Many of us were raised with the notion, If you want good help, do it yourself. However, for entrepreneurs that advice is severely lacking. Following this route is based upon narrow thinking, will require longer work hours, and quite possibly will result in missed opportunity.
The quickest route to reaching more people, a better qualified audience and bringing in more sales is to partner with those who complement your business. As long as your vision, business integrity and level of ethics are in sync, you will derive benefit from partnering.
Key elements for partnering:
Honest communication
Question rather than assume
Agreement upfront to work out issues that could otherwise cause a separation
Before taking a partner, seriously consider the business owners you know whose business complements yours, whether their database is similar in nature but with a different reach, and from who you can learn new techniques. This is what we call in sales a win-win. Everyone learns andeveryone has something to gain.
Meet with a few potential partners to find the one or few with whom you would most enjoy working. Arrange a trial program such as a podcast or tele-class to test if you will work well together. It will also be wise to pull together a legal document stating your purpose, describe your plan for working together, and how you will divide up the expenses and income.
Be as specific as possible and look into the future of what might be. Think big and work backwards to work out your agreement. You may also consider weekly communication to make certain your goals and tasks are in alignment and being taken care of; meet in person monthly to enjoy the company of each other and brainstorm new ideas. The side effect of doing this is it will put enthusiasm into your waltz.
My Story:
The notion of partnering is new for me. I developed my business by myself except for where I read books to learn from others and occasionally hired a coach to get me to the next level. As my confidence and database grew, I began to find others whose business could provide value-added information to what Smooth Sale has to offer.
As a salesperson first, value-add is exactly what I always offered my corporate clientele and completed very large sales. Returning to my roots, I can now offer my clientele another type of value-add service by virtue of partnering with several individuals on a variety of projects.
The combined-effort projects include tele-classes, webinars and workshops and they are being produced at a far quicker rate than if we were each to go it alone. This makes for a smooth sale.
About the Author:Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC and Author, offers sales training,coaching,speaking and a full product line.
Smooth Sale Delivers: Professional Sales Training, Licensing, Coaching, Motivational Speaking and a Full Product Line.
Elinor's book, Nice Girls DO Get The Sale,translated into multiple languages and sells worldwide.
Call 800-704-1499 or Sign up for Sales Tips ezine at Smooth Sale.
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