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The Fine Art of Partnering
- Anne Ward
Let’s say you’ve
decided that you want to grow your business. And let’s say that
you’ve determined that you want to grow by adding more customers (as
opposed to selling more to current customers). A great way to
attract more customers to your business is through partnering with
other businesses.
Here’s an example:
My friend, Emily,
is a personal trainer. She loves putting together exercise routines
and specializes in programs for triathletes and skiers. A few years
back, she had a request from a skier in a different state who wanted
Emily’s expertise in designing a new training track. She put
together an assessment to determine the athlete’s strengths and
weaknesses and built a personalized training program for the skier.
Even though they never met in person, the skier got the performance
increase he was looking for ... and Emily got an idea. How many
other skiers might be interested in assessing their strong and weak
areas and training in order to increase speed, agility, and
enjoyment? And how could she find them?
She started by
talking with a few local ski clubs and ended up partnering with two
of them as their in-house trainer. That was four years ago. Today,
Emily partners with the owners of several skiing web sites, selling
assessments and training routines on line to skiers all over the
world. She has also designed basic training programs for a company
that manufactures ski wear. That company uses her training programs
as promotions and incentives for their customers.
So what about you?
Think about your ideal customer. What else does that customer need –
things that you don’t supply? Where are they buying those things?
Who else do they do business with? What are their affiliations
(associations, clubs, and other organizations)? Make a list.
Next, think about
each person or organization on that list. How could they benefit
from partnering with you? How could their customers benefit? How
might you partner with them in order to help them serve their
customers better?
We’ve had
clients who get excited when they realize the possibilities around
partnering. Some are wildly creative and have developed some
wonderful business relationships that keep both companies on the
growing edge. |
