| |
| |
|
Small Business Information |
|
|
|
Finding the PERFECT Alliance Partner
Where do you look for the appropriate alliance? One of the most asked question is "Where do you find a good alliance partner?" It is actually fairly easy. You can find potential alliances by taking some time to research potential partners. Remember that you should start by focusing more on finding the potential partner than you do on implementing the alliance. You should rely on your own business relationships and referrals from your current customer base or contacts. It is through referrals that the best possible linkages are obtained. Yes, there are other ways to get potential partners and those can also be explored, it is just that they take a little longer to cultivate. Looking at the associations you belong to is one way you can add candidates to your list. Only choose those that are not offering the same product or service as you. Trade groups, such as trade organizations are an excellent source as well. Your local Chamber of Commerce has many members and you will find several potential alliance partners in their directory. You should also search job boards for companies that are looking to hire in your area of expertise (especially if you are a consultant). The important thing is that you make an extensive list of candidates. Having made a first draft of possible candidates, the next step in your careful planning is to make sure that the potential alliance partner is open to adding your products or services to their current line of business. You also need to make sure that there is sufficient profit for the alliance to work. Besides profit, there also needs to be a market for what each of you offer. Once you have made your short list of candidates, make sure that you do some research into their business ethics, customer testimonials, and general business dealings. If you do your homework, you will have a better chance of finding the right alliance partner. Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Small-Business - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Care and Feeding of Your Small Business While I was hard at work last week, an everyday drama was playing out in a hospital room in the next town. My niece was working on presenting me with a new great nephew. 20 Great Ways to Market Your Business Locally Whether your target audience is in your neighborhood or across the world, you can use your local resources to get the word out about your business. Your local community is easily accessible and provides dozens of opportunities for building a buzz about your product or service. Home Based Franchise; What About Future Expansion? As a franchisor I am always asked by new and existing franchisees about future expansion. I find this to be a most wonderful question because I admire the strength of today's entrepreneur. A Small Business Must Have a Solid Foundation We all know that a building has to have a strong foundation if it is to survive, so, too, a business.There are many planks that support a business but there are four corner-posts that bear the most weight?The four corner-posts are Marketing, Selling, Production and Financial Control. Small Business Success: Thriving During Change (And Landing On Your Feet!) If I had $1.00 every time I heard someone say " I don't like change or, change makes me uncomfortable" I'd be a millionaire. Build Credibility, Value, and Trust on a Shoestring Setting priorities in your business? Your first job is to sell. Selling is - writing the orders; receiving the cash; feeding the beast. Everything I Need to Know About Business I Learned From My Nametag So there I was - sitting in the audience of an on-campus seminar. Surrounding me sat hundreds of fellow students; each of us wearing one of those little, handwritten, adhesive nametags. Your Business and the Story of a Tree; Part One This morning, I went to take a short walk outside. I've been feeling a little more flexible since this weekend, and I figured a stroll would help me keep that liquid feeling in my bones that I've missed so much. Be Prepared When Business Investors Look Beyond Your Business Plan You have spent considerable time pulling your business plan together, contacting potential business investors, making management presentations and pitching your business plan to prospective business investors. Now you finally have a serious investor who wants to conduct "due diligence" before investing real cash into your business. Youll See It When You Believe It - Growing Your Business from the Inside Out What unspoken message are you sending your clients and customers? Is your personal energy field projecting positive, high vibrational energy or just the opposite? The latter will cost you business--and worse, you won't even realize it. The energy I'm talking about here has been called many things, "being in flow," "in the zone," "locked on", "jazzed", "sending out good vibes," (that last one is for anyone old enough to remember the 60's). Business Valuation is Critical What is Business Valuation? The term business valuation is the method by which the business worth is determined. This usually happens when the business is for sale, when the business is looking for extra funding from the banks, when the business is considering taking on extra investors, or where the business is looking at merging with another organisation. Increase Productivity and Business Success - Take Responsibility Are you responsible for your results?What comes to mind when I say that?When you hear that you're totally responsible for the results you produce in your business and in your life---you might jump to a conclusion. You may think that I'm suggesting that you should take the blame for your results. Grants vs. Contracts Commonly folks have asked me what the technical difference is between a contract and a grant. The difference is not about the dollar value or who the buying entity is nor the kind of work being done. Shocking Experienced Copywriter Reveals Little-known Secrets To Closing BIG Ticket Deals! Hogwash!That's what I say to people who tell me that their business is purely and solely a "cheapest price business."People who stubbornly insist that "MY business is different" are right, but not in a good way. Small Businesses With Work Trucks; A Warning If you are a non-operator owner of many work trucks, you should keep your business credit card with you not leave it in one of the trucks. You should not issue them to employees without strict guidlines. Professional Car Care Businesses You Can Start If you are in the professional car care business you may be looking to expand your business, for that no one can blame you. But which add on service makes the most sense? You will have to make an honest assessment of your current clientele and decide that for your self. How to be Annoyed and Make Money When do annoyances in a relationship become too much to bear?Have you ever worked for a client that drives you up the wall and back down the other side but you keep working with them because you need the money? I am sure most of us have been in that position and were so happy when that relationship finally broke up. It felt like you were finally free and able to do what you do best somewhere else, or you fell into panic because you had no income anymore. Franchising and Royalty Payments If you are thinking of turning your current into a franchising company you will need to determine a fair and equitable franchise royalty fee. There are a number of questions you will need to ask yourself in determining this fee such as what services you will provide to your franchisee team and what that will cost. A Great Logo Is A Marketing Must-Have. But Is It Affordable For Small Business Owners? And is having a logo really that important?My answer to both of these questions is an emphatic YES!A logo is a graphic or visual representation of your brand. Your brand is your business, product or service and what it stands for. How Mastering 5 Essential Money Making Ideas Can Lead Your Business to Longterm Cashflow Essentially there are 5 tremendously powerful methods to make money online. These methods were not always available but have only become available due to the large amount of internet commerce being conducted each and every day online.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
