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Hey Jordan!

Here’s an outline of how I think the Fractional role with Commerce Road could work, and of course costings.

There’s the video you can see, or text below if you prefer.

Anything else you need, just shout, and good luck wrapping up the raise!

Cheers, Dave

The Scope

In case video isn’t your thing, it goes without saying but I'd love to work with you. I think what you're doing is really exciting, and has connection interwoven through so many aspects that I'm sure I'll be able to offer massive value to you.

Here’s a rough structure but it would be flexed depending on what was needed by you.

*Plan and build out the initial six month period & define success (numbers and behind the scenes)

Everything falls under my DANCE framework (which I've detailed below) but with the number of different channels from agency to tech, to providing content, to generating enquiries (either from existing or new partners) it’s important to find out what the biggest & most pressing priorities are so I can add maximum value as quickly as possible.

*Systems / Process / Materials

Some parts of your partnership program are going to be absolutely universal, and others will just need to be nuanced rather than drastically different. We’ll get these foundations laid early.

*Partner Acquisition

Because I know the space so well and am active in the various networks / events I'm pretty certain I'll be able to directly introduce both tech partners and agency partners onto the platform myself, and then hand those relationships over in time.

*Mentorship

During this whole process the idea would be to involve the Partnership Manager you have in mind to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing behind the scenes - add input so they feel involved, and then develop the mindset / skills around how to attract, nurture, and scale partner relationships across all channels.

*Client Acquisition

I've focused on partnerships in this outline but I think you've got a great opportunity for client referrals to grow as well. If I do come in then I would happily include the client referral piece as part of that (info at the bottom of page).

The only thing that wouldn't be included is if there was any big amounts of team training to be done but I don't think that's going to be an issue.

How Do We Work Together?

Having me in as a fractional means much less of your time, more of mine, with an integrated approach.

We’ll set the strategy together, and then I’ll lead the implementation internally - be that defining processes, producing materials, conversations with existing or potential partners, and developing your partnership contact to own the role.

All live sessions are high energy, highly interactive, and implementation focussed - not just theory. We’ll map out processes, agree positioning, decide on target lists - as much as we can do in session, we will. And all can be delivered in-person at your offices, online, or hybrid.

As well as the direct support you’ll also be provided with comprehensive framework documents and accompanying worksheets, detailing each aspect of the framework. They’ll also be an action roadmap that details each individual action to take, either now or in the future. I provide you with a repeatable, scalable, process you’ll be able to replicate and build upon.

I’ll have set days/times dedicated to Commerce Road, as well as keeping an eye on things day to day. 

Here’s a suggested structure:
1 day per week total.
½ day kick off session to set strategy
½ day operations session to understand the practical work required
Lots of my work behind the scenes
2 days per month physically with you plus additional digital support to team / partners

Costs:

£2800 p/m (+OTE) based on a 6 month term.
I appreciate commissions may need to be looked at, with considerations taken into account for permanent member of partnership team

Strategic Partnerships Framework

Our work will be based around my DANCE framework, which helps turn these relationships from friendly handshakes into something structured and scaleable. It consists of 5 different routines, each with their own steps. It’s been honed over many years of practical, on the floor, experience.

  • There’s 3 main things to think about here and it sets up everything else that we work on:

    Why are you partnering? We need to be crystal clear on the outcome you’re looking to achieve. How highly qualified do you need the leads to be, and at what volume?

    We need to know what a successful partner program looks like for you so we can help you achieve it.

    Who’s your ideal client? Again, we need to be as specific as possible, if we don’t know who your ideal (or chosen target) client is, how can we uncover who the perfect partner is?

    Who are your Perfect Partners? It’s not about saying we won’t work with anyone else, but about really identifying where we focus our proactive efforts. Where they’ll pass the right quality of lead, at the right volume, and at the right time. It’s much more than just having the right audience for you; it’s about the nature of their relationship, how they communicate, their values, and so much more.

