Love this!^^^

That's exactly how I feel about pro staff. I see people on here all the time with pro staff for XXX in their signatures. Really doesn't mean a thing to me when I think about choosing a lure to buy. I have no idea what these people may or may not know about fishing, just that they probably add that so they can get some free stuff. When I see someone in a video or whatever talking about a lure and once they tell me that they are pro staff for the company, their recommendations mean zero to me because I feel their opinions are bought. When I see Joe Blow with no affiliations to any company making recommendations, I listen quite a bit more.

Unless it's someone who has a proven background of knowing what he is talking about and a huge following ( I know then they would be too expensive) why waste your money on nobodies representing you?

Somebody please post the link to the video. I can�t find it

From a business prospective, it's all about getting your brand out there. If you can find a few guys that are decent and that can place in a few tournaments here and there and fish often with your logo out there, it helps with the brand recognition. Not all anglers will look to someone and think "wow I need what they have" however, if you can convert a few others and they tell their friends then it will help grow. Honestly, baits are extremely cheap to manufacture and once you get your cost down its not a big deal to give some away to get followers. I just want to see how the other side of sponsorship looks like since I have no intentions of becoming sponsored myself and may open the door to others down the road for my company. I come from a sales background and I'm sure yall are aware of how many requests come through saying that they can do this or that to increase my sales with no intentions of doing anything they say besides getting free stuff... People love my hats and straight up ask for a hat sponsor for free hats all the time.

Found it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzwF72B2F2w

^^^^ that was Good!! and the other one that showed up as related when she was wanting to go shopping the dad was faking sick to go fishing was even better!!

LMAO still cracks me up every time I watch this

that video! sums up a lot of people I have met!

Just checked your website. Nice looking baits

He also has some nice apparel!

Dustin, I'll play the devil's advocate. You mentioned that you come from a "sales background" but do you have any experience in advertising and marketing? What is your particular niche or the compelling value of your offer? Do you have a marketing strategy and plan - it's all about impressions and influence. If you'd like more probing questions and candid discussion, contact me. Good luck sir in your endeavor...

Ronnie, you are too funny!

I fished for a living for several years and also worked for a couple large regional bait companies as their sales rep. So I've been on both side of this equation.

Bait companies have all different levels of sponsorship:

1. They allow an angler to purchase product at a 40-60% discount on their stuff in exchange for the angler to promote them at tournaments and shows. Boat & tackle shows used to be popular but they have all but gone away.

2. They give the angler Free product in exchange for the angler promoting their product. The amount of Free product varies greatly based upon the recent successes of the angler and how marketable he may be. This is the most popular form of sponsoring and the majority of guys that are "sponsored" are done so in this fashion.

3. They give the angler XX dollars worth of Free product every year to endorse their products. The amount varies widely depending on the activities of the angler. If he is fishing local events, then the amount might be $1,200 a year in Free product based upon "dealer cost pricing." If the angler is a full time guide and/or fishes some larger events like Champs, the amount may be $2-$4K annually in product.

4. They give the angler XX dollars worth of Free product every year and a check to endorse their products. Most regional bait companies are too small to do this level of sponsorship. These are the guys that have made the Bass Master Classic at least once in their careers and have proven to be marketable.

I found this article from Bass Master Magazine. This article is almost 12 years old!!

Consider the total sponsorship dollars that these top-echelon anglers earned in 2006:

� Skeet Reese $600,000

� Gerald Swindle $515,000

� Kevin VanDam $500,000

� Jason Quinn $400,000

� Michael Iaconelli $370,000

� Marty Stone $320,000

Keep in mind that this is just income from sponsors. It does not include tournament winnings or residual income from doing seminars (which can bring as much as $5,000 a day) and other public appearances.

https://www.bassmaster.com/news/show-me-money