One of the big challenges to doing a good job of negotiating is that often you don’t feel in control of the situation – you believe that the other side has all of the power. This of course is not true, because if it was then they would not be preparing to negotiate with you. They would just tell you what to do and you would do it. See? Now doesn’t that make you feel better?

So here’s a secret: power is not real. It only exists in your mind and so it is what you think it is. If you think that you are powerful, then you are. If you don’t think that you are powerful, then you won’t be. Sales people have known for a long time that negotiation is a process of information discovery. During this discovery process you learn what your sources of power for this particular negotiation are.

A long time ago, a researcher named Dr. Chester L. Karrass discovered that power is simply a state of mind. Those who think that they are powerless will negotiate weakly even if in reality they do have power. Those who think that they have power will negotiate from strength even if they really don’t have any power.

The take away here is to get yourself in the right state of mind BEFORE you start to negotiate. Once you start the negotiations make sure that you keep your ears open so that you can discover your real sources of power. Then go out and make it happen!

You’re ready!

You’ve got an idea you’re excited about and can’t wait to start implementing it.

You mapped out your schedule and put together all the necessary information for the plan to go with your idea.

You’d love to give it just one last once over, though – maybe a “presentation checklist” if you will.

This week I’ve put together for you a list of things that could help you feel even more confident (and in turn, more excited!) going into your sponsorship presentation.

That’s where I come in: to share the 5 elements that you’ll need to give a winning sponsorship presentation!

1. Make sure your idea is finished

If you’re not sure about some aspects of the project, it’s better to figure it out beforehand. The clearer your own project is in your head, the more confident you’ll be in answering any questions.

QUICK TIP: If you’re still feeling unclear about your idea, do more research or ask colleagues, family members or friends for clarification; a second opinion to make sure your idea is clear will help!

2. Find common ground with the prospect.

Everyone likes attention and nobody wants to feel like a faceless ATM. Do your research and get to know your prospect. Tailor your offer to their values and beliefs! It doesn’t mean you need to lose your individuality, of course.

The trick is to find a sponsor who shares your own views and beliefs. It will make sponsorship natural and logical. You don’t ask a tobacco company to sponsor an event for children. Give them a reason to work with you! After all, what’s better than a similar mission?

QUICK TIP: Make a list of your prospect’s values and interests and cross reference them with your own to feel confident in your common ground!

3. Promise less, do more

Don’t oversell yourself. Even if you do a good job, your sponsor might be disappointed simply because he was promised more. Try to give yourself some cushion to exceed expectations. If you do what you promised – good. If you do even more because you had the room to maneuver – even better!

QUICK TIP: Google other sponsorship proposals for your area of expertise and see what they’ve offered. This can help you to bring up new ideas so you can offer “a little extra”!

4. Simplify

When I plan a presentation, I always want to seem confident. I’m tempted to “facilitate the interface” instead of just “simplifying” it, or to “give assistance to the remainder of the users” instead of “helping the rest of them.” You get the picture?

It’s easy to get lost in the corporate lingo. The truth is, no normal person speaks it fluently. Drop the big words like ‘implement’ and ‘execute’, and you’ll see how strong and solid your speech is without all the clutter.

QUICK TIP: To make sure you’re making perfect sense, try giving your presentation to some friends – someone who knows little to nothing about the project. You don’t need to impress them, so just explain what you do and why and how. Do they understand you? Are they able to retell it correctly in their own words? If the answer is yes to both, then great job, you’re ready! If not, simplify a bit more and try again. You’ll get it right, for sure!

5. Illustrate.

A great final touch is to paint a broad strokes picture in your prospect’s mind. Use photos, schemes, or promo videos of your project. Give numbers: people attending, estimated quantities, places, and names. All these details will magically transform any abstract idea into the real deal.

To add to that, make sure you have ways for the public to learn about you and to see you make progress. If it’s an event, upload some behind-the-scenes photos. If it’s a product, show the process of how it’s being developed.

QUICK TIP: Use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube – anything that fits you! We live in a world where if you don’t exist in the internet, you don’t exist at all, and visible progress helps paint a clearer picture of your idea.

All that’s pretty useful. But the most important, gravely serious, undeniably vital thing is: Be yourself. Know yourself and your project. The presentation will almost give itself if you go with your gut.

You can get sponsored!

It may take time and there might even be a few “no’s” along the way no matter how awesome your presentation is and how well you’ve done your research. I’ve been doing this for years, and I still hear “no” from time to time.

What matters is finding the right people to see your idea for the amazing opportunity it is.

Keep going, you’ve got this!