I attribute that to my commitment to laying a solid foundation in my business. As many of my readers know, I am a real stickler when it comes to systems. Systems, systems, systems. Seems to be a definite plus in that I continually reap the benefits.

While my systems are working even when I am not, I have been able to enjoy quality time with family and friends. Last weekend my folks came in from the Sacramento area. We had a great visit. One of the highlights of our few days together was strolling through the Saturday market in Eugene. What a colorful experience this is. If you’re ever in the Eugene, Oregon area on a Saturday be sure to add the Saturday market to your list of “must sees.” In some ways, it’s like taking a walk back into the 60’s and 70’s.

Another highlight of my parent’s visit was watching the fun my dad had playing with all the critters who kept vying for his attention. Between our two dogs, the horse, the goat, the cat and the ferret my father didn’t lack for four legged companionship.

 

(When the critters were just babies)

Something I have been enjoying quite a bit is playing a new card game called Hand and Foot. A little known fact about me is I like to call any card game I play, “Kathleen wins.” Oh how I wish that were the case. The last few times I’ve played, I got the pants beat off of me.

Last week I introduced my Street Smarts Marketing Mentoring Program to a great group of avid learners. The program is designed to teach people about the true power of using the Internet in your overall marketing and business. It includes things like building a strong opt-in database, setting your website up in ways to achieve specific outcomes in your business; setting up money-making systems and developing products that you can offer as bonuses, gifts and credibility-building tools.

I am very excited about the caliber of people who joined the program. I look forward to providing lots of great information to them over a ten week period. Many people were told about this program via special announcements. I am of the belief that all the right people joined in.

As I was in my “quiet time” this morning I was thinking about the power of being on track with our purpose. When we are on our true path we attract to us the people and situations who are a great match for our life vision. When we are not on track, we can tend to force an outcome. In the short-term we may get a result, but in the long-term the amount of effort we expend can be exhausting.

The fact is, when we are on purpose with our purpose things flow. Another fact is, with the power of the Internet we have incredible opportunity to reach people with our message we otherwise would not have the occasion to reach. That is, if we know how to reach them.

What I also know to be true is there are certain actions one must take in order to succeed. Here are only a few of what I use.

Quiet time; getting quiet enough to gain clarity of purpose.

Thoughts; allowing thoughts to surface for my consideration.

Intuition; trusting my intuition in such a way that when I get a thought I am willing to explore it. The quiet time allows for more ability to trust intuition. 

Action; being willing to take action without being attached to the outcome.

Letting go; trusting my intuition when I get a sense a project may not be in my best interest at a given time and being willing to let go. This would also apply to being willing to walk away from a sale that on a conscious level seems okay, but on a “gut” level just isn’t a good fit. It is in the letting go we create room for what is the best fit for what we offer and what others are seeking.

Gratitude; giving thanks every day for the blessings I have been given. When I focus on what is right and what is working in my life, I attract more of the goodness.

Giving; be willing to share my blessings with others. Some people may call it tithing, donations, or just plain giving. Whatever it is called, when I give to others when called to do so, I receive more than tenfold in return.

Until next month, may you be blessed and recognize, acknowledge and share your blessings.

The Power and Profit of Affiliate and Joint Venture Partnerships

Many people marketing with the Internet are utilizing a couple of very effective strategies to increase revenues and market reach. Newer marketers may believe these tactics are brand new and are some great “secret” recently revealed. Anyone who has been in marketing for any length of time knows these strategies have been used for years in offline marketing.  When utilized correctly they have been extremely effective in lowering marketing costs while increasing market reach and ultimately revenues.

In offline marketing terms such as sponsorships, partnerships and shared revenues were used to define what is now referred to in the online world as Affiliate Partnerships and Joint Venture Partnerships.

Both online and offline partnerships have incredible benefits and the potential for unbelievable market reach when done right. They can also have incredible pitfalls when they are not well thought out and can cause havoc to one’s market almost instantaneously if not properly planned.

Affiliate Partnership
In this type of partnership, someone else (the affiliate) helps to sell your product or service and receives a percentage of that sale based on performance. The affiliate markets to their customers and clients. Common items to sell would be software programs, eProducts, and seminar registrations. This type of partnership allows for increased revenue streams while providing added value to existing clients by offering products and/or services that would be beneficial to them.

One challenge with online affiliate partnerships is the inexperienced marketer who is encouraging people to buy something they have not tried, know nothing about and are basically trying to make a quick buck. For an affiliate partnership to be most effective, research what is being promoted and only offer items that are a good match for the market being targeted.

Considerations in choosing affiliate partnerships are:

• How credible is the product or service?

• How long has it been on the market?

• Is the market saturated with other people selling the item?

• Is there a large enough market?

• What is your percentage of the sale?

• How and when are payments made?

• What is the reputation of the person you will be selling the product or service for?

Joint Venture Partnership
The primary purpose of this partnership is cross promotion with the goal of one company selling a product/service while increasing market reach and database size for all partners. A Joint Venture partner (JV) agrees to send out a message to their market about the company or product that Company A is promoting. In return for promoting Company A’s product or service to their market, the JV is able to offer some type of incentive to Company A’s customer base. This incentive will drive anyone who purchases Company A’s product or service to the JV’s company. The incentive could be a free item or a discount on an item. Ideally, the incentive offer is free.

