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How to Do an Interview – and Pay your Sponsor Back

According to Joyce Julius and Associates (November 2004 Second Look Newsletter), the interview done by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on CBS’s 60 Minutes on September 29^th netted his sponsor Budweiser $345,000 of comparable value. This was accomplished because of the show’s mainstream primetime audience and the public’s high level of interest in this incredible superstar.

Needless to say, Little E is a hugely popular property for Budweiser and his appeal is broad. But there are things he did during the interview that can serve as lessons for all athletes that seek to increase their value to their sponsors.

The first thing he did is make himself available for the interview in the first place. Too many of us are sports purists, preferring not to tarnish our images by being involved in the “crass” commercial aspects of our sport. I’ve often said that this is an ideological dead end that is disastrous for the athlete who needs the attention of both the fan and the commercial world in order to earn the dollars necessary to compete.

Here are some other tips for interviews:

If you can get advance notice of the questions to be asked, you can plan your responses. Keep in mind, you want to present yourself and your sponsor in the best possible light and you want to avoid the inadvertent gaff that means looking bad and having your sponsor look bad. Many interviewers would like nothing more than to make their own careers by making you look like today’s “bad boy” of your sport.

Convey confidence. Show that you are confident about yourself and your abilities. Be attentive to all questions and show that the most important thing right now is doing a good interview. Don’t appear distracted over something outside of the interview.

Toward this purpose, always be thinking about the best way to say anything you may have to say – have scripts in your mind that you can use when asked specific questions such as how you feel about competitors, when bad luck happens, when someone causes you to crash, etc. You need to be ready to say “the right” thing so that you don’t say the wrong thing and embarrass yourself.

Understand the difference between a closed question and an open question and use them as your cues. An open question is designed to let you speak. It starts with “Tell me about…” or “What do you think about…” while a close question is designed to get a “Yes” or “No” response. It starts with “Do you…” or “Are you…” When an interviewer starts asking closed questions, beware of being led into saying something you don’t want to say. If you need to elaborate, ask for time to do so. On the other hand, when answering an open question, make sure you give a full answer.

In either case, try to make your answers brief and to the point. Don’t get too wordy or your answer will be cut and the context lost, which means you might be misquoted. Speak clearly, don’t slur your words or speak too fast to be understood. Don’t yell or talk too loudly; be composed and in focus.

Never jump to conclusions when answering questions. This is where many athletes get into trouble. The best characteristic of a quality mind is the refusal to make a statement of opinion without any facts to back it up. Make sure you have understood the question and answer the question; stay on topic.

Always mention your sponsor but do it within the context of the questions you are asked. Do everything you can to get a sponsor logo on the television screen. Before the interview, ask the interviewer if he can ask questions that might allow you to mention your sponsor. In fact, have someone near you who has with them all the hats and logos you might need to ensure your sponsors get on screen. But, have a little class too. Don’t overdo it; make it look as natural as possible.

Be a good role model. Children are watching. Use proper and respectful language; never disparage anyone, especially your fellow team members. Avoid showing anger or disappointment. Be a good loser, if you lose, and always seek positive things to say.

Do your best to “look good.” Your appearance and the way you dress are crucial to your image and your sponsor’s image. There is nothing wrong with a little bit of a “bad boy” personal image so long as it isn’t too bad or too negative – and make sure your sponsor can use that image to promote his products (In other words, if your sponsor is a men’s suit manufacturer, don’t try the “hip-hop look” unless you want to lose your sponsor. Remember, racing is a family sport. Stay away from the rebel without a clue image. If you must be challenging, challenge while speaking good English and be a solid citizen.

Avoid getting lured into expressing an opinion about something that you know nothing about. This mistake kills the careers of many celebrities. Your fans may really care about the candidate you are voting for, but they would also respect your right to keep it to yourself. If you do support a candidate and want your fans to know about it, know the risk you are taking with your sponsor (even discuss it in advance with them) and give a solid, principled, positive reason for your position. Avoid emotional outbursts on important topics and never call anyone a bad name. Keep in mind, the candidate you do not support may also be your fan or, more importantly, they may use your sponsor’s product.

If you have to criticize your team, league or series, and this is not always a bad thing, do it with respect and be well studied on your topic. Have a viable positive solution or suggestion and make sure it is grounded in clear thinking and a respect for the facts. Back up your criticism with facts, statistics and/or reputable third-party references. And it is always best to go to the source of your criticism first before you go to “the public.” The public wants to know what is going on inside your team but present it with respect to all concerned.

Thank the interviewer for the opportunity to speak to the fans. And if you can, thank the fans also.

Keep in mind, above all else, as a personality whose career involves being in front of the public; being “real” need not mean being phony. It just means being yourself while avoiding stupid mistakes. You don’t have to espouse ideas and causes in which you do not believe, but you should remember that your goals are twofold: to win and to help your sponsor win.

It is later than you think. Check out these links to NCMC services and products:

Online Gambling Sponsorships

Tip: Online gambling and game sites are looking for ways to increase hits and one way is through sponsorship. In fact, many of them have huge dollars available for teams that can drive hits and customers to their websites. Check with your series management to ensure that their policies allow gambling sites to sponsor in the series. (NASCAR does not allow any gambling organizations unless the sponsorship is done by a hotel/casino) A good point is that there are literally hundreds of such sites, all competing for the online gambler’s dollars. Bad point is that many are hard to communicate with. I suspect that their main goal will be just hit generation rather than hospitality, etc. So a sponsorship might require little in the way of activation. But you can increase the value of the sponsorship and the price if you offer some programs such as handing out free poker chips, free memberships and, if the series allows, set up some computers at the track so fans can use the free chips at the track.

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How to Do an Interview – and Pay your Sponsor Back

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