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.

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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.

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.