The Master Marketer BLOG

Sponsorships: Beyond Charity to Business Strategy

Jeffrey Schmidt — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 03:39:40 GMT

This is a summary of a recent conversation I had with my client, "NG."

NG, who runs a nonprofit helping at-risk youth in the North Bay, connected with the Regional Marketing Director of a major soft drink company at a conference in Sacramento. He liked her work and expressed interest in supporting her. NG called me for advice on her presentation. She planned to ask for a modest donation of $2,500 to $3,000.

My immediate response was: That’s far too low!

Why You Must Think Bigger
I advised NG to shift her thinking from asking for a small donation to proposing a lasting sponsorship relationship. Since she was talking to a Marketing Director, she needed to make a business case for his company to support her long-term. This would allow him to justify the investment to his superiors as a smart business move that also does community good. The company needed to see measurable recognition for their investment, backed by clear data. This strategy is often called Halo Marketing: The big company's image is enhanced (gets a "halo") by associating with the positive work of the smaller nonprofit.

7 Steps to a Stronger Sponsorship Ask

Here were the steps I advised NG to take:
1. Reframe the ask: See the sponsorship as an advertising opportunity for the corporation.
2. Create a sheet showing the total number of people you can expose their brand to.
3. Justify your price by citing competitive advertising rates for what you deliver.
4. Highlight the Halo Effect as a premium benefit.
5. Ask for fair compensation based on advertising dollars (Return on Investment).
6. Propose a multi-year program for stability and sustained impact.
7. Ensure you deliver on the promised exposure and provide proof.

The key is to speak the language of advertising. I urged her to aim for at least 10 times her original ask because she had access to valuable assets: including roadside signs.

Calculating the Value of Road Signs
Road signs are powerful because you can easily quantify the traffic. NG had access to 5–6 sign locations in Sonoma County. For just one location on Hwy 116, California data shows over 4.1 million vehicles pass annually. Estimating 1.5 people per vehicle, that’s over 6.2 million impressions at a single spot! With access to five similar spots, the total comes to over 31 million Halo’d logo impressions for the soft drink company annually. And this was just for road signs, NG had others vehicles to get the word out.

This is what is looks like to access traffic patterns. (below)

To calculate the monetary value of this exposure, we can look at market advertising rates. Outdoor signs often cost $2.00 to $9.00 per thousand views (per M).
• At a conservative rate of $2.00 per M, those 31 million impressions are worth over $62,900.
• At an average rate of $3.65 per M, the value exceeds $115,000 per year.

(Image showing ad rates across different mediums)

This calculation provides a powerful starting point for negotiation, especially when the massive value of the Halo Effect (positive brand association) is added. I urged NG to speak realistically about her offering. On her down side was the fact that she had smaller, non-lighted signs, which needs to be factored in up front.

Replicate your sponsorship package.
If this situation appeals to one major corporation it may be of interest to others. After the work you put in to create this program how about multiplying it times 4?

Image of a roadside sign.

The Core Message:
To secure the lasting funding in the world of nonprofit sponsorships you must KNOW YOUR WORTH and SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING. Bargaining from this perspective ensures a fair and square deal for both your mission and the sponsoring company(s).

AI is Changing Business. Are You Ready?

Jeffrey Schmidt — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 16:36:05 GMT

In a world where AI is surging, our innate human intuition is becoming more crucial than ever before.

An AI class just for you

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the world as we know it, and businesses are no exception. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, understanding how AI can supercharge your business is essential and we are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming four-part event: "Harnessing the Power of AI for Business."

Here's what you can expect in this four-session educational event that shows you how AI can assist you in just about every area in your business:

• How AI can help you in just about every area of your business
• How AI can help you brainstorm new ideas
• How to use AI to automate tasks and improve efficiency
• How to use AI to gain insights from your data
• How to choose the right AI tools for your business
And more!

This event helps you adapt QUICKLY to our increasingly AI-driven world!

If you're serious about growing your business, you can't afford to miss this event. AI is the future, and businesses that don't embrace it will be left behind.

Sign up today and learn how to harness the power of AI for your business!

