciation
Your sponsor must have faith in you, and appreciate your idea and/or your approach. If you recruit someone who does not have these, he could sink your business instead of rocket it. Here's an example:
"Hey CEO Jack, we are losing way too much because of XYZ. I just met a bright feller at a conference, and I really think he could solve this for us! When are you free so I can schedule a meeting?"
Versus
"Hey CEO Jack, is that XYZ thing really a problem? I might have someone, let me know if you want to meet him".
Interested in his Company
If your sponsor is not interested in the company he works for, people know. Most people have an intuition around people who are uninterested or don't care about their role / team / company. If a person with a negative aura promotes something, it will result in everyone else having a negative feel for your product/solution.
Action-maker
What good is a business sponsor if he doesn't push your agenda ahead? Your sponsor should be setting up meetings for you, getting you the information you require, and generally promoting your product whenever the pain you're solving (or opportunity you're leveraging) is observed.
Benefits
Legitimacy
Having someone on the inside pitching your idea gives your idea legitimacy. It means that someone who understands the organization has bought into the idea... so why hasn't everyone else?
Network
He will be able to connect you to people that you hadn't dreamed of meeting, and even setup meetings with them. Your proposals and paraphernalia can land on desks you wouldn't otherwise see. And more people will hear about your idea within your target audience than you could have mustered at a conference.
Time for me to connect with my business sponsor again!
posted by Ziko | 10:57
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home