The Importance of Partnerships
Partnerships are fuel for business success. They create new opportunities, expand your reach, and connect you with like-minded companies that share your goals. The right partnership isn’t just a handshake deal; it’s a relationship that fuels mutual success, innovation, and long-term growth.
What We Look for in a Partner
When Ringmaster is considering a partnership, we look for several things.
- Shared Goals and Values: Do they believe in the same things we do? (Bonus points if they’re all in on the Connect to Market movement.)
- ICP Alignment: Do our ideal client profiles (ICPs) align so that both of us can create a mutually beneficial relationship?
- Offers Our Clients Want: Do they bring something our current clients would be interested in (and does it mesh well, without overlapping, with our own services)?
- Reliability: Do they follow through and communicate clearly? We want partners who are as committed to the relationship as we are.
- Long-Term Potential: Is this just a one-time collaboration, or is there enough space for ongoing growth together?
How We Run Our Partnerships
Partnerships happen through a clear process, not just random luck. Zak Pines from Intellistack shared his 3×3 method with Casey, on The Hard Corps Marketing Show, and we’ve implemented this method into our partnership process.
The 3×3 method is simple: both sides identify three best-fit clients and bring them to the table. This way, every partnership starts with real opportunities, not just ideas.
Here’s the criteria we consider when deciding what 3 clients to introduce to our partner.
- Relevance of Needs: Could the client’s challenges be solved or goals be reached by the partner’s services?
- Strength of Relationship: Do we have a strong relationship with this client? Do they have full trust in our expertise and advice?
- Bandwidth: Does the client have the time, money, and resources to commit to working with the partner?
We’ve found this format allows us and our partners to bring solid potential clients to the table and take actionable steps to market and co-build a solid agreement with each other’s clients. Since implementing this, we have been able to form several strong, consistent partnerships that are not only a win for us and the partner, but our clients too.
Final Thought
Partnerships happen when values align, processes are clear, and both sides are committed. At Ringmaster, we’ve seen firsthand how powerful partnerships can be, and we’re always looking to spark the next one. Think you could benefit from a partnership with us? Reach out to our chatbox to start the conversation!