Sign up here: https://www.nbbcc.org/events

When
Four Thursday Evenings
Oct 12 thru Nov 2, 2023
6:30 PM (Recordings Available)

Where (Zoom)
Please Register Below
https://www.nbbcc.org/events

Cost: $295.00
If price is a barrier for you at this time there is a 50% discount for being an NBBCC member and you are invited to consider yourself a temporary member so you can attend.

Your Business Building Mentor.
Jeffrey

Embracing Intuition in the Age of AI Advancements

Jeffrey Schmidt — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 20:26:53 GMT

In a world where AI is surging, our innate human intuition is becoming more crucial than ever before.

Let's delve into why expanding our intuitive abilities is paramount in this AI-driven era.

The Dual Nature of Thought

The human brain operates in two distinct modes: the left hemisphere excels in logic, reasoning, and the meticulous dissection of ideas, processes, or systems. Conversely, the right hemisphere embodies intuition, allowing us to perceive the grand tapestry and establish a direct connection with the boundless repository of knowledge within the Quantum Field, all facilitated by the magnetic resonance of our hearts. For empirical evidence of this phenomenon, we need not look further than the groundbreaking research conducted at the HeartMath Institute.

A Left-Brain Dominated Society

It scarcely requires an elaborate argument to establish that our modern Western society is predominantly governed by left-brain thinking. But as we navigate an increasingly complex world, there is a pressing need to rekindle our connection with the wisdom of wholeness. By embracing the holistic perspective that our intuitive right hemisphere offers, we gain access to a profound reservoir of wisdom—a wellspring from which countless breakthroughs have sprouted throughout history. The significance of enhancing our intuitive faculties cannot be overstated, particularly for business owners, where the convergence of human insight and AI-guided decision-making holds immense promise.

AI: Right-Brain Thinking Amplified

Artificial Intelligence, in essence, represents an augmentation of right-brain thinking on an unprecedented scale. However, the critical juncture lies in our ability to channel this technological marvel toward constructive, non-self-destructive ends. The marvel of this "Wonderkind" lies not in its immense capabilities but in our capacity to guide its trajectory with wisdom, discernment, and a profound connection to the holistic tapestry of knowledge that resides within our intuitive right hemisphere.

Intuitive Coach Nicola Walker and I are scheduled to do a talk at the Indie Alley on helping people increase intuition on Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 6:30 PM. Here is the information:

Trusting Intuition:
A conversation on how to transform fear and open to the miraculous

Real change starts with a conversation. This is a discussion on deepening trust in your intuitive guidance to create what you really want. Walk away inspired to trust the unfolding of your unique path to business success, personal happiness and inner peace just a little bit more. The point of this conversation is to act as a counterbalance to the outer craziness that is now being heaped on humanity

It helps if you look at each new life-challenge as an invitation to step into a greater ability to listen to your intuition and open to your natural state of ease and flow. Intuition combines deep inner listening with the ability to shift your mindset into seeing life as happening for us, gifting us with just the right opportunities to evolve.

Join the conversation to deepen your already flourishing inner practices or to begin the process of developing a discipline of mastery in this area.

When: Thursday September 14, , 2023 at 6:30 PM
Where: The Indie Alley • 69 Bolinas Road • Fairfax, CA 94930
Who: Inner guidance coach Nicola Walker and business consultant Jeffrey Schmidt to facilitate an open conversation.

You are cordially invited to attend this complementary talk.

Your Business Building Mentor.
Jeffrey

What is intuition?

Jeffrey Schmidt — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 02:39:01 GMT

Albert Einstein said: "The only really valuable thing is intuition." Why? Science has found that our physical world is made of atoms that are 99.9999% nonphysical. Precise vibrational frequencies allow us to perceive energy as matter. It's all but certain a grand intelligence (God) is behind creation and our intuition is our interface with it.

Implications
If the above is true, if a Divine Consciousness is the root of creation, and if this creation is bound together by a field of vibrational energy that scientists call the Quantum Field, this corresponds to what the Chinese call Chi, what the Yogi's know as Prana, and what Native Americans refer to as Medicine. If all the above is true the implication is: we live in a participatory universe and we have far more say in what goes on than most people think.

