How to Get Sponsored by Honda

Honda doesn't hand out factory off-road support often, which makes Jeff Proctor's story worth studying. He races a Honda Ridgeline trophy truck and Honda Talons, and when he joined me on Meet the Sponsors he was in his seventh season with Honda behind him and already planning the next deal. He isn't a Honda employee, but he walked through every step of how he landed the deal and kept it.

Understand why Honda races

Start with the company's history. "I'm super grateful to have the factory support of a great company like Honda, where racing is really at the core of their DNA," Proctor said. "That's how Honda originally started, is that Mr. Honda, you know, he wanted to go racing, and in order to fund his racing effort, he needed to sell bikes first, which then evolved into cars." ▶ Watch Jeff Proctor explain this

Let the friendship come first

Proctor met Honda's director of public relations by chance at an airport. They ended up in seats next to each other and talked racing for two hours. He didn't pitch. "I think the short answer is definitely playing it slow," he said. "It actually started out as more of a friendship." He invited his new friend to drive his race truck, and months later they were together at the Indianapolis 500, celebrating a Honda win.

That night, Proctor floated the idea of Honda going off-road racing, and another Honda staffer jumped in with a real need: "Funny you should bring that up, Jeff. We're actually talking about the Gen Two Ridgeline, it's coming out, and we need to figure out what we're going to do for a concept vehicle." ▶ Watch Proctor tell the story

Prepare like it's your one shot

Three months later Honda called him in to pitch to nine people. "I had no clue who was going to be, but I wanted to make sure that I was prepared. I figured, hey, this was my one shot and I needed to make it count." He had a Ridgeline trophy truck rendered and set on an easel, then brought a PowerPoint, a bound leave-behind and a two-minute sizzle reel. The room turned out to be Honda's top brass in marketing, PR, motorsports and product planning. "I was glad that I was prepared because they took me seriously, because my preparation was serious." ▶ Watch Proctor on the pitch

He handles money carefully. "In the leave behind, I'll never put a dollar amount in the actual booklet, because those get put on desks." Pricing goes on a separate one-page insert, and it is never a single number: "They're always going to get a platinum package, what I call a gold package, a silver package and a bronze package," because "I don't necessarily know what their budget is as I'm going into a meeting." ▶ See the full answer

Expect a test year

The first contract was one year: build the concept truck, launch it at SEMA, race one season. "That was kind of Honda's way of saying, hey, you're an unknown entity. We're not really sure how this is going to go. Let's test the waters," Proctor said. When Honda renewed, the relationship changed. "Now all of a sudden you're no longer, you know, across the table from them, you're sitting next to them and you're planning the next year." ▶ Watch the interview

Bring the executives inside the team

Proctor put Honda's PR head in the truck for a leg of the Baja 1000, and members of the Ridgeline launch team drove a stock Ridgeline all the way to La Paz with the crew. "I don't really think there's a better way of involving your sponsors more than bringing them into the team and pulling back the curtains," he said. Now he hosts catered ride-and-drive days for Honda executives. Their schedules are packed, but "if you can give them a day where, hey, we're going to go out in the desert, we're going to get dirty, we're going to drive this awesome truck, they'll move some schedules to make it happen." ▶ Watch Proctor on involving executives

Deliver the halo, the content and the image

"Honda does track social media ROI. They track our impressions," Proctor said. "But a bigger component specifically for my program and Honda is the halo effect that these race cars have on the brand." Honda's marketing push was to make its trucks and SUVs look tougher: "Honda wants to ruggedize the brand." His race truck went on to appear in Honda's national TV commercials. ▶ Watch Proctor on what Honda measures

He reinvests heavily to make that possible. "I'd say 20% of my overall budget goes back into media, building content, videography, still photography, PR." Photographers upload to a shared folder during the race, so sponsors aren't waiting days for podium photos. ▶ Watch the interview

His crew wears collared pit shirts modeled on IndyCar. "When they're wearing the Honda H or they're wearing the Honda Wing, they're representing not just the Proctor Racing Group, they're representing American Honda," he said. ▶ Watch the clip

Find the decision maker and start early

Proctor's warning to other racers is about timing and targets. Honda runs on a fiscal year that starts April 1, and he was already talking renewal a year ahead. "If there's any advice that I could give to anybody out there, you have to start a year or a year and a half in advance to get into the conversation prior to the budget happening," he said. ▶ Watch Proctor on timing

Make sure you're talking to someone who can say yes. "I can't stress enough, do your homework, do your due diligence, find who the decision maker is," he said. When you find them, go see them: "Spend the extra money to fly to the corporate headquarters. Try to get that in-person meeting." And: "Don't hide behind emails." ▶ See the full answer

At renewal time, he listens before he sells: "I want to learn more about your marketing strategy moving forward. I want to learn what your needs are, and then give me the opportunity to come back with suggestions." As he put it, "We're a marketing agency first, and we're a race team second." ▶ Watch the interview

Your checklist for Honda

• Learn Honda's racing heritage and what product it is pushing now, such as making its trucks look rugged.
• Build relationships before pitching, and watch for a real need you can solve.
• Treat the pitch like your one shot: visuals, a leave-behind and tiered packages with no price in the booklet.
• Expect a one-year test, then earn a seat on Honda's side of the table.
• Bring executives into the team with race experiences and ride-and-drive days.
• Reinvest in fast, professional content and make your crew represent American Honda.
• Start a year to a year and a half ahead of the April 1 fiscal year, with the actual decision maker.