As we get into this post – we’re going to make you feel a little nervous. Why? Well, it’s because you’re going to find out how important finding your best business partners really is. In fact, next to finding the hungry mob that wants to buy your products and services, finding these partners is possibly the next most critical step to business success.
No matter what business you’re in, there’s going to come a time when you have to pass your customers to another person. That person might run your merchant service, your website, your marketing, your web hosting, or they might even be the maker of your favorite product.
But, very few business owners really understand how these relationships impact their business in the long run. Listen along as Simon and Bradley spin tales of when things didn’t quite go right…
EPISODE TITLE: “Friends, Enemies & Partners – How to Spot A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing…”
Finding Your Best Business Partners vs A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
Even in you’re just starting out, you’re going to want to write down your core values. You know, those internal values you live life by. And, you’re going to want to pick partnerships that share those same values.
Why?
Well, it’s easy to explain.
One day, not everything is going to go as planned. You’re going to have a customer that doesn’t get what they wanted. You’re going to have some technical problems. You’re going to have challenges delivering your products and services. And, you’re going to have a tough time supporting your existing customers.
And, when all that happens…
Finding your best business partners will take on a whole new meaning. You’re going to want (read need) a partner that gets your and how you tick. Because you’re going to need them in the foxhole with you.
For instance… if you’re having technical issues, you’ll want a partner that understands technical problems and is helping you find a solution.
Or..
If you’re having challenges supporting your customers, you’ll want a business partner that jumps into the fray to help you.
It would be nice for us to develop an internal team that does all this. But, that’s not how business really works. We find a set of business partners in the services we use and we have to rely on them for years to come.
Listen to this week’s podcast to really understand how to overcome these challenges!
And…
After you listen to this one – you’ll want to check out our “Build Your Brand. How Important Is It and Who Cares Anyway?“
As the son of a Fuller Brush Salesman turned middle manager, I went rogue and did the unthinkable – I got an engineering degree. Early in my career I quickly rose to leadership positions and ended up as the youngest partner of my fourth employer.
But, the itch to sell overwhelmed me and my DNA was showing up everywhere. As a young entrepreneur, I was selling my own professional services to consumers and businesses as a computer consultant to put myself through college. Then, after going into engineering, when the technical work was done for the day, I’d pinch hit for our marketing teams. This quickly became a skill as we continued to rack up the wins. I love to win and we won big!
I have been on more once-in-a-lifetime projects as technical staff, project manager or as a principal than one professional should be blessed with. I’ve worked on huge bridges, long underground train systems, and complex water resources projects. All have been won with a clever combination of words, presentation, reputation, and many ounces of technical skill.
In all this, I’ve come to appreciate making the complex simple and communicating directly to the decision makers in words they understand with benefits they appreciate. And, I love working on teams the continue to win. I know that working together will make winning faster and easier for you and I’m excited to get started on your next project.
Other places we can connect:
Digital Main Street Media – dedicated to helping local businesses make the most of the internet to increase leads and sales.
AEC Professional Matters – all things B2B Marketing and B2B Copywriting. This site gives you direct access to the leader in civil engineering copywriting, architecture copywriting and construction copywriting.
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