7: Oh, So Now You Want Me?

I was contacted this week by the New York Road Runners. I have no idea how they got my work email address, but they did. They sent a sponsorship query. Maybe my company would like to affiliate its brands with the marathon?

The letter was much more personal than most of the sponsorship requests I get. It wished me good luck at the race next week and referenced a relationship with my boss' boss' boss. I followed protocol for processing through another department, but couldn't resist responding as well myself.

Almost immediately, I received another letter from the New York Road Runners, this time copying a larger group. I'm apparently "just the type of runner" they are hoping to entice to participate in the marathon, someone who goes through significant lifestyle changes in preparation for the big race.

They went on to explain the meaning behind their slogan, "I'm in! We're in!" The "I'm in!" part is about what the runner does after they are accepted and the "We're in!" part refers to how your family supports you as you prepare.

I wanted to write back and say how ironic it was that they were contacting me now because, actually, I did not "get in" through them. And that slogan absolutely tortured me for weeks after I found out, and before I knew I'd have a spot through my angel. "I'm in!" sounded pretty arrogant when most of the people I knew who had applied had not actually gotten in. I'm guessing they didn't run that copy through any focus groups.

The NYRR Business Development team wanted to get on the phone with me right away to talk. They read my blog and thought it was funny. I let them know it's a crazy time for me at work, with the pep rally coming up, not to mention, the marathon; and I told them we could talk later in the month.

I received one more email after that, from the EVP, with a little bit of a sales pitch, appreciation for my enthusiasm, and affirmation that they'd be happy to wait to talk to me until after things have calmed down. I'm looking forward to that.

Life is really weird. You can go from being on the outside, to being on the inside, over night - all because you have a little bit of budget and some booze at your disposal. Apparently, sneakers aren't enough.