Two Guys Rally

Are You A Sponsor? [ August 27th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

If you like being associated with awesome people (me and Mark especially) and enjoy racing you really ought to sponsor us. Finally after four months of posting we have some results to show. Check that link out.

Even if you’re not in the market of sponsoring things (or us) you’re still awesome. Why? Because you’re reading this right now and that means you’re helping us. Those results we talk about come from you…reading and watching our stuff. So thanks for that!

If you would like to just plain help there are plenty of ways. First off, tell your friends about us. The life of sponsored people is determined by how much exposure they can get their sponsors. The way we have been trying to do this is to write interesting and useful articles (this is one that is only slightly so), but you can speed things up a bit by letting friends know. Secondly you could talk to us. Send us an email (twoguysrally…we use gmail.com, can you do the math? I know spam bots are worse at it than you) or leave a comment. I am pretty sure that talking to people is one of the best ways to get involved/help/sell/buy things. Talk to us even if it is to just say hi, we like new people.

How To Install Vinyl Stickers: The Video [ May 16th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Videos are becoming almost weekly. Hooray!

Read the text version here on Two Guys Rally.

Youtube video. Revver video.

Talking to Sponsors [ May 14th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Sponsors are people that you will deal with in most any form of competition. Why? Because it is usually too expensive for one person or team to pay for everything. The elites also have sponsors, but that is mostly a salary issue (see Tiger Woods). The question that haunts me is how do you talk to sponsors in order to get what you need?

I have some answers, but surely not all of them and I would appreciate any feedback you’re willing to give on the subject.

Honesty

Unfortunately for some people, being honest about everything related to you and your competition (team included) is key. Don’t claim you’re a 1st placer unless you are, if you’re a novice you’re novice! People and Business look to support people for all sorts of reason, but tricking them is a sure way to piss them off and ensure they never sponsor you in the future.

Transparency

Let them know about anything related to the competition. If they ask about something, tell them about it. Being transparent about the team/competition will make the sponsors feel like they actually know what is going on. They don’t like to be left out of the loop, it makes them feel like they are not getting their money’s worth. Do this with even your smallest sponsor. Making them feel as if they are important to the team (THEY ARE!) keeps them coming back for more.

Update Often

Keep your sponsors informed often. Make it part of your schedule and keep to that schedule. If you landed a new sponsor, tell all the other sponsors. This actually makes them feel better (exception: if it is their biggest competitor) because then it makes them think sponsoring you is not a risky investment. The rationalization is that if other people are doing it, they cannot be blamed for a bad investment.

Tell them about all your events (ie race schedule). After the event tell them how you did and definitely include some eye candy (pictures, videos, etc…).

Invite Them Places

When possible invite them to your competitions. At the end of the season maybe you can organize a Sponsor’s Night or something to that effect. Sponsors are analogous to investors in a normal company, and perks keep them coming back. Some ideas include: If you’re a racer take them along for a hot lap/fast ride, If you’re a skateboarder teach some willing sponsors how to skateboard with pizza and beer, if you’re a paintball team organize a relaxed paintball outing for everyone to come out and try the sport, or if you cannot think of anything a Sponsor’s Dinner/BBQ/Picnic will always work.

The whole point is that sponsors, no matter how big of a company they are, consist of people. So being able to deal with people and make them feel good about your interactions is pretty much it.

Keep in mind, this writing wasn’t a How To Get a Sponsor, just how to keep them happy and talk to them. The How To will come later.

How To Install Vinyl Stickers [ May 13th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Performing the Sticker Install

1. Gather materials
2. Clean application surface thoroughly with soap AND water
3. Use masking tape to secure sticker (Fully Intact) to surface
4. Use water (optional: and soap) to wet sticker
5. Peel backing of sticker away slowly WHILE pressing sticker flat to surface
6. Pull, do not push, the vinyl sticker to fine tune your placement (with top layer intact, this requires soapy water)
7. Squeegee bubbles out of vinyl (top layer still must be intact)
8. Wet the sticker down with just water, and squeegee again
9. Let the sticker dry (help it by removing excess water)
10. Remove the top layer slowly and at a diagonal angle (if the sticker comes with it, press it back down and wet a tiny bit more, let it dry)

I recently installed stickers from DirtyImpreza.com. Aaron, the mastermind of the site, sent me over the stickers and I think they look really good. This became the perfect opportunity to write up a How-To, Thanks Aaron.

The Steps Performed

I gathered a spray bottle of water, some dish soap (hand soap works too!), an old bank card (drivers license would work), an old shirt, masking tape and the stickers. You could also use a razor blade for the install (to remove stubborn bubbles and to cut stickers at gaps.

Next I started cleaning the surface where I wanted to apply the sticker. This is the most important part of the process. An unclean surface will result in many bubbles in the sticker and peeling. Peeling is the death of a vinyl graphic. Anyway, I sprayed the surface down with water and used a couple drops of dish soap on my fingers to clean the surface. For a bigger decal I would suggest a bucket with some soap and water in it. I then dried and scrubbed the surface with my old t-shirt (lint free because its been used so much!).

I placed the sticker onto the surface where I wanted it, then taped one edge of it with masking tape. The masking tape holds the sticker where I want it and acts as a third hand when peeling the sticker backing away. I wet the sticker down and removed the backing of the sticker starting first from the edge I taped. I kept applying pressure to the sticker while slowly peeling the back away.

I squeegeed bubbles out of the vinyl sticker, wet the sticker with just water and then squeegeed again. The top surface doesn’t matter so I focused on the vinyl, as should you. At this point you could use a pin or razor blade for any stubborn bubbles in the vinyl, but I didn’t have any. I removed the excess water with the worn out t-shirt by pressing and no rubbing! I was a bit impatient while applying the sticker and ended up with a slightly curvy decal, but I think it looks fine.

Let the vinyl dry for 30 or so minutes. Come back and peel the top surface of the sticker away, slowly and carefully. If the vinyl comes with it, put it back on the surface and wet it a little again, let it dry and retry. If you cross any gaps, cut and pinch the vinyl around the edge.

The key to having a long sticker life on the car is making sure the surface you’re applying the sticker to is dirt/dust free. Give it a good cleaning, any dirt specks will show up as bubbles on the stickers. Also, do not use Clorox and Lysol and stuff like that as it keeps the stickers from sticking to the surface and you will get peeling stickers. Happy Stickering!

Why Apply Stickers?

Because they add Horsepower DUH! Actually, they dont, infact they just add weight. However the weight they add is usually worth more than their weight in Gold. You’re putting your sponsor’s stickers on your car so they get some advertising for giving you whatever they gave you. Or you can tell everyone who looks at your car what you like (Like Colin McRae, DirtyImpreza or Team O’Neil).