Joint Venture marketing has become a highly popular way for small businesses to maximize their profits. When two or more businesses combine their resources synergistically, it creates greater marketing impact and bigger profits than either can have alone.
Doing joint ventures has many benefits, but there are also many mistakes that can be made. These mistakes can be costly, not only in revenue, but in credibility with your client base.
These are not the only joint venture marketing mistakes made by small businesses, but as these are the most common, avoiding or correcting them will certainly put you on the right path.
Here are the five most common mistakes to avoid:
1. Not taking the time to ensure that your partner has great-quality products and services and a solid reputation.
When you choose a partner, it is imperative to choose one that has high-quality products and services as well as a good reputation within the industry. Sometimes, a company may look better on the surface than it really is. Your credibility is at stake if you partner up with a company that has sub-standard products and services or one that is popular for bad customer service. Do your research about your potential joint venture partners and review their products and services before endorsing them as these issues will reflect on you and your business!
2. Offering your partner too small of a deal
There has to be an incentive for your partner to engage with you, and offering too small of a deal won't make it worth their time and effort. Remember that endorsers with a large, targeted and loyal client base are the most wanted joint venture partners. They'll partner with others if you offer a percentage of the profits that's too low. So make this mental note... if they are worth pursuing, they are worth sharing the profits with.
3. Simply handing over your client list
This can constitute breach of contract with your clients if you have committed to their privacy. You've also worked very hard to build your client list, and this forms part of the value you have to contribute to the joint venture relationship. If you simply hand over your client list, you have no point of leverage.
4. Not devising an exit strategy
Even the best of relationships can go sour, or simply not work. Make sure you have an open door to leave the joint venture if for any reason it is not working out.
5. Committing to a long term relationship from the beginning, without testing your strategy first
Any joint venture should involve a trial period to see if profits will show a real upwards trend, or if the idea is a valid one. If you sign a long term contract, you may be stuck in a no-win situation with no way to escape. As with any marketing strategy, test in small numbers first, before rolling out fully.
Joint Venture marketing is very lucrative, and with some forethought and planning, can help springboard your business to new success levels. Just make sure to do your homework right from the start, and avoid these pitfalls to ensure high returns on your investment of time, money and effort.
Copyright © 2005 by Habiba Abubakar and Emprez. All rights reserved.
Note: You are welcome to republish this article as long as the resource box at the end is included fully and unaltered.
Habiba Abubakar, a.k.a. The Profit Diva, specializes in helping small business owners who are struggling to increase their client base and are tired of earning mediocre profits. The tips in this article have been excerpted from her home-study program, "Joint Venture Profits For Small Business Owners."
To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up FREE for her revealing Mini eCourse, "The Easiest Way To Skyrocket Your Profits In 90 Days Or Less," visit http://www.profitdiva.com
So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey,... Read More
What's your Selling Sentence? If you have a business, you... Read More
The small time promoter has to work hard and on... Read More
In your marketing efforts, be they on or offline, it's... Read More
New to a sales career? Want to market yourself but... Read More
"Necessity is the mother of invention!" The first time I... Read More
"There are those who get things done and those who... Read More
None of us have enough time in the day to... Read More
The key to success in any business relies a large... Read More
Besides a survey, your contact list can be used to... Read More
The industry standard for mobile washing is completing the car... Read More
What is the biggest problem most marketers have? Who knows.... Read More
Oh come on! FREE is free. Zero, zip, nada, zilch.... Read More
When you put time or money into any marketing plan,... Read More
Are your marketing messages to Realtors® guilty of these promises?-... Read More
How would you use business cards for gift certificates?I asked... Read More
The internet of course brings a huge arena of marketing... Read More
Yellow Page users are the hottest of all prospects ?... Read More
If you have been to expos and trade shows as... Read More
Today's business marketing rules are different than they were in... Read More
excite v. 1 a: to call to activity b: to... Read More
Some years ago, a prominent Australian hi-tech company... Read More
Used the right way and with the right audience, postcards... Read More
I believe that small business marketing and selling follows a... Read More
"Brochure" is French, and it comes from brocher, meaning to... Read More
In early 1992, President George H.W. Bush was riding high.... Read More
"Price gouging" is an emotional, inflammatory term. Everyone is against... Read More
What is a Joint Venture?A joint venture is an agreement... Read More
Here is your C.I.T.T. (pronounced "kit")[Color ? Illustrate? Type ?... Read More
There's really only one thing that separates Image advertising from... Read More
Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at... Read More
Dear Friend:Don't do it.Don't start your fundraising letters with "Dear... Read More
On Superbowl Sunday, Domino's Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas-and... Read More
The Building Blocks to Successful MarketingIt's More than Sales and... Read More
Great graphic design looks effortless, but it requires lots of... Read More
As a business owner, you know how valuable being good... Read More
First, some background on today's topic. I've had a terrible... Read More
Those who believe the web is not a direct response... Read More
Secret #4 - Get very comfortable asking for paymentOne of... Read More
Business marketers have a lot of weapons in their arsenals... Read More
Your URL (www) should be everywhere and more.I know many... Read More
I think selling and marketing today often feels a bit... Read More
Direct marketing can make you very successful, but you've got... Read More
Lanyards are fast becoming the new "must have" promotional item.Events... Read More
You probably read my headline and thought, wait a minute,... Read More
Whether you market online or offline, you already know the... Read More
The purpose of business is to create and retain a... Read More
We all know the importance of marketing to increase sales... Read More
When you attend networking functions, what kind of name tag... Read More
Networking on the Internet is the same as networking in... Read More
Marketing Marketing |