(Add to Favorites | View All Articles | Resource Directory)
|
|
|
Alliances: What works, what does not
Why Alliances Fail When do you know an alliance is falling apart? An alliance will surely fail without good communication on both sides. It will also fail if the alliance partner is not capable of completing the tasks set out in the service level agreement. Service level agreements are usually put in place so that milestones in the process can be monitored. The agreement also helps to alleviate the number of complaints by the alliance partner (and also the complaints about the service being provided to the partner's customers). The basic premise here is that the products and services being offered are of excellent quality. If the quality is missing in the formula, your alliances will most definitely fail. Finger pointing is one of the worst things that can happen in a relationship. The business relationship must be preserved at all costs. The saying goes "never burn a bridge as you never know when you need to cross it again". I had a partner that did not believe in that philosophy and, six years down the road, he found that he needed to deal with me again. Instead of repairing the damage, the information he needed was obtained by a mutual acquaintance. Since I did not burn bridges, I readily gave out the information. I still have not seen him again. Alliances also fail because the return on the investment was not as promised. Relationships can be very fickle when it comes to money transactions. You need to build the relationship first and keep it intact, and then deal with the ROI. If the product or service does not live up to expectation, then a mutually agreeable term in the service level agreement should give an out to one or both parties. This will allow for an amicable departure and keep the relationship intact. Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com
MORE RESOURCES: News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News Small Business: Being small can help in downturn (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) Capital One Makes Small Biz Online Gambit - Bank Technology News Despite nervous lenders and borrowers, local small-business lending still seen as healthy (BizJournals) Feds hope to unfreeze small business and consumer lending (BizJournals) Queens Small Biz Hurt By Credit Crunch - Queens Tribune Get big buyers for your small business (York Daily Record) Getting Defensive: Small Biz Learns to Work With Military - San Diego Business Journal Small business resources (Houston Chronicle) State draws up small biz health plan - Bizjournals.com Small business, minorities in business on the rise in Texas (Temple Daily Telegram) |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Consistency with Janitorial and Cleaning Businesses Consistency is a huge word when operating your business. I believe it is one of the key ingredients to success. Reaping the Rewards of Cost Cutting In these days of insecurity and uncertain futures, the tendency is to manage for survival but the smart business leaders are actively hunting for profits.And they are doing this without launching costly new initiatives or major capital investments. Preparing to Launch Your Small Business Small business owners often enter their field with great expectations. Unfortunately, reality strikes shortly afterwards. Ever thought of sending out postcards? One of the best marketing strategies a business or organization can use is postcards. Even before the arrival of online postcard printing and mailing services, postcards had a good reputation amongst guerilla marketers because: They are fast, easy and relatively cheap - making them a boon to small business owners who are short on cash and time, yet need to build their brand and stay in front of their customers. Small Business and Wichita Owning a small business in Wichita, KS might not be a bad idea, job growth is good, housing has rebounded and the aviation manufacturing capital of the world is on an aileron roll. So consumer spending is up and retail and service sectors are doing fine again. Genius Time? It Matters I frequently give presentations at small business gatherings, providing me the opportunity to have engaging conversations with owners about the challenges they face. Based on their input, the economy continues to plug along, heading in the right direction, and distancing itself from the difficult journey of the past few years. So You Don't Believe in Outsourcing Entrepreneurs are hardy stock. But sometimes hardiness can get you into trouble. Business Pain Defined Every company has business pain, but the pain does not necessarily mean that they have a success problem. Pain can be anything from a minor dent, as when a marketing event does not produce the anticipated results, to a major process issue, as when reporting is not accurate. Small Business Support Equals Survival Support is critical for your small business survival. You may shy away from the thought of having an advisory board to guide you through your rough spots, but having a group of professionals who are willing to be your sounding board can mean the difference between success and failure. Competing without a corporate-sized advertising budget Everyday, customers and business owners are bombarded with billboards, logos, print and electronic ads from huge corporations. With annual ad budgets that are more than our businesses' SALES in an entire year, our small independent businesses are getting squeezed out of consumers minds (and wallets) more and more each year. Increase Your Profits with a Point of Sale (POS) System Whether you operate a chain of restaurants, a mom-and-pop convenience store, or a medium-sized retail shop, you are in business to make money. And, one of the most critical aspects to your profit and loss is your ability to track information? you need to know which products are making you money, what items need to be re-ordered, who your customers are, and so on. Why Does a Business Fail and What Can You Do to Stop It? I believe the number one reason why a business will fail is lack of planning. This can be due to various reasons, perhaps because the market research wasn't sufficiently carried out in the first place, or because the financial burden was higher than was planned for etc. Routine Maintenance of High Pressure Hot Water Motors If you run a pressure washer business you need complete uptime on your equipment, break downs can be costly if your billing rates are $100 to $150.00 per hour. A year from now, what will you wish you had started today? What will your business look like a year from today?If you're like most small business owners, you have many things to do and not enough time to do them. Can't you just ignore them and procrastinate your way to success?Not likely. Reclaim Equipment Detailing Industry and NPDES, EPA, Storm Water Rules It behooves every professional mobile auto detailer to stay up with the reclaim equipment necessary to comply with the NPDES, EPA and storm water rules. Every company has a responsibility to not pollute the water supplies. Know your target audience before buying advertising time Most small businesses will not even try to advertise on television. It's too expensive and the audience is too broad. A business startup obstacle you may not expect The bad things starts with the letter 'O'?.like Obstacles, Obstruction, Obscene?. 11 Things Small Business Owners Can Learn From Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer 1. Everyone Makes A Difference - Despite not letting him play in their games, the other reindeer came to understand Rudolph's importance. How to Give FREE Advice and Make Money When is advice free and when should you charge for it?A question is often asked as to when to charge for information. This is not an easy question to answer as it really depends on the situation. Starting a New Business in a Small Town Q. I am a former pastor who left the ministry after sixteen years to spend more time with my family.
|
| home | site map | articles |
| © 2006 |