Allow for the possibility
The vacuum tube experiment points to the power each of us has to shape our world. Scientists sucked everything but photons (the atomic building blocks of our world) out of a vacuum tube. Then they put human DNA into tube. The photons, which had been dispersed, all of a sudden formed themselves around the DNA. Steve Jobs believed he could change the world all the way down to his DNA. His coworkers commented that he had a Reality Distortion Field (RDF) because he made the impossible happen so many times. If he had a RDF, we all do!

It's here now
If you want to get in touch with your intuition, and your innate personal power, stop thinking and touch your world with your feelings, listen to the soft true voice of your heart, allow yourself to see pictures in your mind of things you count as important, or simply quiet your mind and allow yourself to know what is true. All of the above happens in the moment, which is where intuition, and most of your personal power reside. The above is NOT about thinking. Thinking is 95% emotional and mental patterns that have been programmed into our subconscious from birth to age seven. Developing intuition is about learning to be in the moment.

Intuition is miraculous
Mahatma Gandhi said we take for granted that we can grow the strength of our body through physical exercise, and we can expand the acuity of our mind with training in that area. He was also very clear that we can grow our intuitive abilities into the miraculous with steady effort. He created the miracle of getting the British out of India peacefully so I count him as a credible information source. What do you truly want to create in your life? Only your intuition can tell you.

Intuition and business
On Monday, June 5 at noon PT I'll be gifting you a seminar called: Close sales with Heartfelt and Intuitive Marketing. This webinar blends the best practices of logic with intuitive knowing. It helps you realize your potential clients are intuitive people and reaching them on this level is the next best practice we all need to get good at.

What you get
On the logical side you learn how to create a marketing message that speaks to the interests of your potential clients
• Identify the people you can help most
• Learn three top ways to find out what your clients want
• Discover the four essential steps of marketing messaging

On the intuitive side you are shown how to create communication that sticks by developing your heartfelt innocence and intuition
• Attitude: Think that you can sharpen your intuitive gifts
• Process: Learn a three step process to connect with your intuitive powers
• Connect: Create a core marketing message of respect, innocence, and intuition
• Discover: The four pathways to intuitive knowledge for you and your clients

To register for this free seminar go to my events page.
I'll see you there!

Your Business Building Mentor.
Jeffrey

The top ten lead generation techniques

Jeffrey Schmidt — Thu, 25 May 2023 01:55:35 GMT

If you want more clients for your business lead generation is on your mind. Here are the top ten lead-gen categories to consider when promoting your business.

Here are the top ten lead generation techniques

Content Marketing:
Creating high-quality and relevant content is essential. When you talk about things people care about, they will listen.

Social Media Marketing:
Social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter can help you engage your audience through organic posts, paid ads, and targeted campaigns.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
Improve your organic search ranking by researching relevant keywords, optimizing meta tags, improving website performance and content relevance.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising:
Run PPC campaigns on platforms like Google Ads or Bing Ads to drive immediate traffic to your website so you can generate leads.

Email Marketing:
Building your email list and nurturing leads through targeted email campaigns is an effective way to nurture leads that are not ready to convert now.

Webinars and Events:
Hosting webinars or participating in industry events allows you to showcase your expertise and connect with potential customers.

Referral Programs:
Encouraging existing customers to refer friends IN THE RIGHT WAY can be a powerful lead generation technique.

Joint ventures and alliances
If you have a product or service that would be helpful for a particular group, talk to the leaders of that/those group(s) and work out a deal that makes sense for you to help their members while the group leaders share your profits.

Publicity and PR
If your product or service is truly newsworthy you can get free publicity through traditional or digital media outlets.

Traditional broadcast and print advertising
In many cases these types of ads are used for awareness, not lead generation. To set them up for leads be sure learn the four steps of marketing messaging!
(Learn the fours steps of marketing messaging in my upcoming webinar)

Choose the best lead generation techniques for your business and client profile. It is essential to continuously analyze and optimize these strategies.

Question: Does your business sell to consumers (B2C) or other businesses (B2B)?
Start generating leads NOW!

Your Business Building Mentor.

