Boost Your Brand

Evaluate with your head, not your heart, Lenstrom advises. You might be a huge NASCAR fan, but that doesn't make your favorite driver the right pitch person for your company.

When shooting for the stars, aim high. If you believe a certain person is ideally suited to speak for your company, it can't hurt to ask about his or her availability.

For businesses whose market is strictly local, think local celebrity. No need to break the bank for a national name when someone in the community, such as the local high school football coach, will suffice.

Look for someone with charisma. "Ask yourself, 'Do they have the characteristics to grab and maintain someone's attention?'" Boehm says.

Find someone willing to go beyond the call of duty because he or she has genuine interest in your product/brand. "If your spokesperson won't make the effort to know your product, your chances of hitting a home run are minimal," Boehm says.

Weigh whether to hire an outside firm to help in the search. As Boehm points out, it's no guarantee of success. "You can pay a firm tens of thousands of dollars to find a spokesperson for you, and the results can be less than desirable."

If you opt for the do-it-yourself route, leverage your contacts during search and outreach. Well-placed family, friends and business associates can get you in the door.

Know the risks -- and have an exit strategy. Two words: Michael Phelps. By aligning with a person in the public eye, a business or brand and its spokesperson become inextricably linked. Trouble for the spokesperson generally means trouble for the business or brand. Be sure your company has a contractual "out" for cases like that, Lenstrom says.

Be a creative, flexible deal maker, and you can land a big name on a small budget. Some luminaries are open to doing deals in which they take little or no money upfront but gain a stake in the company they're pitching for, according to Lenstrom. Others, such as Tomlinson, might be flexible with financial terms if the company agrees to support a charitable cause that is near and dear to them.