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Racing drivers: Overcoming the fear of promoting yourself

Fear.

Fear can be a very dysfunctional and damaging thing. I have experienced it many times in my life and my career. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of being mocked or even ridiculed. Fear to fail. Fear of doing something new on your own. Fear of not doing something right. Fear of rejection

As racing drivers, you tie yourself to a very powerful machine that goes at high speeds against other determined drivers with powerful machines, and at any moment you can crash, tip over, catch fire and possibly be injured. Those who don’t understand sometimes think you’re crazy, right? But YOU can get that FEAR out of your mind every week and take on the task at hand, why? Because you LOVE running. It is your passion. You put fear out of your mind because you trust what you do and you are determined to win.

When it comes to marketing and promotion, many racing drivers tell me that they don’t want to do it because they are simply rejected and rejected by potential sponsors, so they give up. Or they have hired people to do it for them with little or no results. But they just don’t know how. This leads to the constant struggle financially to keep competing each week. So your passion can sometimes become stressful and frustrating.

I understand where you come from! I know what it’s like to have a passion for something and you want to move on or get to the next step, but you’re stuck, and I’m afraid that if you try and fail, you’ll be worse off than before. That is fear. Fear is what keeps us from succeeding in everything we do.

When marketing and promoting yourself as a driver to fans and sponsors in an effort to attract funding for your careers, ask yourself these questions:

Who or what is stopping you?

Not sure how to get started?

Fear of failure?

Don’t you understand how marketing works?

Why can’t I just run and the sponsors find me?

Or is it you?

I just like driving and I’m not interested in marketing.

Even when I try to promote, I don’t really get anywhere.

I’m too busy to market and promote, maybe I can find someone to do it for me.

I’m too shy and I’m not the outgoing type. I will leave the marketing to other people.

I don’t like to look like I’m begging for a handout.

I don’t like promoting myself, it makes me look cocky.

I am afraid to ask for help because it might seem inept.

Marketing costs money – I need to put everything I have in my race car.

I don’t have enough faith in my abilities and no one will want to sponsor me.

This is fear talking to you. Working against you. Preventing you from moving on. You must change your way of thinking. Just like when you buckle up that race car to go for Victory and take the fear out of your mind, you need to do the same with marketing. Approach him the same way you do in your careers.

Open your mind to learn – change, ask for help – integrate into the community and connect more with fans – you will be amazed at how much you begin to remember!

You cannot do what you fear and you cannot do what you do not know. YOU KNOW that you need money to compete. YOU KNOW that good sponsorships and souvenir sales are needed for a large fan base. But how do you get it? How to start and pursue it?

1.) Change Your Mindset – Approach marketing like you do when preparing for a race, keep track of victory, and don’t give up. If you have a fault, fix the problem and try again. Once you get that first sponsor, you get the same joy you would get when you win a race and it will propel you to keep going for more.

2.) Educate yourself. Learn all you can about marketing and promotion, how to build a better crash or race car setup, get ahead of the competition, get your marketing edge!

3.) Seek Mentors – Look for other drivers who have been successful with their marketing and ask for advice, just as you would with those who are doing well on a certain track or series.

4.) Get away from the racing toolbox a few days a week and use your marketing toolbox, such as the phone, email, social media, and real face-to-face networking.

5.) Dispel negativity and old ideas about marketing, promoting and obtaining sponsorship; Approach with a positive attitude. Eliminate the old stuff from your brain and start over.

6.) Just do it. Jump on two feet – cold water will eventually get comfortable! The more you do it, the more it becomes a part of you and the easier it is to do if you make it a routine.

7.) Be creative. Include things that you know you enjoy as part of your marketing. Host a charity game of golf with local business owners or a hunting trip. For young racers, organize a group trip with kids and parents or kid-friendly businesses in your community to go go-karting or even have a big pizza party at one of your races. For female drivers, you could do something with female business owners, like a charity fashion show.

8.) Get more help with your race car so you can have more time to market and promote yourself and your race team. Find local mechanics or high school students at auto mechanic or vocational schools and see if they want to volunteer on a race team – give them a crew shirt and pit pass, race tickets for your family. You’d be surprised who will be willing to help just for the experience!

9.) Have fun with your marketing and you will enjoy doing it! Get your good friends involved and make it part of your social life. You will be amazed at how many friends you will make, the fans you will get, and the backers will start looking for you if they see that it is a pleasant experience for your customers to be around you! Before you know it, you will be enjoying marketing and promotion and will find it rewarding and fun!

10.) Fear? Spooky. Racing drivers are not afraid. Go for it! You can do it!

Some of my favorite quotes about fear:

“The only thing to fear is fear itself” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Fears are instilled in us and, if we wish, they can be eliminated.”

– Karl Augustus Menninger

“The fear is as deep as the mind allows it.”

– Japanese proverb

“You gain strength, courage and confidence with every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do what you think you cannot do.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

“Inaction generates doubts and fear. Action generates confidence and courage. If you want to overcome fear, you don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get to work.”

– Dale Carnegie

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.”

– Unknown

“It is impossible to have Faith and Fear at the same time.” – Jackie Pegram (My mentor and Bible studies teacher)

I had my own fears to face in my public relations and marketing career. When I was new to the NASCAR scene in the early ’90s, I found it best to seek out mentors and learn from the best you can find who are willing to help you learn the ropes. This gave me the confidence I needed to do a good job for my drivers, sponsors and team.

I am here to tell you that I have overcome many fears. I’ve been in your shoes. I have consistently conquered my fears so that I can continue to grow and move towards greater success.

I will not let anything stop me from my dreams and goals. I’ve had many who tried to stop me, try to push me down. I have also experienced heartbreak, failure, sadness, and rejection many times throughout the years of my career. I pass them and erase all negativity from my mind. I have learned to change my way of thinking. I will only look forward to my goals and will not back down out of fear or insecurity. My goal is to share my knowledge, life and career lessons, my successes, my experience and passion for marketing with all of you. I am dedicated to helping runners achieve their dreams and goals, helping you overcome your fears and find success with marketing. Your success is my success. Dispel the fear, dispel the old myths, ignore any external or internal negativity, and let’s make it happen! I am with you all the way!

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