Blue Marble Blog
Why Partnerships are More Important Than Ever
There are many things I have learned over the past several years leading our partnerships program at Blue Marble, but none are more important than what I’ve learned in the past 5 months during COVID-19.
Every day I am very fortunate to be able to engage with companies and partners to learn and understand how the current environment has affected their sales organizations. From these conversations I have identified how they are making changes to ultimately increase their bottom line during a difficult time and implement some of these changes myself.
One constant from my experience in sales and partnerships with companies large and small is that things always change, and often times change greatly while forcing companies to adapt. Companies need to start the change process by looking into adding a partnership component to the sales organization (click here to learn more) or make changes to the current partnership model.
Think of it this way - many of us are familiar with the term “diversification” from an investment perspective, but how about from a sales or partnership perspective? Just like it is helpful to have a more diversified investment portfolio, it can also be helpful to have a more diversified partnership approach as well.
If you had all of your partnerships invested into one particular channel and that channel was focused on hospitality or restaurants right now, what do you think that channel would look like today? Probably not very good. Although most of my partnerships are not within a particular vertical, many of them are in the same space and many of them have also faced some similar challenges over the last several months. This has led to a lower volume of opportunities together and some hard lessons learned. Ultimately this has shown me I should start to “diversify” my partnerships as well.
Here is a top 10 list of things I’ve learned that can help you find new ways of working with existing or new partners during this unprecedented time. Some ideas are simple but can have significant or immediate impacts - especially #3:
- Find out what types of companies are thriving in this environment and partner with them
- Ask your best partners who they are working with and if they could make introductions for you
- Drink more coffee or make a perfect protein shake - this always helps me be more productive (message me for my favorite recipes)
- Ask your sales team what other lines of business they are working within the organization during their sales cycle and identify new resources within the company
- Always conduct video calls when possible, it’s amazing what some face time will do. And don’t be afraid to be casual – we are all at home, talking to kids and pets all day!
- Ask what they have been doing differently, you would be surprised at what you can learn from new and existing contacts. No need to re-invent the wheel
- Be a trusted resource and offer value to your partners. We all need it now more than ever. Amazing what impact this can have and who they will think of next when they need your services
- Find more partners! Identify who can help and also need you and weed out the ones who aren’t a good use of time today. It can be really tough but it’s important to spend your time in the right places with the right people
- Use your marketing team to send out relevant and valuable content to your partners. If you aren’t sending out regular communications, you are missing the boat. I get 10-20% of my partner referrals this way - who doesn’t want 20% more opportunities that you don’t spend any time on?
- Don’t stress so much. Find more time to enjoy your kids, go for a hike or walk during the day to get some fresh air, meditate, workout, bake, or whatever it is that makes you happy. A less stressed and happier person makes for a more productive one for sure
There is no doubt this environment has challenged all of us, but those willing to adapt and change will also continue to thrive. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you want to learn more about what we are doing here at Blue Marble or if I can help you in any way. Or if you just want to talk about Montana, coffee, or protein shake recipes!
There are many things I have learned over the past several years leading our partnerships program at Blue Marble, but none are more important than what I’ve learned in the past 5 months during COVID-19.
Every day I am very fortunate to be able to engage with companies and partners to learn and understand how the current environment has affected their sales organizations. From these conversations I have identified how they are making changes to ultimately increase their bottom line during a difficult time and implement some of these changes myself.
One constant from my experience in sales and partnerships with companies large and small is that things always change, and often times change greatly while forcing companies to adapt. Companies need to start the change process by looking into adding a partnership component to the sales organization (click here to learn more) or make changes to the current partnership model.
Think of it this way – many of us are familiar with the term “diversification” from an investment perspective, but how about from a sales or partnership perspective? Just like it is helpful to have a more diversified investment portfolio, it can also be helpful to have a more diversified partnership approach as well.
If you had all of your partnerships invested into one particular channel and that channel was focused on hospitality or restaurants right now, what do you think that channel would look like today? Probably not very good. Although most of my partnerships are not within a particular vertical, many of them are in the same space and many of them have also faced some similar challenges over the last several months. This has led to a lower volume of opportunities together and some hard lessons learned. Ultimately this has shown me I should start to “diversify” my partnerships as well.
Here is a top 10 list of things I’ve learned that can help you find new ways of working with existing or new partners during this unprecedented time. Some ideas are simple but can have significant or immediate impacts – especially #3:
- Find out what types of companies are thriving in this environment and partner with them
- Ask your best partners who they are working with and if they could make introductions for you
- Drink more coffee or make a perfect protein shake – this always helps me be more productive (message me for my favorite recipes)
- Ask your sales team what other lines of business they are working within the organization during their sales cycle and identify new resources within the company
- Always conduct video calls when possible, it’s amazing what some face time will do. And don’t be afraid to be casual – we are all at home, talking to kids and pets all day!
- Ask what they have been doing differently, you would be surprised at what you can learn from new and existing contacts. No need to re-invent the wheel
- Be a trusted resource and offer value to your partners. We all need it now more than ever. Amazing what impact this can have and who they will think of next when they need your services
- Find more partners! Identify who can help and also need you and weed out the ones who aren’t a good use of time today. It can be really tough but it’s important to spend your time in the right places with the right people
- Use your marketing team to send out relevant and valuable content to your partners. If you aren’t sending out regular communications, you are missing the boat. I get 10-20% of my partner referrals this way – who doesn’t want 20% more opportunities that you don’t spend any time on?
- Don’t stress so much. Find more time to enjoy your kids, go for a hike or walk during the day to get some fresh air, meditate, workout, bake, or whatever it is that makes you happy. A less stressed and happier person makes for a more productive one for sure
There is no doubt this environment has challenged all of us, but those willing to adapt and change will also continue to thrive. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you want to learn more about what we are doing here at Blue Marble or if I can help you in any way. Or if you just want to talk about Montana, coffee, or protein shake recipes!