Producers ClubOctober 2017

Presented By:

Robin Robinswww.TechnologyMarketingToolkit.com

“JointVentures(JVs)AndStrategicPartners”

The “One Thing”§ JVs (Joint Ventures)

§ Strategic Partnership

§ Strategic Alliance

§ Promotional Partnerships

§ Host-Beneficiary Relationships

My Mentor On JVs

Jay Abraham

What Is It?“A promotional arrangement

between two companies or people for the purpose of realizing a

mutual benefit.”

§ Theleads!They’rereferralsonsteroids!§ Theyhelpyoubuildalistfast.§ Excellent positioning.§ Elevatesyourimage inthemarketplacefast.§ Reduces costperleadandcostpersale.

Why Do YOU Want Them?

§ Tosecuremoreclients,revenue,profits§ Tosellmoreproductsandservicestoexistingclients§ Toreinforceanagendaoridea§ Tobemorecompetitive§ Toincreaseretention,decreaseorminimizelosses§ Toalignwithastrong(ormoreprominent)brand§ Toprovideuseful,valuablecontent/resources§ Tohelpfillaneventorseminar

§ Simplybecausetheylikeyouandwanttohelpyou!

Why Do THEY Want To Promote You?

How I FoundMy “Niche”

(And First Learned The Awesome Power Of JVs)

My First SuccessAsked Myself Two Questions:

1. Who do I know that has a relationship with a group of people that I would want as clients?

2. What could I offer to do for them that would make them WANT to endorse - or at least introduce me - to those clients or members?

My First Success• Approached CompTIA about delivering a free teleseminar on marketing for

their members. They said, “Yes!”• It was so well received, they agreed to pay me $30,000 to deliver a 6-month

telecoaching program and in-person seminar to their members on how to market their business.

• Leveraged that into one-on-one consulting agreements.

• Turned those into my Technology Marketing Toolkit.

• Used the case studies to gain more speaking engagements, clients and partnerships in the IT niche with NASBA, ASCII, Kaseya, ICCA, etc.

• Overnight, I had a FLOOD of new clients and opportunities knocking on

my door, all at ZERO cost to me.

5 Steps To JV Success

Step 1: Make A List Of Potential JV Partners

People Who Will Bring Me Clients!

$$$$

§ Whoelseissellingtomyclients?§ Whohasalotofinfluenceovermyclients?§ WhoelsebenefitswhenImakeasale?§ Whatassociationsorpeersgroupsdoalotofmyclientsbelongto?

§ Whoisroundingupagroupofpotentialclientsinaseminar,tradeshoworothereventformat?

5 Questions To Ask Yourself:

§ Your clients

§ Your vendors (your CPA, landlord, bank, financial advisor, insurance rep, etc.)

§ Commercial real estate brokers, landlords, property management companies

§ Other OUTSOURCED services firms (CPAs, HR and payroll, web design, etc.)

§ Companies selling phone systems and office machines (but not IT services)

§ Prominent consultants who work in your niche

§ Your clients’ vendors and suppliers

§ Insurance sales professionals selling cyber liability or crime insurance

§ Trade associations (a MUST)

A Short Starter List:

Step 2: Do Your

Homework

The Most Important Element To Getting A JV Partner:

Alignment With Their Goals And Key Initiatives

Step 2: Do Your Homework§ Use LinkedIn, Google, D&B, etc., to learn more about your JV partners’ initiatives

§ Add them to your CRM in a group; be sure to include decision makers and influencers

§ Talk to them or people who know the industry, person, company

§ See if any of your clients know them (and can then introduce you)

§ Follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook(Create a unique e-mail and folder to capture all this)

§ Subscribe to their company newsletter online

§ Download press releases for the past 6 months and read them

§ Read their investor portfolio

§ Research what their mission is

§ Subscribe to Google Alerts on their name and company

§ Attend events they are holding

§ Read articles and reports they publish

§ Find out who else they currently partner with

Step 3: Brainstorm A Partnership

Strategy

§ Getmoreclients/members?§ Retainmoreclients?§ Makemoreprofitfromeveryclienttheyhave?§ Makemoneyfromlostorinactiveclients?§ Deliverusefulinfototheirclients/members/subscribers?§ Getalegupontheircompetition,orstaycompetitive?§ Supportakeyinitiativeorgoalthattheyhave?§ Reinforcean“agenda”theywantpropagated?

How Can You Help Them…

Important!You don’t always have to offer a percentage of sale. In some cases, this will work against you.

§ Content (webinar or webinar series, video training, free reports, etc.)

§ Giving their clients/members a copy of your book

§ Freemium

§ Member/client discount, bonus or benefit

§ Co-promotion on a seminar, webinar or other benefit or event

§ Speaking at their events for free (keynote presentations, breakouts)

§ Custom training programs (webinar, video or in person)

§ MDF alignment

§ Sponsorship to their events (sometimes you gotta pay to play)

Other Ways To Provide Value

§ Freereportsandothercontent§ Checklists§ Seminarpresentation§ Webinar

Educating People On Cybersecurity Is A Good Road In!

