In the absence of large marketing lists (north of 10,000 names), a great many entrepreneurial businesses are reliant on alliances with larger firms, who have huge distribution to profitably scale. The art of an alliance where both parties are required to close the sale, assemble the methodolgy and deliver the value to the end-user (customer or client), is that it is accepted by both parties unequivocally as a “win-win” scenario and you have corporate “buy-in” (commitment) from those with fiduciary responsibility (Heads of P+L etc.).

That means

1. the business outcomes to be accomplished are clear and unambigous
2. as are the measures of success, and
3. the tangible (increased sales, increased profit, reduced attrition) and intangible (increased security, stronger repute, enhanced safety) value created by the collaboration, and
4. the investment from both parties (time, money, energy and resource).

You then have “conceptual agreement”, which can be quickly summarised in a proposal with a 80%+ prospect of an acceptance, and an agreed commencement time and date.

The art of building alliances is a language and process skill. It can be taught yet a great many even seasoned past CEOs of national and global companies, and frontline sales and business development individuals tasked with originating and closing alliances are poorly educated.

Here is three amongst common failings:

1. They default to pitching or selling their product or service, often by force of personality, and often on unprofitable terms (positioned as a commodity sale) that hamstrings the profitable growth of the business thereafter such is their desperation for the sale.
2. They routinely lose control of the discussion, relationship and the results early-on sometimes patting themselves on the back when leaving a meeting with the request to provide a proposal. Little do they know that is a polite signal to wave goodbye by the other party, not a signal of greater intent.
3. They rush through or simply overlook building agreement on the value of the alliance pre-proposal such that the only thing that is clear, is what each partner is being asked to invest. When the value is opaque or translucent, the prospects of closing a successful alliance slump in my experience to 5-10%.
4. Your approach necessitates asking a huge pool of to dance and accepting a mountain of rejection and time loss. Why subject yourself to that ordeal unless you know no better?

The key ingredients: A reminder! Shared values, trusting relationship with a peer, willingness to enter and develop conceptual agreement, an ability to summarise it succinctly and quickly in a letter of agreement or proposal (with options and alternative investments), acceptance by both parties, and effective and efficient implementation (on the promises made), and seeking expansion opportunities during the alliance. Nothing more.