All Posts by Charmaine Hammond

​In marketing and business, you’ve heard the common phrase “less is more” and “bigger is not always better.” This is so true when it comes to communicating your message to champions, partners, and sponsors.

Confusion generally results in overwhelm and a “no,” which could mean you are leaving support, funding, and sponsorship on the table simply because of how the project was branded or communicated.

There is good news!

At Raise a Dream, we help our students and can help YOU...

​Life as an entrepreneur can be lonely at times. It doesn’t have to be that way!

When you collaborate, build powerful business relationships, and expand your community influence, opportunities to make a difference (and get paid) doing what you love will show up.

At Raise a Dream, we always say, "It takes a team to raise a dream." Collaboration and partnering in business and community projects is one important key to success and are great ways for entrepreneurs to expand and grow their influence and increase their profile and their profits.

Charmaine has had the pleasure of speaking for many Rotary Clubs across North America, including Burnaby and New Westminster, BC. Speaking at Rotary Clubs is part of the Raise a Dream’s community and collaboration building strategy.  

Rotary International and their global chapters are great examples of what collaboration and partnering towards social good looks like in action. In fact, Rotary unites more than one million people around the world. The Rotary International website states, "Rotary is where neighbors, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change."  What a wonderful mission.

​You have a great idea… to take your speaking and books/products on the road!

A tour.

The questions that quickly arise are:

• Where do I start?
• What will the route be?
• How do I fund this tour?
• What about sponsors… can I get sponsorship?
• How will I market this tour?
• How long will I need to plan this?
  

And the questions go on… and on… and on.

One that you ​MUST answer is...

​We see so many entrepreneurs miss important opportunities, and it makes us want to scream, “Slow down! This could be the opportunity that makes the difference!”  

How many times have you attended a conference, trade show, or community event and either completely avoided the trade show/exhibit area or just visited the booths that totally excite you?

Ever walk around wanting to blend in with the audience so you don’t get “sold to”?

We totally get it. We’ve felt like that too. However, many successes that resulted from visiting the trade show, booth by booth, proved to us this was well worth the investment of time (and sometimes a bit of discomfort).

​Getting past the gatekeepers within companies, brands, and organizations to connect with decision makers can sometimes be the most difficult challenge in building relationships with potential strategic partners and sponsors.

How can you overcome this challenge that sometimes feels impossible?

It’s actually pretty simple.

Make friends with the gatekeepers.  

If gatekeepers feel comfortable with you, and “like” you, they are more likely to connect you with the person you need to know.

​It’s pretty disturbing that we even need to write this but… we do.

Charmaine travels extensively as a speaker and you would not believe the number of times she overhears women on the phone negotiating contracts, providing feedback, talking to their team or clients, and addressing conflict while in the bathroom!

There’s nothing like overhearing someone say, “Sorry for the background noise, I am in the washroom!” or “Yup, that was a toilet flushing; don’t worry it wasn't mine,” or, “Oh sugar… I didn’t think you’d pick up. I’m just in the washroom! I was going to leave you a voicemail,” or (our favourite),  “Can you hang on a minute… I just have to flush!”  

Imagine being the client or sponsor on the end of this phone call. Sneaking in a chat on a bathroom break is so disrespectful and inappropriate on so many levels, not to mention the discomfort it creates for everyone who happens to be in the washroom at the time of the call. This is the ultimate in disrespect to all parties involved.

​Stacy Lewis, pro golfer, recently won her first tournament since 2014. Prior to the tournament, she pledged that she would give her prize money to those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, and true to her word she donated the winnings of $195,000.

Her generosity inspired a ripple effect, one that we often see in sponsorship. Her two biggest sponsors stepped up to the mound to support the hurricane relief efforts and victims. KPMG matched Stacy’s donation and Marathon Oil supported this by offering an additional million dollars. This was a great example of the power of collaboration mixed with sponsorship to support an important cause.  

In our work of raising dreams through our own projects and for our clients, we have the pleasure of witnessing this same type of ripple effect that results from having the right partners and sponsors, at the right time, for the right project or cause.

​I​f you aren't using Google Alerts to find out who’s talking about you, your brand, or your dream sponsors, it’s time to start today! Are you using Google Alerts to…

• See where you are appearing in the online world?
• Find out about speaking opportunities?
• See where your book(s) are being mentioned?

We use this tool daily to find out about media and speaking opportunities, find reviews on our books, and locate where we are being quoted or appearing on blogger or media sites.

​What does it take to turn your message into a movement? How can you get people around the world excited about your cause or project?

In what ways does social media play a role?

Social media plays a significant role in turning your message or cause into a movement. Social media allows you to reach people around the globe with whom you would never otherwise be able to connect. Through its reach, you equip yourself with champions and influencers able to share your message, cause, and movement with their national and international circles. This is really powerful stuff!