Jim Ivers is the chief strategist for Security Covata
For any industry, partnerships are the cornerstone of a successful and sustainable business. Like any significant relationship, strong partnerships are not built overnight, nor do they occur by chance. They are the result of hard work, constant evaluation and confidence necessary to end those unproductive or toxic.
I got to industry analysts tell me that "today partnerships are unsupported features of tomorrow", so that the market considers partners and the strength of these relationships seriously. In fact, it is wise to think about your partner as an extension of the reputation you have built your brand.
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You never want to see you in defending your name because partners are not themselves present in the right light.
Take inventory
The first step is to make an honest inventory of your partnerships by asking you a series of three qualifying questions:
- is the supplier / partner in delivering value to your business?
- Since the engagement, a supplier / partner maintained performance expectations?
- Do you trust your supplier / partner to protect your information?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, it may be time to cut the cord, especially if you expressed your dissatisfaction with the partner in the past.
An added value of this exercise is that it is much easier to identify what to look for in a replacement by determining where problems exist. Do not let emotions or story replace the current state of your business and your relationship. In other words, if it does not work today, it is likely will not work tomorrow.
Fortunately, if you answered all these questions, you are well on your way to solidify the bond you have with your third-party partners.
Integrate suppliers into your strategic plan
Most of the annual plans focus on the tasks and responsibilities of the internal team, leaving the external stakeholders in the dark. The products and solutions of your suppliers and their expected participation should be an integral part of any business reflected.
In some cases, looping in could lead to a more sophisticated solution that you are currently using, or could lead to an expansion of services based on what the partner can offer.
Similarly, this type of active participation can encourage your partner to be more invested in the realization of your business proposal. The sharing of risks and benefits, as in any ongoing relationship, built efficiency for all participants.
Build a performance plan for each supplier
While this may seem a bit 'Big Brother', the intention behind it is worthy of consideration. performance plans can come in a variety of shapes and combine a number of criteria; service, quality, value and delivery are most common combinations.
As with all performance measures they should be measurable and rationally feasible. The best case would be to build the plan with each provider so they have buy-in and ownership.
performance plans have benefits that are threefold. First, it is a way to align expectations and maintain a common set of agreed targets across the board. Second, the assessment of current performance measures can quickly determine if expectations are met, and immediately know what needs to be done to correct the problems. It is much easier to identify and correct the measured results as to meet the subjective criticism.
Finally, it illustrates the credibility of your organization as potential partners may be more inclined to work with a company that reviews and rewards good performance.
Give them the tools to succeed
Do not assume that your suppliers or partners know the unique needs of your organization - they are not mind readers. This could include a combination of the following:
- appropriate for onboarding new relationships. This will facilitate the fuller development of the performance plan and create a baseline for future evaluations
- Regular training: This can be used to refine your business needs based on what your supplier is able to provide. You need to evaluate how often such training should occur, based on a variety of factors, including new technologies, policy changes, business needs, etc ...
constant communication is the key, especially in the early stages of any partnership. They must be able to reach you when they need you.
Be available. Answer their questions and give advice. The effort will bear fruit in the form of a successful and effective business relationship.
The establishment of a positive working relationship with your vendors, suppliers, stakeholders and strategic partners will benefit from a common sense of purpose across the board. Actually, they are your active growth behind the most precious scenes -. The feed and your business will prosper alongside their success
Improving the partnership field: A step by step guide to a wide proposal