Home
>
Small Business
>
Leveraging Business Relationships for more Profits

Leveraging Business Relationships for more Profits

When should you leverage the relationship?

Leveraging sometimes brings a negative connotation to the mix. It does not have to be that way. Leveraging with alliances can work into a win-win situation were both parties become more profitable and they form more solid business relationships. Leveraging should be taken seriously and not as a way to step on another business to make your own headway. If you work with the alliance partner, you will both be able to leverage the relationship for mutual benefit.

For example, a store I was working with in the past had several channel partners that they wanted to leverage. A meeting was setup to discuss how the relationship could be expanded so that it benefited both parties. It was discovered that the partner wanted to learn more about the products the company was selling and get more into the training aspect for its customer base. The parent company on the other hand wanted to find ways to support the customers of the partner in order for the partner to gain more sales.

In this case, both parties were able to leverage the others' contacts and offer better customer service. The channel partners also were able to find additional customers because they had more of an inside track on the products being offered. They were able to train new customers and give a new dimension to their offerings. The parent company profited from the additional sales.

Through leveraging the current customer base and the product lines, both companies could offer better customer service. As a result of this success, the parent company offered the same alternatives to other channel partners and found that most of them welcomed the additional opportunity. The opportunity, in order to be successful, has to be presented to the right level of decision makers.

Who You Need (to Form a Relationship With)

At what level should the relationship be established?

A question that is often asked is "How do you get to the right person in an organization for making the decision?" The answer is not an easy one as some organizations have decision making at various levels, and of course it depends on the size of the organization. If you are dealing with 10 or fewer employees, you are likely to need to work with the owner or CEO of the organization. It is imperative that you do not deal with those that cannot make the appropriate decision. You may find that you are dealing with influencers, but in the long run they cannot make the decision to go or not to go with the alliance.

So how do you get to the right person? There are many answers to this question, but the simplest answer is to start at the top. I know that many CEOs do not want to deal with sales people and certainly not with a lot of the everyday information that comes their way. So getting to them may be a bit difficult. The best way to form a relationship is to appeal to their business pain (that which concerns them the most) and offer a solution to that pain. For example, a company I worked with wanted to setup a channel or partner network to sell their products, since they only had a couple of dealers at the time but needed to move to the next level. They had to deal directly with the owners of the companies and offer them a profit, as the proverbial carrot, to entice them.

Profit is not the only way to get to the CEO, you also need to understand their business goals and see how you can fit into the formula before making the approach. The key here is to show that you have something to offer that is of value to them.

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

scheduled cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Leveraging Business Relationships for more Profits

Small Business