    We’ll not only uncover who they are, but also your unique Partner Value Proposition which allows you to engage with potential partners quickly and effortlessly before implementing the rest of the framework with ease - ensuring the success you’re looking for.

  • For a partnership programme to flourish, and then scale, you need to ensure you have the behind the scenes set up in order. From internal systems, software and personnel, to the structure of your agreements - covering things like how we reward your partners.

    We’ll make sure no stone is left unturned so you can be sure of delivering a consistent level of service to your partners.

    The simple things really do matter, get this wrong and your partners will immediately lose trust, get it right and you’ll have partners for life.

    You may not be ready to have everything in place on day one, but we’ll ensure there’s a road map to best in class that will serve you well along the way.

  • Your partners could become as important to the future of your business as your most key clients, so we need to make sure you treat them as such.

    Communication is key and we’ll look at the various channels each partner type will need to ensure a rock solid relationship is formed that only builds over time.

    From setting expectations at outset, and a seamless onboarding process; to reviews and regular updates that keep you front of mind, and the partnership moving in the right direction.

    It’s about getting the right mix of automation and personal contact. Functional messages and value add communications. Formal reviews or forming relationships.

    We’ll ensure your partners are left feeling loved, valued, and informed; so that when they’re approached by other potential partners there’s not even a thought in their mind about working with anyone but you.

  • A successful partnership doesn’t just happen. You need to help your partners connect their audience to you. Do the heavy lifting, make it easy for them, and you’ll reap the rewards.

    Don’t, and you may well find your partnership experience an underwhelming one.

    Depending on the partner and how they engage with their audience you’ll need to provide the right level of support.

    Is this internal marketing support?

    Partner facing materials where you share the benefit of your experience to enhance the ability of the partner and their team to refer you.

    Or

    Is it external, customer facing support?

    All the materials and activities your partners may need to connect you with their audience through successful co-marketing campaigns.

    From static materials like sales emails, to more immersive experiences like events.

    -

    We’ll look at all this and more, including how you can integrate part of your offering into your partners own processes so the lead generation process happens seamlessly and repeatedly.

  • With confidence in your partnership offering, and the road map to an even stronger programme, it’s time to build your partner acquisition strategy.

    Using the partner value propositions we identified during the Discovery stage we’ll cover how to get your first partners on board, how to then leverage them and your network to grow your partner base, before looking at advanced strategies to scale your programme when the time is right.

    Within this we’ll look at the supporting materials and messaging required - but by this point it’s all systems go.

    Our simple 3 step process will provide you with all the partner leads you need to grow your programme and your business.

Partnership Testimonials

  • Steve Vale - Commercial Director Of Plann3d Solutions

    When I first started working with Dave at the start of the year, my immediate goal was to not have a dip in work during the summer months.

    8 weeks later with £100k of new work in, that I put wholly down to the mindset shifts and practical applications Dave has introduced, and my goals shifted.

    I’ve not had to do anything drastically different to what I was doing before, just make subtle shifts in my behaviour and language to be more intentional about referrals with my network.

    As I’ve built momentum with the conversations I’ve been having, the connections and results have just snowballed.

    And the work brought on has typically been with the clients that I want to be working with ongoing.

    I can already see how this is going to bring the consistency our business needs in order to scale, and I’m now looking at how partnerships and referrals can help me attract more of those ideal clients rather than just filling my pipeline.

  • Rod Bailey - Chief Visionary Officer at ExecutiveSurf

    If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me one of these; "Why bother investing in a consultant to help you bring in high quality new business through partnerships and referrals?" or "That's so obvious isn't it?" or "Don't you do that already?" or "Is that even a thing?", then... well I wouldn't actually still need to be in business...

    Thanks Dave Plunkett and the folks at Collaboration Junkies. In just a few months, you've opened our eyes to a whole new world of opportunity, plenty of exciting prospects and some fully signed up new clients. I think you're on to something.

