Making Introductions and Offers - Authority Alliances
The part of all this that puts most people off is the introduction.
Approaching people with a view to getting them to help you is daunting. But think about it, isn’t this just another reason to make your offer as juicy as possible, so you are providing them something of value rather than asking for a favour?
Also you do not want to make this a cold-call situation. Get onto their radar first; get known as a valuable contributor. You need to break the ice, and not seem like you are demanding in a vacuum. Of course, you don’t want to be seen as a stalker either!
1) Go to conferences - deals happen in halls
2) Use Twitter
3) Comment on blogs, not just the person you want to target
4) Guest post
5) Make yourself useful on forums
People partner with people they know. Make yourself known, in a good way.
Who to Approach?
To begin with you might not want to aim too high, at least until you have grown in confidence and know that your deals will work out for all concerned. That said, shooting for the moon and actually winning it has got to be the biggest confidence boost of all.
Just don’t be upset if you get knocked back, just move on to the next and try to learn from each.
Partner with people you are fans of. That makes people nervous, but you have to partner with people you respect and know will add value.
Also, have confidence in what you have to offer. Confidence is attractive and makes it more likely a deal will be done.
Partner Deals
Remember as I said before. it's not about just your own gain. That would be a favour, or in extreme circumstances, exploitation.
Each deal must be mutually beneficial for you, the partner and especially the audience. Ideally the audience should enjoy and gain so much value that they will anticipate your next promotion or event and bring friends.
If it goes well and everyone benefits then you will have a partner for life, and long term is what you really want to aim for.
Work out the deal first, or at least what you are willing to do, what the benefits to the partner are, and what you need in return.
The easier you can make their part of the deal the more likely they will say yes, so make the process and the instructions simple, and work on how you describe it to communicate ease and reward.
Making the Partner Offer
While some people recommend using a template to approach potential partners, I don't believe you should use a stock email. Far better you get to know the person THEN ask personally.
You might need to stroke their ego a tiny bit, but if you do use specifics. It’s horrible when people tell you they are long time fans and you KNOW that can’t be true.
Use social proof (mentioned earlier) and exclusivity; you are not offering this to just anybody.
Use these approaches carefully and cautiously, as you don't want to come across pushy, manipulative or sleazy. If you are "pitching" you are trying too hard, they need to want to be on board without being overtly sold.
Have all the details of their part to play ready, when, how and step by step what needs to happen. They need to know how to deliver, and you need to know that they will deliver, and a plan b if they do not.
The better the deal for partners, and the better you communicate, the more partners you will get, to the point where people ask to partner with you
Communication with partners is VITAL - you MUST keep in touch with partners and potential partners before, during and after. Supply your IM accounts, perhaps even your cell number.
Give LOTS of lead-time, people are busy, especially your most wanted partners. Also provide polite and well-spaced reminders so everyone makes each deadline. Provide updates of where you are with your side of the bargain.
Finally
I hope this report has given you some ideas for how you might grow your audience, build your profile and make more profit using strategic partnerships and alliances.
Here are some final thoughts:
1. Always Build Your List
Remember that subscribe page? Whatever happens, make sure that page is at least mentioned. Ideally, the visitor will be delivered there as part of the deal, but whatever happens, try to make sure you at least grow your list.
Always have an eye on the long term, if you gain nothing else from a deal you must at least consider ways that you can add to your email list and feeds.
2. Tracking and Success
You need to know which partnerships worked out, which didn't, and why for each. If you do three or more deals, how will you know which one delivered the most value?
Before going in you need to decide which criteria you will judge success on and how you will measure it. This means implementing tracking.
Affiliates are easy, the software does the counting for you, but does not tell you the how and they why, and will not tell you about issues such as reputation and credibility.
Also you need to take into account which partnerships were most easy, fun, and argument-free. This isn’t supposed to be a chore, so try to work with people who make life light and straightforward rather than an uphill battle.
Source: Chris Garrett
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