Building Your Business Top Ten: Finding the Best Partner

10. Hounding trade shows.

Pro: Industry trade shows can be a great way to meet and forward a potential relationship. Con: the cost, time and energy are not guaranteed to produce top-of-the-line results.

9. Local networking events.

Pro: Ability to create a local partnership inexpensively. Sometimes the best for one-person sole proprietorships or small companies (less than five employees) starting service-based businesses. Con: usually not industry or subject matter guaranteed.

8. State-wide resources.

Pro: Resources like the Small Business Administration (SBA) offer Business Information Centers in more than eighty cities across the country. The counselors are in touch with up and coming companies that might be looking for company with a product just like yours. Con: time and money spent in going to the BIC.

7. Industry media coverage Pro: Positioning your partner strategy to a broad audience so they come to you. Con: you either have to be a PR expert or hire one.

6. Search web sites.

Pro: Expedient search of potential partners by category. Con: Inability to confirm alignment of their partner objectives with your own.

5. Self-posted bots.

Pro: Posting your own partnership needs drives potential partners to you. Con: Announcing your partner strategy to the known universe.

4. Vendors.

Pro: Those individuals who know your business undoubtedly have an opinion about how you can be doing your business faster and more efficiently. Tap into their perspective once in a while. Con: The vendor is not in possession of your own partner strategy, and will need to be told what you are looking for in order to send you qualified potential candidates.

3. Suppliers or dealers Pro: same as above. Con: Your own dealers, once in possession of your partner strategy, might go over to the potential partner, thus turning that entity into a potential competitor.

2. Customers.

Pro: Those who purchase your products or services are in a great position to know what products/services might be best marketing, sold or serviced together. Con: Disclosing partnership strategies to customer’s causes uncertainty and concern that you might be changing your processes and procedures, or worst, increase costs.

1. Partner development bulletin board.

Pro: Seeking and qualifying potential partners in specific industries quickly and cheaply. Con: Taking the time to develop a partner portal.

More information for the entrepreneur can be found at www.bmginc.com or at www.MyBizHomepage.com

Building Your Business Top Ten: Finding the Best Partner - To learn more about this author, visit Sarah Gerdes's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
THREE RING DISASTER
	A great sales horror story, visually funny, teaches a couple sales jokers a serious lesson.
Finding the Right Business Partners
	The right partner can ease the road and multiply the profïts of your business. Whether you are looking for investment funds, advice, a complementary skill set, or helpful associations, these insights will help you c...
Accountability for your Career
	Being accountable to someone else is constraining.  You can't just do anything you want. You must do it the manager's way and in the manager's time frame. After you’ve left a job being accountable to only yourself ...
Passing On Your Home Business
	A big part of the business world is passing on your business to someone as you get older. There are many home or small business owners that make a big production of this, in the same way that a larger business is go...
10 Rules for Attracting a Big Partner
	Building a winning relationship: 10 rules for landing a big partner.

---

Related Forum Posts
	Hi - I'm Martin Haworth
	Books for the Entrepreneur
	Type of business with building
	Re: Great start, but no finish
	Free Downloads For Startups!
	My entry
	Rich Schefren on Business Systems Video
	Re: Great start, but no finish