Once you’ve decided what company you’re going to work with, it’s time to establish a good alliance foundation. In a strategic alliance two companies are coming together, yes. However,
Unlike many other partnerships found in life, business alliances are not the most natural thing to create. Human beings come together as friends, romantic partners, and co-workers, but businesses are often thought of as adversaries. Despite this general perspective, studies show business alliances often raise profits and generate other benefits for both partners. The only problem is many of these alliances fail.
The Facts About Alliance Failure
Entrepreneurs may be alarmed to learn about the high failure rate of business alliances. Continue reading
“8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months. A whopping 80% crash and burn.” According to Entrepreneur there is only one thing you need to succeed as a startup, so don’t panic. “Your startup can still succeed. But it will depend on one thing and one thing only. Customers.”
However, developing your product, bringing it to market, finding customers, and keeping Continue reading
As those familiar with W. Edwards Deming know, Business Alliances are the most important part of supply chain management. For those not familiar with Deming, he was an American economist who rebuilt post-war Japan and came back to the United States in the 1980s to address why Japanese manufacturing had beaten American manufacturing. Total quality control is his most well-known ideas, but one of his 14 points addresses the need to develop strategic partnerships with suppliers.
In Out of The Crisis, he points out that Japanese companies learned early that “the best Continue reading
Alliance Partners bring unique strengths to your business. Each partnership can bring support, innovation, resources, and intelligence to your business. With so much on the line, how do you decide who is your best alliance partner?
In any relationship, there is a vetting process which takes place before you commit to the relationship. Business alliances are no different than any other relationship in the vetting process. A young couple begins dating with discovery, exploration, testing, and more. Shouldn’t you be doing the same when you create an alliance? Continue reading
Channels of Distribution are key alliances a business can enter into. As pointed out by Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary on almost every episode, not getting distribution kills a company. Channels of Distribution move your product to potential customers.
For manufacturing companies, your distribution channels will be wholesalers and retailers Continue reading
Alliance development and management used to be simple. Find the group of potential allies you wanted, find where they meet, and get involved there. In the sharing economy, allies have become easier to find and encounter, but harder to know. With mega-gurus like Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and Daymond John taking to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media sites, alliances bridge geographic and sociological boundaries. Linking and touching others has never been easier, but is that an alliance? Continue reading
Why enter into a business alliance? The main motivations include cost reduction, the improvement of service or capture more customers. Here are 5 kinds of business alliances that business-oriented minds need to know about: Continue reading
There’s an old saying that “two heads are better than one,” and it has never been truer than today. There are several benefits to connecting with another company in forming a strategic alliance, the corporate equivalent of putting two heads together.
Leverage knowledge and expertise from another company, without having to hire additional employees
Working together with another company in a formal strategic alliance provides your company access to additional experts, without having to hire them. Continue reading
A business’ growth to a higher level is often a perilous journey. From a start-up’s first unsteady step into the business arena, through each acquisition and investment that follows, risks surround those bold enough to take on the challenges.
The foundation of the company is built on skills, capital, an idea and a vision. Often the starting team has some form of expertise in manufacturing, procurement, marketing, engineering or design. Continue reading
Alliances originate in every shape and size, and then evolve to meet the requirements of the partners. Strategic alliances are high-maintenance commitments towards particular purposes. Do not consider them to be spontaneous, nor short-term. Strategic alliances in the technology world start at 5-10 years. For the pharmaceutical world, the time from conception to market is very long and expensive. Therefore their strategic alliances exist closer 15-20 years. In my local community, the mayors of more than 25 communities created an alliance in the 1980’s to grow the whole community. The fruit of their efforts are now blossoming. Continue reading
In the business world, strategic alliances are vital towards success, but only if they are well maintained. On-going maintenance is critical; otherwise you end up with an alliance that hurts you, your business ally and your customers. However, with four simple steps you create an alliance that produces optimal results. Continue reading
There is an element of business that is completely competitive, but there is more to it than that. For the most part, people think of business as a dog eat dog environment, but there are some moments when it is better to work with other businesses through collaboration.
Always Be Mindful Of What You Say
Based on the fact that so many people Continue reading
Collaboration is a powerful tool in business. Many times your organization can collaborate with another business to produce amazing results that otherwise would not have been obtained. We will discuss 3 tips to follow when collaborating with another business:
Tip One: Open Communication is king. To be successful Continue reading
Most people think of a matchmaker as someone who arranges romantic relationships. However, you can apply the term matchmaker to most anyone who introduces you to potential partners, such as business partners.
Meeting and developing a relationship with the right partners can be a difficult task. Continue reading
There are many commercials on TV and on the radio these days that say to call in and tell them about your invention idea. It sounds so easy, yet so campy and shifty at the same time. You’ve decided to market your own product. You’ve invested your own money, (and possibly a little of someone else’s if you’ve been lucky). However, you know deep down that you might not have what it takes to insure the success of this business. It’s the same feeling that made you even listen to that campy, shifty commercial in the first place. You know you need help, but you don’t know where to look or how to get it.
Help for Small Businesses with Good Ideas Continue reading
If your business is stagnant and needs a fresh and new division, product or service; or if you’re a new business and you need credibility or access to an established customer base, an alliance is a great way to get where you need to be.
Why Use Alliance Management?
With the number of business alliances soaring, alliance performance coaching becomes even more essential.
An article from Forbes talks about why coaching is vital for any partnership. In this piece of literature, the author makes it clear that no matter the past relationships that you have had with your partner, it pays to hire a coach. As he puts it, “Whether or not you knew each other beforehand, launching a business will change your relationship.” Therefore, to thrive in any joint venture, you have to incorporate performance coaching services. However, how do you make certain that the coach you go for will be rewarding for your business?
It’s official. The public’s buying behavior has changed. Every major marketing firm on Madison Avenue now has an Internet Marketing division; and many experts believe online marketing is even more powerful than TV, Radio and Print marketing is for many products and services. Everyone from grandpa to toddlers is becoming more tech savvy; and consumers are making buying decisions based on social and environmental responsibility.
What do You Do?
Well, totally changing your business model is out of the question for a multitude of reasons. However, a new joint venture can quickly gain you access to new customers, more capital, more technological resources; and give you more credibility in the modern marketplace. Continue reading
In a recent announcement Simmtronics, the world’s third leading PC tablet manufacturer, and Jumbo Electronics, the leading distributor and retailer of IT and consumer electronics in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have formed a strategic alliance to distribute PC tablets throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Simmtronics’ motivation for penning the deal is an effort to remain true to its commitment to expand in to as many new markets as possible.
According to Chris Ruggeri, M&A services leader at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, the recent decline in M&A activity Continue reading