    ExecutiveSurf - hooked on Collaboration junkies

    ps. the answers to those questions: 1. Because there's a big ROI, 2. Yes but when did 'obvious' get a free pass into marketing strategy? 3. A bit, but blindly, making it pretty unproductive, 4. Yes, but don't tell anyone about it.

  • Tom Hadley - Founder of Sufu Marketing

    Dave Plunkett is one of the most valuable businesspeople I’ve met in the last few years. He has deep specialist knowledge, a fantastic network and, most importantly, a deep empathy with people and a passion for helping them succeed.

    Undertaking the Kick-Ass Collaboration Programme from Collaboration Junkie has achieved three things for Sufu that, even as an experienced founder who is a decade into my journey, I was struggling to achieve alone.

    1. Targeting - I was able to see past some deeply embedded misconceptions about who my most valuable partners were, why, and how to redirect my focus. We all have blindspots, Dave removed mine.

    2. Process & Systems – Dave has the “how” of partnerships down. You don’t need to worry that partnerships mean creating a lot of documentation, Dave has done the vast majority of the work for you, you can just tweak them to your needs.

    3. Getting to work – The last value working with Dave has given me is simply the ability to make me move the dial for myself! He is as adept at working with people who are unsure and need nurturing, as he is with people who are confident and need challenging. He gets you to get it done!

    I’ve already started to achieve tangible outcomes from my work with Dave in terms of securing valuable mentoring roles, getting content co-creation opportunities with valuable partners and improving my commercial outcomes through better pricing and negotiation.

    Collaboration Junkie is a difference-making partner for B2B businesses who want to grow.

To see our full range of case studies and testimonials click here

Next Steps…

If there’s anything else you need from me, just let me know, and a conversation around the numbers would need to be had to make sure it’s all smooth. Int the meantime there’s some more info on me, and the client referral side of what I do, below.

And if there’s anything I can do to help while you go through your raise - just shout!

Client & Network Referrals

This is all about helping your existing and previous happy clients, and your wider audience, to help you - because they do want to.

Key to this is building a culture of referrals within your team. Referrals is a customer success activity, not just a sales one.

This comes from tackling any people issues with blocks around requesting, receiving and responding to referrals, and then the systems and processes that help embed these behaviours so that it becomes second nature.

Here’s an overview of what would be covered:

  • Understanding any individual blocks around being pro-active in asking for introductions & reframing the mindset to remove ‘the ick’.

    Also recognising the drivers of why people refer in order to be able to engage with them in a more meaningful and value based way.

  • Looking at the range of people available to us. Identifying the low hanging fruit and discovering new opportunities for growth through people as yet untapped.

  • how to humanise your requests so referrals feels comfortable for all.

    You’ll learn the specific ways to make it easy for your would be introducers to refer you - all done in a completely human way (People refer you for what you do, not what you sell)

    We’ll look at simple ways to be super specific without being salesy - great for immediate introductions.

    And we’ll also discover your situational niches - the new way of looking at referrals that makes them all about solving problems not just sales funnels. This is the key to receiving consistent introductions to not only your ideal clients, but ones that are ready to use your services. 

  • Understanding the right time to ask (hint: it’s often much earlier than you think).

    Working through your customer journey, starting from their first contact with you, to pinpoint the ideal times that referrals could be requested and highlight new opportunities to add value and create the ‘wow’ moments that facilitate introductions.

    We’ll also look at the supporting messages and content that back up the personal requests to help build a culture of referrals both internally and with your audience.

  • The words we use are everything - for both us and the people on the receiving end.  We’ll work on the tones and tactics to use in each different scenario - both from an ongoing perspective, but also looking at specific campaigns that can be run for some quick wins (be that broadcast messages or personal contact).

    This is also where we look at the systems and processes that sit behind the human first approach. How are referrals being tracked, followed up on, and the culture embedded.

