6 Ways To Build Strategic Alliances
“A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.” Proverbs 18:16
Many people underestimate the power of strategic alliances. One strategic alliances can drastically push you to a different level of growth (economically, spiritually, emotionally, socially, etc.). This quantum leap can be good or bad. Strategic alliances can be worth more than money because they can yield so much benefit even generations after your gone.
The Bible tells of an orphan named Esther. She was raised by a family member named Mordecai. She was a beautiful girl, but no one had really taken much notice of her. The King who governed her land had marriage issues and sent his wife away. He requested for his advisors and those that assisted him in governing the land to help him find a new wife. Many women prepared to meet the king. They had body treatments and other things to prepare for the king. Of all of the women that contested to be the queen, he chose the young orphan girl. The story went further, and her strategic alliance caused the king to cancel the annihilation of the Jewish people. (See Esther chaper two)
Connections can bring life or death. They can add to your life assignment or take away from it, so be very careful. Here are some strategic tips for creating strategic alliances:
- Laws of reciprocity
Give. Give. Give. And, God will return it to you. The law of reciprocity says, ” in response to friendly actions, people are frequently much nicer and much more cooperative than predicted by the self-interest model; conversely, in response to hostile actions they are frequently much more nasty and even brutal, even when the initial stimulus was unsolicited”. In simpler terms, give, and it opens others interest to you. They will see that you do good to others, and will be more eager to do good to you.
- Deliver Value
Always think about how you can increase the value that you offer those that are receiving your content: books, programs, messages, etc. People want value! Time is valuable, and when you put together something with poor presentation, little effort, and poor intent, someone gets ripped off. Check your intent, presentation, and effort. Give it your best. Ask for feedback, and make sure that your customers are satisfied. Embrace good and bad feedback in order that you can improve your service to others.
Recently, one of my books got a one star review. I had taken a lot of time in the book because I wrote and illustrated it, then I worked alongside a narrator to complete the project. The reviewer probably had little understanding about the effort that it took for the project. They wrote, “It’s alright the book is not even good it’s horrible and the pictures don’t even get me started oh my god”. Their perception and mine were very different. I have been in performing arts school since 5th grade specializing in Art, so I know that I am talented in that area. I knew that the message was powerful, but I did take the book down to ensure that I redo the formatting, have some feedback, and ensure that readers have the maximum experience.
- Find Talents that Would Enhance Yours
Maybe you are a good writer, but not a good speaker. Maybe you are a good painter, but not a good marketer. Maybe you are a good radio show host, but you do not have enough guests. Find others who can accent what you are presently doing. Tell them, “I really admire what you are doing. You are highly skilled in _________ area. I also love the cause that you stand for. I would like to put our talents together, and increase what we can offer to the people who we minister to”. Give compliments FIRST, and see the strategic alliance be made.
- Make Them Notice Mutual Benefit Between You
Maybe you sing soprano and the other person sings alto; together, you can be a harmony. What do you add in strategic alliances. Let those that you would like to build strategic alliances with know what you will be offering and the increased benefit that you can have when you team up to help others.
- Outline How You Can Collaborate Together
Once you have built a relationship, you can share ideas for how you can collaborate with the person. The harder the person has worked to get where they are, the more vested interest they are going to request from you. For example, if I had been working 8 hours per day to grow a platform of 200,000 followers, and you come forth after one year of work and less than 1,000 followers, and you want to do a deal splitting royalties at a 50/50 split interest; would that make sense? NO! Understand that in collaborations, you have to isolate the benefit that the connection is going to offer both parties.
- Offer Incentive for Affiliation
Maybe sharing their message to an audience that they would not regularly have access to. Maybe a commission. Maybe a free vacation. Maybe money. When the alliance is strategic, it has a great value to your life purpose, and you should have a gift or incentive for the other person to connect.
Additional Resources:
What is strategic alliance? definition and meaning
Definition of strategic alliance: Agreement for cooperation among two or more independent firms to work together toward common objectives. Unlike in a joint …
Strategic alliance – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives needed while remaining independent organizations.