Take Steps to Value Your Corporate Partners

Where would your organization/University athletic department be without your corporate pillar partners? In this day and age, corporate investment is a critical part to team success. Yet, if this statement is so true, why don't more organizations take greater steps to value their corporate partners?

Consider benchmarking the practices of the Chicago Bears corporate partnerships department, an organization that clearly "gets it". The Bears:

• Feature a "Partners" scrolling tab on their main webpage, which features their major corporate partner initiatives (Bears Extra Points, Miller Lite Party Deck)
• Teams should even consider placing the "Partners" link under their "Team" scrolling tab on the main website. This demonstrates how highly your organization values their partnership commitment
• Feature a Misson Statement on the organization's "Partners" site
• Every organization should look to develop a similar tactic; demonstrate to potential partners that you value their commitment and will work to develop exceptional service to achieve outset goals/objectives
• Offer a direct contact (name, email, phone, address) for potential partners to inquire about how a partnership can help grow their business
• Too often, organizations fail to provide prospective partners with a direct person to contact (listing a general email/phone number). No prospective partner wants to inquire through a general email/phone number. Dedicate a member of your corporate services staff to handle all incoming requests using their contact information on the website 
• Show a clear listing of sponsors (with messaging and direct links), and ongoing promotions under a "Hall of Fame Partners" or "Premier Partners" moniker