  • Ryan O'Keefe - Founder, Jago (Personal Brand Agency)

    Before working with Dave life was good, people enjoyed working with Jago and we would get referrals.

    But I knew we were not uncovering the full potential of our clients and their networks and felt uncomfortable asking for referrals, it felt a little ick.

    As a previous salesperson in large organisations, referrals were ingrained into us, but for some reason running my own business things felt different, that was until we engaged Dave to help us.

    Working with Dave invigorated me with referrals and highlighted the potential of such a simple concept such as referrals. It was all about considering when and how we would ask for referrals.

    We have been doing NPS scores for the last few years but never really acted upon the high scores we received, until recently.

    Over the last few months we have had a handful of good referrals and two of the referrals turning into business, one worth £20k and one worth £23,450, both with potential more lifetime value.

    Considering where we ask for referrals is key but also sowing the seed right when we onboard new clients has been a game changer, showing our cards in terms of how we work and grow our business.

    It is so much easier to close a piece of business that has come from a referral and guess what? They tend to be great clients as well. What's not to like about that!

    Thanks Dave!

  • Phil Bacon - Founder, Bacon Marketing

    Working with Dave immediately identified a new angle and a range of people we hadn’t yet approached.

    1 email later and we’ve banked £34,00 in work for this year, and have another 3 opportunities in the pipeline based off of referrals from people we hadn't tried to engage in that type of way before


    This is the difference between doing it yourself or working with someone who really knows their stuff.


    EDIT: 11 months on from our workshops Phil’s now on £82k banked with more in the pipeline

  • Sarah Mols - Director of Outside Ideas

    Before working with Dave I would have said that we were in a pretty decent place for referrals, we've organically developed relationships where referrals naturally happen.

    But it's random, not consistent at all. When a lead does come in, it's more of a bonus lead, less of a planned, intentional and thought through part of our lead generation.

    Since working with Dave, I realise how much more opportunity there is out there for us, and how we haven't made it easy for others to refer into us.

    I now have tangible, realistic - and exciting - steps and goals to work toward to create a strong and consistent pipeline of pre qualified leads coming through to us (how amazing is that!?).

    Dave is a 'Big Thinker', he helps you shoot for the stars, with high level, strategic planning. But he's also hugely practical and realistic, and will support you in creating and taking the steps you need to implement a referral strategy that works. He's also a thoroughly nice guy, and a pleasure to work with.

    If you're looking to increase the amount of leads coming into your business, with a trusted and expert advisor, who 'gets people' and knows how to craft sustainable and impactful relationships - look no further - talk to Dave.

  • Over the course of his career, Dave has developed hundreds, if not thousands, of partnerships. From growing his own membership organisation to 2000 members almost entirely through referrals and strategic partnerships, to providing access to the SME market for global brands such as Regus & Volvo, reaching nearly 1 million business owners along the way.

    Dave's previous business was a customer engagement agency that helped connect business services providers to their target market by working with organisations that already had a community of their audience. Facilitating all the marketing support to make sure the right quality of leads were provided at the right time, in a way that added value to all concerned. Whether it be with big brands or new start ups, tailored introductions or prospects at scale (we delivered over 10,000 digital marketing leads to Yell over a 2 year period) we offer experience of lead generation partnerships from both sides of the coin.

    And not all that experience has been positive. We learned as much from the mistakes made or witnessed as the successes. We've learned the hard way so you don't have to.

    In 2020 (pre COVID) Collaboration Junkie was born. Helping ambitious business owners leverage their credibility to get high quality leads, on a consistent basis, from trusted 3rd parties - making Lead Generation an enjoyable process!

    Over the last 5.1/2 years we've worked directly with well over 100 business owners and their teams, the majority being in the agency space. Our sweet spot is successful brands looking for their next stage of growth - leveraging their brilliant reputation within their chosen sector to build exciting partnerships, and a culture of referrals within their teams, that means introductions from both partners and clients scales alongside the business.

    Want to know a bit more about Dave as a person? Click here!