Stand Out From the Competition by Partnering

Business is slower in many restaurants on Tuesday nights it is packed at one  where they host Women’s’ Night Out with 

dim sum-style dinners so women order small dishes and share tables with friends and strangers to ask questions of beauty and health experts or to sing karoke or learn something fun like improv – all provided by the restaurant’s partners who refer to each other when it is their night to engage the crowd.

Stand out from the competition by partnering in smart ways

• The restaurant became known as a fun place to meet, not “just” for dinner but also for fun and learning with friends.

• Those who entertained diners gained a warm-up introduction to prospective clients.

What does this mean for you and your business?

Even the well-to-do have become frugal in this bad economy and so, perhaps have you. To attract and keep customers, patients or clients you need two things:

1. Value that differentiates you from the competition so you become their top-of-mind choice.

2. Visibility so more of your kind of clients hear about you in ways that make them trust you.

The most credible way to do both is, thankfully, also the most cost-effective and efficient. 

It is simply this: Forge value and visibility-generating partnerships with reputable, complementary individuals and businesses (or organizations) that serve the same kind of clients.

Here’s another quick example.With most home prices stalled this is not a happy time for most Realtors yet two I know are doing well. Why? Because they positioned themselves as Homeowner’s Helpers, in partnership with a plumber, contractor, electrician, gardener and hardware store.

Together they write an idea-packed blog and host monthly demonstrations at one of their places. Consequently they have become the sought-after subject matter experts to be quoted in the local media whenever there’s a news story that affects homeowners.

Along the way they have learned a lot about each other’s work and have come to respect each other so it is easy and natural for them to work seamlessly to help a client, co-sponsor an event, cross-refer or praise a partner.

Each time they try out a new partnering method, they are more familiar with each other’s strengths, business slow times and more so it is easier to design and execute the partnership.

The Tom Sawyer Effect

Tom Sawyer in Huckleberry Finn attracted people who wanted to help him whitewash the fence, because he made it look like such fun.

Now that Homeowner’s Helpers have become locally famous for their success in helping homeowners (and are visibly enjoying working together) others who also sell to homeowners are eager to join the partnership.

If they are complementary, reputable businesses they can join yet are expected to prove themselves in the beginning before the partnership is made permanent. This approach enables the partners to maintain their reputation and multiply the number of prospects they credible reach while further reducing their promotional overhead.

In the next few posts you can discover exactly how to partner to grow your service-related business. Because I’ve spoken atseveral dental conventions I wrote this series for dental practices yet you can adapt many of the ideas for your kind of professional practice, from CPAs to veterinarians or as a partner with one.

Just adapt the tips and examples to your kind of work. And please share the ways you - or someone you know – is profitably partnering – or not – and what you’ve learned.

See how much others have accomplished in consulting with Kare http://www.sayitbetter.com/coaching.php - or bring her to speak http://www.sayitbetter.com/meeting_planners.php

Posted via email from Kare Anderson on Coummunicating to Connect