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Geronimo!
 One
of my highlights over the holiday break was a visit to
the Museum of Science in Boston. The big draw was
the IMAX show, “The Science of Risk Taking.”
From the safety of our cushy theater seats, we experienced
the heart-racing thrills of sky diving and base jumping
while the narrator explained what drives people to partake
in these high risk endeavors.
It seems that it’s all about serotonin, the chemical in our brain
that modulates mood. The lower the serotonin, the
more likely a person is to take risks to energize his
or her mood. Low serotonin levels are found in skydivers,
SWAT teams, and entrepreneurs (and likely, parents!) Jumping
off a cliff in a squirrel suit and diving 100 mph into
a rock canyon is the brain’s way of bringing serotonin
levels up to the “happy” medium, if you will.
See for yourself! Base Jumping
I’ve reflected on the IMAX film several times since, as the New
Year unfolds with more lay-off announcements, depressing
stock market performance, and local store closings. It looks bleak out there, as many companies and venture
firms hunker down to wait it
out. Waiting for the new administration to
do something, waiting for consumers to start spending again,
waiting for bailed out financial institutions to share the
wealth…everyone’s waiting…waiting for
things beyond our control. Our collective serotonin is high, in other words,
and taking shelter feels more comfortable than taking action.
What we can control, however, remains
within our reach no matter the market conditions. With business partner strategies and programs, in
particular, there are some tried and true things you can
do to lift sales and keep energy levels high. While
there are certainly some high-risk ways to stir things up
(the sky’s the limit, if you will), the main thing
is to do something to keep focus on your brand and
offering. If ever there was a time to stand out, the time
is now.
So, in the spirit of covering the bases, here’s a range of ideas to entertain while you glide to solid
ground.
1) Join Forces. Partners
are feeling cautious too. Let them know that you’re
in this together. Get respective
executives involved in brainstorming and planning
sessions to work through what
you can do together to drive business.
2) Shake Things
Up. This may be just the time to rebalance the mix of resources devoted
to direct and indirect channels
or between partner business models. Making a bold shift
now may even get more attention
and focus.
3) Be There or Be Talked About.
Blog, Twitter, and get LinkedIn. I know, who has
the time? But, it’s the
way of the world now. If you’re not there, chances
are, your competition is using
social networking to their advantage. Some company executives
are fearful of the transparency.
Still, wouldn’t you rather affect the dialogue
than be left out?
4) Promote Internal
Harmony. Are your channel and end user sales
teams compensated to work
toward the common good, or are they competing with
one another? Do they routinely
identify opportunities and
devise plans for jointly closing business? Make sure
your
respective
sales teams are working together effectively
with your partners.
5) Expand Horizons. “Lunch and Learns”
are easy and cheap to do, and bring focus to your products.
But change the paradigm: instead of pitching
to your partners’ sales teams, listen to
what they’re hearing from the market and engage
them in problem solving to counter objections.
6) Invite a Conversation. I received an
offer for an hour of free consulting from my web developer
as a “Happy New Year!” gesture. I welcomed
the opportunity to generate ideas and
learn about new ways to enhance my web presence. Do
you think I won’t keep her at the
top of my list for referrals?
7) Live Simply. Now’s the time to eliminate inefficiencies.
Form task teams to clean up your databases,
fix operational issues, and ensure that MDF is put to
productive use. Like cleaning
out the closet, purging your portfolio of unproductive
partner relationships and program
offerings can be revitalizing.
8) Think Local. Be sensitive to the time and financial
burdens of travel. Encourage partner interaction
through local networking events and/or Webinars. Follow-up
is much easier and faster when
partners and your sales teams can meet for coffee versus
getting on a plane.
While you may not be eager to base jump any time soon, taking decisive
action to nurture partners (and your mutual customers)
is critical. Demonstrating energy, strength, and measured
risk shows your partners that you’re here for
the long haul and keeps you ahead of the curve, and
quite possibly as exhilarated as diving off a cliff
in a squirrel suit.
Clients Seeking Candidates
One of our clients is looking for
candidates to fill the following position:
If you know of anyone who might
be interested, please have him or her contact us for
more information.
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Thoughtwav
helps companies build and execute profitable go-to-market strategies
through direct, partner and alliance channels.
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 email:
jwilkinson@thoughtwav.com
phone: 781-652-8727
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