Sep

22

Make Partnerships Information Based

September 22, 2006 | Anita Campbell

A lot of companies that want to capture the loyalty of small businesses have the right idea.  They understand that small business owners are more likely to consider a vendor to be adding value if that vendor provides access to complementary products and services from partners.

But what usually happens is this:  the vendor links to some partners in the footer or side column of their website, perhaps with a special discount.  And then calls it a day.  

The more ambitious companies might send out a joint marketing piece with a discount or ”special offer” once in a while. 

Even that’s not enough.

The best in class go beyond merely presenting discounts and sales offers.  According to Emmy-winning TV commentator and author and expert on partnering, Kare Anderson (blog):

“… cross-promotions have to be more than just a discounted offer. The better ones tend to be information-driven in that they provide informative as well as monetary value to the customer.”

The small business owner wants to be shown how, not sold to.  Show them how they can use a partner’s solution to solve a business problem and you engage their brains.  They are more receptive.  Push an offer at them and the walls go up and eyes glaze over.

Here are just a few ways that companies provide information-based partner products and services.

  • Provide advice articles that suggest why a small business needs a third-party tool.  But don’t stop there — use the article to explain how to use the third party tool.  Give examples or suggest specific vertical industry uses, not just generalized statements of benefits (or worse, lists of product features).
  • Integrate third-party solutions into your products.  Cross-linking via a banner in a website is a start, but it is not enough.  Go farther, and make sure the links pop up in the midst of a relevant transaction or process.  Enable data transfer from one application to another without the need to double key in data. 
  • If you host brick-and-mortar events insist that the third party have a deeper role than a mere sponsorship opportunity.  For instance: set up a kiosk for the third party product or service.  Then ask the partner company to issue all attendees a trial account that can be activated by visiting the kiosk, which is manned with staff who show business owners how to use the product.  

Susan Ward at About.com’s Small Business: Canada site triggered my thinking on this blog post with her article about creating a self-promotion kit.  In it she talks about always having other people’s business cards with you to hand out.  She writes, “People like to receive information that they see as immediately valuable to them.” 

I thought that was a good metaphor for partner situations. Approach with the idea of providing information about third party solutions, and you will find a more receptive small business buyer for your own products and services.


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