Inside Formula 1: Business. Lifestyle. Power.
Getting your prospect to sell your sponsorship property for you
By Brian Sims | We’ve all met them; sales-people who have the gift of the gab, believing that the more they talk to a potential customer, the more likely they are to do a deal. You see it in their…
The Strategy Behind… being different.
The feedback that I receive from sponsorship-seekers across so many sports tells me that for most people, the toughest part of the acquisition process is getting a meeting with a targeted company at an effective level. Click here to subscribe to…
Acquiring sponsorship: selling anti-freeze fluid in Bahrain
Imagine trying to sell vehicle anti-freeze fluid in Bahrain. You’d need a highly imaginative business plan, that’s for sure. Maybe selling children’s books in Japanese from a shop in Slough might be more profitable. But what does this have to…
Time for a level playing field
For me, the saddest comment of 2016 came from a newcomer Lance Stroll, telling us that Williams F1 had offered him a drive based on his talent. I have no doubt the lad sincerely believes this, but the reality is…
Changing to race mode
I’m always a little suspicious when I find it impossible to speak to or communicate with the person at the helm of a business that I have dealings with. I recall being told on one occasion that the Head of…
Engineers of the future
Back in April 1994, at the London UK Head Office of Accenture (then Andersen Consulting), the Motorsport Industry Association was launched. There were many reasons why I felt that such an organisation was long overdue, the primary one being a…
Why we should be worried
Brian has been a solid regular contributor at the Paddock magazine since 2013, and his “Money, Egos & Speed” columns are always very well-received by our readers. This time we’ve decided to put the spotlight on Brian himself, so we…
The William Hewland experience
I can still remember how bitterly cold it was that day in November 1972, with an easterly wind howling across the bleak open expanses of the Snetterton motor racing circuit. None of that mattered to the twelve young guys huddled…
The tide definitely did turn…
Towards the end of 2014, in my feature called “The Tide is Turning“, I looked at the issues facing many talented young single-seater racing drivers trying to make their way to Formula 1. Many of these drivers were feeling pretty…
The “Money, Egos & Speed” Awards 2015
Now’s the time when the yawn-inducing BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme hits our screens and frequent visits to the weather-forecast sites become the norm when planning business trips. Also, no one seems to be immune from “My Top…
Securing a sponsorship deal: Finding out what’s important
Annually for the past three years, the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) has invited me to deliver a training course on the topic of sponsorship acquisition. The audience has mainly included drivers from the Club’s Superstar and Rising Star programmes,…
Status Quo… great on stage, not in motorsport!
I was pleased to receive a very positive response to my recent Money, Egos & Speed feature named “Are we brave enough for a new approach?” You may recall that in the article I put forward a few ideas, some…
