GB GONE Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 I have some guys wanting to be Pro Staff for Ghost Baits. We are just casually talking now but both have tried and liked my baits. Now what?? What should I expect from this sort of relationship?? Anybody with experience on either end (Pro or bait maker), give me some advice!! Thanks!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebler_custom_baits Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 MY staff gets baits at different prices according to how well they are doing when i asign and how they continue to fish. If i have a guy winning tons of yournies hes on free baits for a while and if hes doing good he is buying at huge discount. The discount gets smaller as i go down rank of my staff. For the most part they are getting a min. of likr 70% off i would say so basically just above cost. In return they are wearing my gear and promoting my baits. My staff seems to take a lot of pride in doing this and it runs very smoothly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullin8s Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 Not to discredit siebs way, but i don't really care how they are doing in tourneys personally. I really only care how well they are doing in the advertising/sales area. If i get sales based on them then I am happy. As far as what they get from me, it depends on their level of competition. A pro in B.A.S.S. or FLW would probably get everything free, but club guys only get a discount. The big thing is to watch for bait collectors who will never actually do any promotion for you. The best guys for me seem to be the ones who don't "need' the lures. Come into chat sometime and I'll explain more of my strategy to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Thanks guys!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellure Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Thats a good question, what to offer pro-staff. I just this week sent out 05' pro (full time flw or bass) contract agreements to both new and old pro-staff so its all fresh in my noggin'...theres about 10 perks on the CLU actual deal, headed by "x" amount of free lures per calendar year, they get a good amount of free lures, basically its enough to cover their entire tx season needs and then some. If they win a tx outright with our custom lures, they get more free lures. They also have free ads and links to their guide service/site on the CLU site, info and pics on site for free, as well as input in lure designs. One of the cool perks I came up with is a way to protect their favorite custom lures from the site unless I have their consent to post them. They also will get free stickers, hats and embroidery for zilch. I also have a group of fellers on our Field Staff (BFL level etc...), there deal is similar except with a % of discount on lures, lettering, stickers, hats, etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 I had several pros that considered themselves sponsored about 2 yrs ago. They got the baits at a discount. I didn't care if they won or not. My goal was to get the word out on my baits among the other pros. I do not make allot of baits in a year. I really could not fill mass orders by the public. The problem was that some of these guys really did well with the baits. They only shared them with Very Close friends. I sold some baits, but not really what I was looking for. One of the pros never told a soul about them. So I cut them all off. Most of them still buy from me. I only gave baits to 1 big professional angler. He too does not promote the baits to others. He now pays full price for them. But he will buy 20 or more at a time. Unless you can really produce a good amount of quality cranks, then a pro staff is just a loss of your labor in my opinion. Wooden crankbaits are very labor intensive if you do it right. I don't have machines that shape my crankbaits. It is all done by hand. It takes me allot of time to make 20 crankbaits that are done right. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Great advice all. I pour plastics and there is time involved (but not quite the time of cranks :!: ) creating the exact color/glitter combos requested. The when you start playing around with scents and salt you open another door. I'm not looking to be a Zoom, just cover the costs of my molds and the baits I use to fish (and the ones my "buddies" bum from me) !! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebler_custom_baits Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Dwain all will be eqaul however for now i have members who have only fished 1 season and Jake who is 15 so yea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 The big thing is to watch for bait collectors who will never actually do any promotion for you. The best guys for me seem to be the ones who don't "need' the lures. This is the best advice anyone can give! The first couple years of pouring were some major learning experiences for me when it comes to selecting a pro staff. It's sad to say, but there are countless individuals out there just looking for freebies; not really into helping promote your product. I get something like 5 to 10 requests per month from potential "sponsorees". Stick to your guys when sponsoring people. Give the same discount/agreement with all members. Also, try to get a resume. Believe me.....if they are serious about tournament fishing, they have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebler_custom_baits Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 I agree, All my guys except jake send me resume and all. All my guys agree the prices they pay are awsome even though they know each is paying different. Getting to know your staff helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirmy Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 This is just my view on things from the inside but the guys you want dont need you. 90% of the fishermen are looking for free product and thats it. As for the 10%, I have seen first hand the garages of some of the best and I would say they have at times 3 to 10k in product from Japan and US manufacturers that was freely sent to them. I have friends on a 2nd tier level of pro who are happy to get 1 of each sponsor (ie soft bait, hard bait, jigs, hooks, weights etc...) The cost of fishing tourny's is incredible and free product helps. I would say find a few good teams that fish local for word of mouth and a few tier 2 pros or AAA's that are serious about tournaments. I see guy's who fish the first of a series of 4 tourneys, bomb in the first one and dont fish again until next year. Not promoting your product well in the next 3 are they. As a AAA I have impressed alot of Pro's with product from TU members who cant beleive they were not made by a major. I have been given alot of product through members of this site and give alot of it away with website info. I never know if they follow up and buy but they would be stupid not to. Last year I smoked the fish for 2 days on one of al's colors and the 2 Pro's who I fished with begged for the maker and the color. Another story is Nathan's Assasins, I gave some away here in Nevada and now they are in stores and catching fish. Sorry for rambling but there can be a million things said on who to and not to sponsor and I can go on and on with actual stories but i wont. You need to find the ones who simply work best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Well put Chirmy. