Here I want to share with your 5 secrets on how I grow partnerships.
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Be Generous: Most people are "takers" - always in search of people and platforms that they can extract value from. Very few consider becoming a "giver". The ability to create opportunities for others is a key to success. It attracts those that want to serve you in various capacities since they want to be a part of something great. Become open to sharing the spotlight with others in your network.
- Define your Goals: Before you partner with an individual, organization or platform you would need to ensure that you understand what you are seeking and hope to secure. For example you may want to connect deeper with the community members of the partnering organization.
- Structure Win-Win: When you know what you want also take time to assess and understand what you can offer your partnering organization that would be a game-changer for them. My personal philosophy on this is to always give more than you take. Why? It would allow you future opportunities to work with such entity again - Because...
If you take more than you give you will have nothing to return to in the future. Never leave your Partner short! This goes back to generosity...
- Seek Clarity: I always seek clarity. There is nothing worse than making assumptions about what others expect from you or assuming that they also know what you want from them. In partnership agreements try to spell out the dos and don'ts and also the expectations you have of them and what you have committed to carry out as part of the partnership agreement.
- Define KPIs and Monitor Performance: Trust but verify is the rule. Make sure to define how you will measure the success (or lack of it) of your partnerships. Always ask yourself if you are deriving the value you expected. If you ever find that the partnership or partner failed to deliver the desired results never be afraid to walk away.
On the Trade with Africa® Network we are creating a culture that builds trust, drives business growth and collaboration to ensure member success. Below is an example of how we achieve that through our monthly Community chat. February's edition was held 2/12 and the monthly Masterclass will be Feb 19th where we will cover Business Development in the Agriculture Value-Chain. Learn more at www.nazaru.trade