Example: Co-Promoted

Webinars

Example:LPI Client

Appreciation Seminar Promo

Example:LPI Sponsored

Discount

Example:SMB Nation

Promotion Of A Pre-Day Event

Example: Intronis Disaster Recovery Kit

Example:JV Book Letter

Note: This is the letter MJ Shoer sent out that generated a quarter of a million in sales via referrals, a local news story and an association picking it up to mail to their members.

Brainstorming A Partnership StrategyHave SOME ideas of how you might work together, but do NOT lead with the idea when you initially start talking to them.

The goal is to get them on the phone to find out where their pain is and/or where their focus is right now and work WITH them to develop the project.

Group Exercise:Create A List Of

Potential JV Partners And

How You Can Help Them

Step 4: Make Your Approach

Elements Of A Good Initial Pitch§ Brevity

§ Extremely personal and customized

§ Ties into a KNOWN initiative, problem or goal they have

§ Focuses on the BENEFITS to them, not the DETAILS

§ If you can, offer social proof (testimonial, name drop clients/partners)

§ Teases about an idea, but doesn’t reveal everything

§ Does NOT ask for money or talk about your services in detail

§ Asks for a brief call (10-15 minutes)Important! Your goal for that call is to QUALIFY and, if qualified, sell them on an idea of working with you and formulating what that might look like.

Initial Outreach“Soup Starter”

Subject: Your CRN interview

Hi <<Name>>,I recently read about your new Premier Partner Level program on CRN and it prompted me to write you. Briefly, I believe I have a way to get more of your partners to finally start implementing effective marketing campaigns that is unlike anything you’ve tried before.

But first, let me introduce myself.

My name is Robin Robins, President of Technology Marketing Toolkit, Inc. You might not be familiar with my organization, but there’s a good chance your partners are. We run the largest sales and marketing coaching program in the IT services industry with over 8,000 loyal, raving fan clients who are MSPs, VARs and systems integrators. We provide them highly effective and PROVEN sales and marketing campaigns, tools and strategies to help them increase sales. Why us? We have more documented client success stories than any other marketing or sales trainer, period.

Because I know you are looking for ways to make your partners more successful, I wanted to see if you’d be open to a brief, 10 minute call to run an idea by you that may be an excellent driver to achieving your key initiatives.

Of course, this may not be a good fit so I won’t waste your time or mine. But if you’re open to at least talking for a few minutes to see if there’s a foundation for us to engage, please respond back to this e-mail with a couple of days and times you are available. You can, of course, just call me direct at 615-790-5011. I’m copying Kathy Taylor, my assistant, so she knows to put you through if you call. If I’m not available, she can schedule a time to talk so we can avoid phone tag. In the interim, you can go to the web sites below to learn more about what we do:www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com

www.managedservicesblueprint.com

Speak soon,

Robin Robins

Example:§ We tied this e-mail in with a

recent article about a new initiative Dell was promoting.

§ You’ll notice we did NOT “pitch” our project or idea; we just focused on what’s in it for them (the RESULT).

§ Don’t spill the beans in the initial contact; the curiosity factor will increase their chances of responding to you.

Ways To Connect:§ Send an e-mail

§ Send an InMail via LinkedIn

§ Just call their office!

§ Get someone they respect and trust to introduce you

§ Send a FedEx letter or package

§ Send a copy of your book

§ Video message (send via e-mail or website)

§ Walk into their office (canvass) with a gift for them

You Should Know…If you get 10 companies to say, “Yes,” to a partnership, only 3-4 will actually work out, and only 1 will be really, really worthwhile.

Group Exercise:Send Out E-mails And/Or LinkedIn

Messages To Get A Few JVs Rolling!

Step 5: Qualify And

Pitch An Idea

How To Sell Them On Partnering With You§ Don’t forget this is a SALES CALL.

§ Your communications – particularly on the phone call – must be steeped in confidence. If you come across as nervous, timid, apologetic, uncertain or hesitant, you’ll never get the deal.• If this is you, you’re DEAD: “Oh gosh, I feel really awkward reaching out to you, but I’m

hoping you’ll spare me a few minutes so I can beg you to work with me…”

§ You MUST take a LEADERSHIP position. As soon as they say, “Yes,” you need to direct what happens next, what they need to do and what you need to do. § Nail down a date for the “event” to happen.

§ Ask for a point of contact to get logos, e-mails sent, etc.

§ DON’T overwhelm them with a million details on THIS call!

Signs They Might Not Be Worth Pursuing§ They don’t have a lot of clients.

§ The majority of clients they have aren’t ones you want.

§ They don’t want your input or help on the promotion.

§ They’re difficult to work with.

§ They aren’t keeping committments.

§ They don’t have a good reputation.

When They Say Yes, Take The Lead!!!§ Know in advance what needs to be done so

when they say, “Yes,” you can immediately sketch out a plan for implementation.

§ YOU tell THEM how the promotion will be done; take confidence in the marketing I’ve given you.

§ YOU must do ALL of the work to implement! If you don’t make it easy for them, it won’t happen.

§ If they are promoting YOU to their list, offer to PAY for the cost of the promotion.