Assume you are spearheading just such a partnership.  Let’s say you secure partnerships with ten JV’s who each have a market reach of 100,000 and you have a market reach of 100,000. With the right partners your market reach will have gone less than 10% of what you would have had to over 1,000,000.

An essential element of success in JV partnerships is that everyone involved does what they agree to do. With a well-organized partnership where everyone follows through on their part, you can reap incredible benefits. If not, you can have a huge headache to deal with, let alone what it could do to your company’s reputation.

In a perfect world these types of partnerships would be hassle-free. In reality, there are areas of consideration, such as:

• What is the reputation of your potential partners?

• Will they follow through?

• What is the quality of the incentives they are offering?

• Is the market you are targeting oversaturated with these types of partnerships?

Affiliate and Joint Venture campaigns may be one of the best business and marketing decisions you can make or they may not be a good fit at all. Make your decision based on the overall objectives of your organization. By doing your homework you will be able to determine if this is a good fit for your business model. In some cases it is a great match, in other cases you may decide to walk away.

Kathleen Gage is a best-selling author, keynote speaker and trainer who works with organizations who want to increase their market position, sales and level of achievement by going beyond the obvious. Visit www.kathleengage.com

Whether you call them strategic alliances, joint ventures, or Power Partnerships, they all have the same potential benefits: a more joyful life and exponential business growth.  When you ask any successful person what the key to their results was, they will reply, “Others who helped me.”

Why create Power Partnerships? Three reasons:

• You need not do it alone. Whether at home or at work, Power Partners allow you to focus on your areas of strength, interest, and passion;

• You can solve the problem of too much to do and too little time; and

• If you hate sales and marketing or are tired of networking, you can still create a successful business or career by creating “all-win” Power Partnerships.

What are the steps to creating Power Partnerships?

First, know yourself. Build a “Partnership With Self.” Identify and focus on your strengths, passions and purpose – the foundation of a joyful life and a rock-solid business!

Second, define your ideal target client and market niche—those you wish to serve and who you can serve the best. Write the specific demographics and psychographics or your ideal client. Ask yourself the question, “If I had to choose between x or y, which would I choose?”  Narrow your market. By specializing, you become even more valuable in the marketplace. Present your unique difference, and your clients will appreciate your value and pay even higher rates to work with you.

Third, once you are focused on your strengths and passions and know who you can best serve, identify and make a list of your prospective Power Partners. There are three types of Power Partners to seek out:

• Those who can fulfill a business need you have, particularly in an area that is not your strength or interest;

• Those who can help you increase your sales and reach; and

• Those who can provide support and accountability to help you grow.
  

Oftentimes, Power Partners provide products and/or services that are complimentary to yours, and which are targeting the same market as you are. They may also be established in markets that are new to you, which will in turn allow you to expand your offerings.

Fourth, be pro-active in your attempt to create a Power Partnership. Before you contact potential Power Partners, do your research and preparation. Who are all the players who may be involved in the decision to partner? What are their potential needs and pains?  What can you offer them? How are you unique? What is the best way to reach this prospect? Begin your Partnership process by explaining your “end in mind”—a Power Partnership that is of mutual benefit. Set the stage for a creative and collaborative process. Succinctly share the potential problems you can solve or gains and benefits you can provide, and then ask them to explain how they perceive the value of your offerings.

Fifth, learn the proven GROW Partnership model (*see below) and ask questions regarding each aspect of the model. The key to a Power Partnership is to fully understand all you can about your prospective partner, and asking is the best way to learn.

Peel the onion. Ask, ask, and ask some more.

Sixth, present your offer based on what they have shared. Address only those aspects of your product or service that pertain to and are of interest to your prospective partner.  Keep it as simple as possible. Provide options from which they can choose, and an easy way to try out the Partnership.

Seventh, ask for feedback. How do they feel about the Partnership?  What are the areas of most interest and value to them?  What is the Potential impact?  Are there any concerns or questions?  Address their needs. Cement the partnership, and then congratulate yourself for creating a Power Partnership that will lead to growth for all parties involved!

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Denise Trifiletti is the founder of WomensCommunity.com, the exclusive forum for women ready to grow through Power Partnerships. She is a co-author of Create the Business Breakthrough you Want: Secrets and Strategies from the World’s Greatest Mentors, with Brian Tracy and Mark Victor Hansen.

* Download your free chapter including the GROW Partnership Model at www.womenscommunity.com and also receive your free Power Partnership workbook. Join WomensCommunity.com and meet your Power Partners, live a joyful life and exponentially grow your business!

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Kathleen Gage works with organizations who want to increase their market position, sales and level of achievement by thinking and taking action beyond the obvious.

• Keynote Speaking – Conferences and conventions

• Business Advising – Sales and Marketing and Authorship Programs

• Corporate Training – Sales, Marketing & Promotions and Achievement  

• Internet visibility coaching and mentoring programs

To book Kathleen call 541.654.0426