May
7
Forming a joint venture partnership can be a big step for many entrepreneurs and business owners who have made their own empire all by themselves. However, if you are a delegation-style business owner, you may have reservations about entering into a JV with another business owner.
If a JV proposal looks enticing and the only thing holding you back is the uncertainty of committing to a full JV partnership, there are ways you can test run your partnership without committing too much of your resources.
Joint venture partnerships take on many forms. In the most committed JV partnerships, the parties agree to share resources, such as money, staff, production facilities, etc., to promote their business, package each other’s products or services, or even create, distribute and sell a new product altogether. These partnerships require much effort from both parties to ensure that a business plan is executed effectively and that profits are shared according to the agreement.
But what are some ways that you could partner up with another business owner that does not require so much time, effort, and resources?
Promote Each Other’s Business
One of the most effective core JV strategies is to cross promote each other’s business. This is simply done by informing your customers of the benefits and products of your joint venture partner. One possibility is that you and your JV partner could offer free samples of your products in the other’s respective store. Are you a great cupcake baker? Offer samples to your JV partner’s customers in her coffee shop. And you could offer free coffee samples in your bakery.
Another promotion strategy is to give coupons that are only good for customers of your JV partner, and vice versa. Have your partner’s hardware customers come in to your store for a discount on a garden plant, while your JV partner could offer your gardening customers a coupon for a new hand shovel and gloves.
And don’t forget to lie out brochures and signs in each respective store that offers more information to each other’s customers. With cross promotion, you each can enjoy increased profits simply by sharing customers, while avoiding any monetary commitment.
Bundle Products to Sell
Bundling is another good strategy for selling more and sharing the profits. In the above hardware/garden example, you could bundle a package of seeds or tulip bulbs with a set of your partner’s garden tools. Another great bundling idea is for food service businesses. Package your specialty chocolates in a basket with your JV’s specialty wine. Bundling is a great way to offer added-value to customers and potentially sell more product than just on their own virtue.
Share Customer Lists
An easy strategy could also be to share mailing or email lists. Choose a joint venture partner who has a similar target customer demographic as yours. You could then promote your business to their customers with mailings or email offers, while your JV does the same with your customer list. No additional resources need to be spent, nor does any profit need to be split. If this cross promotion works, you and your JV partner could ramp up your commitment and find another way to offer value to your shared customers.
Joint venture partnerships need not require a lot of effort using these simple strategies. If you have a successful test run with your JV partner, you might move forward with bigger ideas and have even bigger success.
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.
To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free Joint Venture Marketing Wealth Report.
Apr
1
A joint venture is a proven method to increase your marketing and sales – with a much lower risk that doing it all yourself. Since you share resources, costs, supplies, and contacts, the risk is spread between you and your JV partner. You both agree to share the profits (and losses) that are realized from the partnership. Though increasing your profit is a great benefit from joint ventures, you also have the opportunity to walk away from the JV if it doesn’t work.
But how do you find a good JV partner willing to work with you and take on the risks of exploring a new markets and sharing the rewards of bigger profits? Although JV partnerships may seem like a difficult business challenge, finding and convincing potential JV partners is not hard. The truth is that potential partners are everywhere!
Look In Your City
You might look right in your metaphorical backyard. Look at the business across the street or the mall. What about that downtown business that you could partner up with for your company in the suburbs? Proximity doesn’t have to be a detriment to finding a JV partner, nor is it the only way to find one.
A JV partner who is in close proximity has many benefits. First, it has the benefit of being able to hold face-to-face meetings when you and your partner need to discuss an issue. Communication between JV partners is essential, so working with someone you can meet with regularly is a bonus.
Secondly, you and your JV partner can share walk-in customers. A great JV strategy is to have coupons for your JV partner’s business in your store, and vice versa. Convince a customer that if they buy a certain product, they will receive a discount for a complementary product at your JV partner’s location.
Look at businesses in your neighborhood and city and find one that could potentially be a good pairing for your products or services.
Look Online
You can search online and find potential JV partners. You could post an ad on your website, or on a popular “want ads” forum like Craigslist. Though you can never be sure what type of response you’ll get and the quality of potential JV partner, it is a way to increase your list of possibilities.
If you have an Internet business that works from a website, you could also search out other online businesses. You could set up an affiliate program or find other ways to share and build traffic to your sites.
Leverage a Joint Venture Service
There are companies that can help you match up with a potential JV partner. These services usually require a broker fee, but the investment can be well worth the return in finding reputable JV partners. Some broker services simply use a “members only” website where registered members can post their business and needs and browse other businesses that may be a good match. Other companies may do all the matching for you, rather like a dating service. They take into consideration your industry, needs and wants, and then find a set of matches that could work for both parties.
Finding a JV partner doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult. It may take a little work to research good partners and find the best matching, but the reward could be bigger profits for you.
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.
To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free Joint Venture Marketing Wealth Report.
Mar
31
The old business strategy, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” can be so true for a joint venture. Business owners want to succeed in keeping their business sustainable and growing. And usually the biggest obstacle for a business is competition. But do you view your competition as that which must be conquered, or have you really taken a look at your competition and analyzed how you can work to increase profits together?
The psychology of competition has always been that of beating the other companies. There must be a clear winner and a loser. However, this does not have to be the case in business. It is quite possible that you and your competition can put differences aside and work towards mutually beneficial goals. But in order to make that work, you need to remove the face of “the other guy” and become an informed and strategic-thinking entrepreneur.
Analyze the Competition
Before you can figure out how to work together, you need to know the similarities and differences between you and your competition. First, take a good, long look at your competition. Gather and write down information about their business process. Where do their customers come from? How is their product packaged? Where do you see their advertisements?
Learn everything you can about how your competition works. Become a “secret shopper” and make a purchase. You can hire someone or get an associate to do this work if your competition knows whom you are. First-hand knowledge of business practices can be some of the best data. How do they treat customers? How fast was their service? What is their décor if they operate in a retail shop or office? Casually ask other customers about their experiences with your competition.
Formulate a Strategy
Once you have gathered as much information as you can about your competition, analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Is their packaging inferior? Do they provide much better customer service than you? Find the points where your competition could help your business, as well as the strengths you possess that can help them.
After you have pinpointed potential areas in which you can combine efforts, formulate a point-by-point presentation that you can use to convince your competition that by working together you can both enjoy increased revenues.
Approach the Competition
This could be the hardest part, especially if you have had an adverse relationship with your competition in the past. But remember the past is history, and you want to look toward the future with high expectations of success. Agree to bury the proverbial hatchet.
Take them out to lunch or invite them over for a formal meeting. Outline for them your strategic plan that shows specifically how you can combine strengths to generate higher revenues. Can you create more attractive packaging? Can you use your cost-cutting method of production with their stellar customer service? Remember to focus on showing them how they can benefit from your strengths.
If your competition has an open mind, then a joint venture can easily be agreed upon if the benefits are there. Remember to maintain a professional and business-like attitude and your competition can see that you’ll be easy to work with. If your competition agrees with your plan, then congratulations! Move forward to setting your plan in action and enjoy the benefits of your joint effort.
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.
To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free JV Wealth e-zine.