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 Ditto Chirmy. Well done post. Hearing the point of view of a tournament fisherman is priceless! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Chirmy, What is an AAA and what is considered a tier2 fisherman. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted January 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 glad you asked skeet...i was wondering the same thing. Guess we use different terms or i just don't tourney fish enough Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 I'm sure Chirmy can explain this a little better, but look at it like the minor leagues: Tier 2 = Double A AAA = a step below the pros A Tier 2 fisherman is usually someone who has done very well in local clubs and are working their way up the ladder; expressing an interest in becoming pro or at least starting to get some recognition. This is a fisherman who hits a few major tournaments a year. AAA fisherman, like in Chirmy's case, is every bit as good as a pro. Usually, they are just short a few sponsorships or are unable to make all the major tournaments. In other words, it's "who you know" or "being in the right place at the right time". Sadly (in my experience), 90% of the guys who email you about sponsorship interest are novice fisherman; neither one of the above. This is why a resume is so important. Bottom line is I have seen some of the quality work done on this site. We all work too hard to give our stuff away with nothing in return. Just be careful in your decisions. Sorry Chirmy.......didn't mean to step on your toes. Now it's your turn. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted January 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Thanks again for all the insight. Sure you didn't step on Chirmy's toes Chris. It's good to hear the perspective of the fisherman and the baitmaker. I was looking at the "pro" thing for exposure in a different part of the country from me. Guess I need to weigh the exposure I "might" get, with the cost to me. After the hard work it takes to pour up these new colors everybody is crazy over, Chris is right....giving them away for nothing won't work!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirmy Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 I fish AAA which in my circuit simply means non boater in my neck of the woods. When I say tier 2 pro I mean a pro who has a 9 to 5 and fishes on the pro side of the Open's, everstart etc. They have the funds and the boat to fish and even some sponsors. In my opinion, this is where you need to find the guy who is serious about his fishing when sponsor is concerned. I see a lot of guys try the pro side and disappear after 1 tourney. Thanks Chris, but so far I can only catch the hell out of the fish that the Pro's spent so much time before each tournament on the water to find. It is easy that way. The cool thing fishing as a non boater is, when you draw the big names, they teach you how they do it but it is the TU baits I use that catch alot of my fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 When I was selling what I made, my approach was different. I had an advisory team, rather than a pro staff. This was made up of several guys who I knew to be experienced & knowlegable anglers, and who fished often throughout the year. I gave them a discount in return for input about how well they did with my tackle & for promoting my products. Some of these guys fished small tourneys but none were pros, and some did some guiding. Most all of them frequented many of the fishing websites, such as Riversmallies, and when topics allowed would tell others they were using my products. This type of word of mouth was worthwhile, and did give me a fair amount of business. I also provided some free products to these guys for testing and feedback which gave me a good idea how such products worked in the different areas these guys were in. I intentionally stayed away from "pros" because as has been mentioned, they tend to keep things to themselves, rather than share information, unless it's putting money in their pockets, and I didn't have the resources for that anyway! My 2 cents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted January 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 Very insighful Jim..I appreciate your advice as I think that I might try something of a mix of the 2. Bottom line is I want somebody who will give my baits a shot, catch some fish and then maybe tell a few people. A buddy of mine says get a billboard and be done. It always will show up, always will say the same thing, and win, lose or draw, people will see your baits!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitcheal Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 as an outdoor writer with credits in numerous national and regional magazines, let me offer this to you guys looking for product exposure. I have fished with some of the top pro's from both the bass and walleye tour and watched how they are sponsored. While it would be nice to get a national TV show host or writer to fish your baits, start near home and set up a trip with a local writer and local pro using your baits. Most upcoming Pro anglers need the exposure, as they also have resumes to build in order to get more sponsorship. Any stories written about them lets their sponsors know they can get publicity for their products. Most writers welcome a good lead to an interesting story. Figure out how your story is different and find someone to tell it. There are plenty of people who dream of producing the next wonder bait, but just sort of never get around to it. They certainly enjoy reading about it however. If you have a local paper with an outdoor column, invite the writer to try your baits, tell him why they work well and be sure he knows how much effort goes into making them. Most of these guys make very little money for their efforts and you can get a lot of ink here for donating a few baits and also provide a great human interest story. Remember, make everything easy for the person you are trying to impress or sell your product through. Also, be careful in your choice of Pro's to sponsor. The best anglers are not always the best representatives for your baits. Often, their egos get in the way of them remembering how and who got them there. Do you want some Pro sitting in the local bar wearing your logos while terrorizing the female population of the establishment? It happens all the time as small town boy (bubba) makes a few good casts and suddenly wins a pile of money. Been there, done that. Often, great craftsmen don't know how to sell their own stuff. Sometimes hiring a sales rep. to carry your line is the way to go, but again, beware here, If it doesn't make as much money as another line, guess who's product gets the most exposure, which is what we are talking about here. Just my .02 cents Anyone wishing to know more can contact me anytime. May even have a few names to drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