Jeffrey

When it's ethical and proper to apply sales pressure

Jeffrey Schmidt — Sat, 20 May 2023 22:38:54 GMT

There are times when it is ethical and proper to use pressure when selling. This is when you are acting as a friend to the person you're speaking with, it is when you've done your homework and you know you have the best option for them — and you can explain it!

Some facts about friendship

Quantum connection
We are best served to treat everyone as if it was our most cherished friend or family member. This does not mean taking on a submissive role. It does not mean pushing people for no reason. People can tell when you're pushing in their best interests. This is when pushing is okay in sales.

Quantum scientists are echoing what Sages and Saints have been saying for thousands of years: we are one! This is in line with what people from traditional societies have been saying: we are part of the web of life, and what we do to it we do to ourselves. Quantum scientists are referring to this same phenomena when they talk about "entanglement theory." They say we are points of individualized conscious coherence in the quantum field; this means we are part of the field!

Our generational problem
These days people are so sensitive to sales pressure it's easy to want to avoid it altogether. This is a mistake. If you are acting as a friend to a person; which is a high level of human connection, it can be a mistake to NOT use at least some level of "sales pressure."

A client of mine was so into the "no-pressure" zone he did not recognize a potential client was giving him consistent buying signals. He called me just after his sales call. Our discussion allowed him to see that he was so averse to being pushy toward selling he was actually pushing people away from buying. He called the guy back and got the sale, and now has a different perspective on sales pushiness.

Patience please
Part of the puzzle of deep connection is developing the intuitive sense for when people are ready to hear certain things, and also cultivating patience. In sales training this goes to observing where people are at in the three phases of buying: informational, comparison and choosing. (aka awareness, consideration and decision)

Padding and permission
High-level sales people are good at "padding." Padding prepares the person you are talking with to hear something potentially difficult. It can sound like: "Steve, I want to bring a subject into our conversation that I think might be helpful and I also think it might strike a nerve, which is not my intention. May I bring up a potentially thorny subject?

If your intent is to help Steve consider his choices with relevant information he will generally be fine with this. If you cross the line and are trying to maneuver him into a particular choice he'll most likely feel that instantly.

Give yourself permission to experiment, fail and succeed in these areas.

Your Business Building Mentor.
Jeffrey

The convention of horrible marketing (don't do this)

Jeffrey Schmidt — Fri, 19 May 2023 00:21:26 GMT

Back in the days when MacWorld Conventions roamed the earth I drove down to the Moscone Center in San Francisco to see what the buzz was about. My ulterior motive was to purchase a carry bag for my new laptop. Manufacturers often give steep discounts at conventions so I was excited to see the sites and get a deal.

Overwhelm
When I first walked in I was overwhelmed by the sheer size and pageantry of the place. Moscone Center is cavernous; and with all the vendors I experienced more than a little shock to my senses.

Say what?
When I regained composure and got "on mission" I toured isle after isle looking for a sign to guide me to spend the money that was burning a hole in my pocket. After a while my composure was again being tested. I could not find a single vendor that said: Computer Carry Bags, or Accessory Bags or Computer Accessories. In fact, I could not find one booth sign that told me in plain English what they were selling. Not one — and I had looked at over 100!

Getting annoyed
There I was, just waiting to open my wallet and spend my money, and the only thing preventing me from doing so was the cool, hip and amazingly incomprehensible marketing messaging people were using.

Please don't do this with your business. Poor messaging confuses your buyers into NOT buying. I have nothing against cool and hip, as long as I can tell what you are selling. In one of my next emails I'll go over how to structure your messaging so you will never have this problem.

I finally got my bag, and I still have it today, but even now I can feel the frustration of people trying too hard with their messaging. Don't do this!

Your Business Building Mentor.

Jeffrey

The proper foundation for selling

Jeffrey Schmidt — Wed, 10 May 2023 01:03:35 GMT

FYI — I learned this from John Rosso, he was a trainer at the Sandler Sales Training School, one of the biggest in the world. John taught that setting up a relationship of equals right from the beginning is essential if you want to create a lasting and mutually beneficial business relationship. Here are a few tips.

