What types of companies do you want to align yourself with?
What is the best company to align with? It is a company that does not quite compete with your core business. By this we mean that the company has offerings that dovetail into what you have to offer. If you were selling tire rims, then you would likely want to form an alliance with a company that sells tires. The relationship would work for both companies. Even though you are in the same industry, you both have a different focus. By forming an alliance, you both win. So how do you find such companies? First, you will need to determine what your core business is, and second, what other business would be beneficial for you to offer without taking away from your core. Once you discover the type of business you want to align with, you must do research to see if they already have such alliances with your competition.
Also some companies are not interested in alliances and want to have an open field for other components that dovetail into their business. You must make sure that when you find a good potential alliance, you approach them with well-researched facts. You must be able to show how it will benefit them as well as you. Alliances are like partnerships, both parties need to have everything in writing, including expectations. There also needs to be trust on both sides before the agreement is entered into. Do not pick any company and go from there, do your research first.
When you think about it, many alliances are formed, but few ever work well without doing research. It is likely you will call this type of relationship a Channel Partner, or dealer. Even though these names seem familiar, each has its own unique expectations. When looking for an alliance with another company, you should make sure you look in the right places.
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 |