Relax
Being tense is like getting skunked, people can smell it and will avoid you like the plague. Being relaxed is not a luxury, it is an important building block of success. If you bend and contort yourself to fit the needs of people (as "people pleasers" are prone to do) you'll always be tense and scare people off. Take responsibility and make your self comfortable by being who you are. This way you find the right kind of clients for YOU. This is huge for your success!

Trust
If you are selling something that has value (and you need to be) trust that people can see that value. Yes, you'll have to learn the best ways to communicate value. Yes, you'll need to practice and refine how you say things a lot. That's your job. Trusting your product or service is required because people can sense it. Trust your product or service — or sell something else.

A relationship of equals
Sales people need to do inner work if they want to be able to ask pertinent and sometimes uncomfortable questions that move a relationship forward. If you've created a good relational foundation you can ask just about anything without causing a problem. This is the crux of selling: having a good enough relationship to be able to ask forbidden questions at the right time and in the right way.

What might this sound like? Here is one possibility among millions:

"Sally, pardon me for saying this but it strikes me that you really like what you are hearing but I feel a hesitation, am I on the right track here?

If Sally says yes, then ask: "What might that hesitation be?"

Please note: this only works if you are asking questions out of curiosity for Sally's welfare — a tremendous skill to learn. If you are saying things to maneuver Sally into a sale she'll feel it and move away from you.

Start right now and assume people know what you are thinking and feeling. This keeps you honest and in good rapport with people.

Your Business Building Mentor.

Jeffrey

Why Steve Jobs was big on INTUITION

Jeffrey Schmidt — Thu, 04 May 2023 23:28:29 GMT

Steve Jobs said:
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want. Everything else is secondary.”

What you truly want
What you truly want is NOT available in schools, books, newspapers, broadcast media, Google or social media. You can, however, get inklings about what you truly want by observing your feelings and the quiet voice in your heart when you come into contact with outside messages. This is what Steve did.

Driving people crazy
Steve listened to his inner voice. He was known for coming up with brand new ideas that others had presented to him a week or two ago. This drove people crazy (it would me), but this was his way of focusing on his inner voice nearly exclusively.

Everything else is secondary
We live in a time where we are taught to fall in line, conform and listen to the narrative of the day without a lot of questioning of it. This is exactly opposite of what Steve did and he is by far the most celebrated innovator of our time.

Steve Jobs was big on intuition — because is works!
We are in need of a Copernican change in the way we run our businesses and society. In the time of Copernicus the very thought of the earth not being the center of the universe was hard to fathom and violently opposed. Changing our thinking from being guided by outside influences, to receiving direction from inner sources, is the Copernican level of change we need as soon as possible.

Let me know if you have a better idea. Intuitive thinking worked for Steve Jobs. In less than 25 years he built the biggest company in the world from absolutely nothing. He showed how inner knowings are a better guide for business and life than anything else.

What do your inner knowings have to say about this?

Your Business Building Mentor.
Jeffrey

Rely on your Incivible Innocence when Selling

Jeffrey Schmidt — Wed, 03 May 2023 02:09:09 GMT

The way you say things is actually more important than what you say. Science studies confirm this and it is especially true when selling a product or service.

Innocence

One of the great things about business, and selling in particular, is that it gets you in front of people. Even in an email the tone of who you are comes through. Best practices for selling say that you should talk about the pain points your products or services alleviate. How you articulate this is important. Tone is just as vital, if not more so. Innocence in selling is a posture people can feel. It is devoid of scheming and wants the best for all parties. It's a magnetic place to sell from.

Magnetize Your Selling

A friend and client of mine has an oil change shop in the Bay Area. Some of his customers drive over 30 miles to see him because they like the way they are treated. That's magnetic!!! This is hard to train into somebody, it requires good hiring skills and an atmosphere where human caring is prioritized.

Innocence is Invincible

Studies on Doctors who are sued for malpractice all come up with the same result: medical practitioners who are kind do not get sued, even if they mess up. Rude Doctors get sued all the time. People skills are the best business skills.

You'll sell more if you learn from the excited kids selling lemonade on the corner and allow your enthusiasm to be infectious. This is simply a reminder and a word to the wise: connect with the innocence of your inner child when selling. We need a reminder of this every once in a while.

Your Business Building Mentor.

Jeffrey