The Power of Partnerships – How do you leverage the power of connections and collaborations to expand your reach as a holistic professional or business owner?

Whether you own your own business or work for someone else, partnerships are a powerful way to expand your reach to new customers, clients or patients AND power up your presence in the marketplace.

What would the world, and our businesses, be like if we viewed everyone as a partner? When we view everyone as a partner, we are more likely to treat people with respect and consideration. From there, we are well-positioned to create partnerships that go beyond the status quo.

View the video version here: https://youtu.be/B7r50ai8lQI

In speaking with Beth Romanski, Director of Professional and Continuing Education at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH), Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and the Creator & Co-Host of the Wellness Warriors Radio podcast, about partnerships, I experienced the best form of partnership – when two people and organizations connect closely in collaboration. On top of that, MUIH gives HCC Members a 10% discount on Professional and Continuing Education courses.

With more people are paying attention to overall health and wellness than ever before and looking for products and services to support their immune system, reaching out beyond our comfort zones becomes important. How can these people find you? For you to help them, and them to purchase your products/services, they’ve got to know about you first. That is where partnerships come in.

 You’ve most likely heard the term “preaching to the choir” – Always sharing with those who already know you, your products and services. They’ve heard you and love you already.

Now, it's time to expand the size of your “choir” by reaching new people, your new customers, clients, patients. It is also about boosting your relationships by sharing about others.

1.  Why are partnerships important for you in your professional work?

• From networking to increasing awareness and education about what you do, partnerships make it easier to meet new people and find those who are interested in what you do. Even social media can be seen as your partner in these efforts.

2. What types of partnerships can you create? Personally, I consider our members and chapter presidents to be partners and we also have other types of partnerships to serve different purposes. Here are a few ideas for you:

• Influence (Awareness, Education, Branding) – This is when you partner with someone (an individual or company) to tell more people about each other. In general, you each send an email or make a social media post to your respective lists and invite your tribe to connect with them and vice versa.
• Affiliate – This is when there is a financial component to your agreement for making introductions. It can create passive income for you by simply sending an email. Most commonly, there is a click-through* (See Question 6) component whereby when a person “clicks” on your affiliate link and purchases the product/service, you will be paid. There are many professionals and businesses that receive significant income through affiliate links. For the Holistic Chamber of Commerce, these partnerships allow us to keep our membership rates reasonable and serve more people overall.
• Community and/or Industry – This can be a relationship with a local charity or community-based organization. It can also be a professional designation granting you certain privileges and recognition. For example, Holistic Chamber of Commerce (HCC) members have access to special discounts and are also recognized for their level of professionalism. I like to call it the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Holistic Approval!”
• Healthcare collaborations and Referrals – Among HCC members, we see this fairly frequently. It is easy to connect with someone else and feed leads to each other by making more personal introductions and recommendations. These are especially powerful as many people are more likely to take immediate action from a special introduction or specific recommendation.
• Networking with a Sidekick – When I go to an in-person networking event, I prefer to go with a sidekick so we can introduce each other. That way, when meeting someone new, I can brag about how great they are and they can do the same for me. People listen more closely when you are not talking about yourself.

3.     Where do you find your partners?

• Networking – Reaching out to your current network is one of the easiest ways to meet new partners. Ask your colleagues who they know.
• Search Engines (like Google) – Consider the keywords that will help you find strong partners and see who comes up in the search results. One reason why the HCC has created a website allowing each member up to five (5) hyperlinks is to provide a “booster shot” for stronger Search Engine Optimization (SEO). These days, showing up near the top of search results means you are more likely to be seen and contacted by a possible customer/client/patient. We want that for our members.
• Local news outlets and magazines – Whether it’s based online or in print, you can find potential partners by connecting with article authors and editors as well as advertisers.

4.     What makes a partnership or collaboration successful?

• It makes your life easier. Does your partner help? In working with Beth, her skills mix with mine for a balanced partnership which makes our projects flow smoothly.
•  It makes your business better. People come to the HCC website as when searching for holistic approaches to heath, lifestyle and business. Our partnership with MUIH adds to our status as a resource for continuing education in the natural and integrative health arena. This reflects in our standing with like-minded professionals as well as mainstream consumers looking for reputable and respected providers.
• It creates mutually beneficial results. A win for you, a win for your partner, and a win for the connections that come from it. For the most powerful partnerships, more people are finding you and your partner, and the people coming to you are finding the products and services that they want at a price that is reasonable for them. Using the HCC as an example, by partnering with our members through our Global Online directory and with special discounts, they can save money, increase their SEO standing and build stronger businesses overall. At the same time, consumers have a resource for finding quality holistic professionals and health providers.

5. Do you create formal agreements or keep it more casual?

• Money Honey – If money is involved, you may want a written agreement, especially for larger amounts. This is one reason why the HCC includes attorneys in our membership. We want like-minded legal advice when venturing into significant commitments.
• Handshake – If it is a simple agreement (I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine), you can probably keep it casual.

6.     What is important to be aware of when creating a partner agreement?

• Direct and Indirect results - Sometimes, the strongest partnerships are tricky for tracking… Remember that these relationships are also about awareness and branding. For example, MUIH sends an email about the HCC to their alumni. Some people click today; others read it but don’t click today. Or… they click a different link tomorrow or the next day (or next week). Make no mistake, they clicked because they had heard of it before through a source they trusted. It was already in their awareness/consciousness. Likewise, we send an email talking about our discount with MUIH. Maybe someone is distracted by whatever is going on today or this week. But next week when they realize they need CEs, they go to Google and look up, Maryland University of Integrative Health. That’s a good thing! It’s just not as measurable.
• A Performance or "Out" Clause - Especially if you are paying someone for a specific result (like a website), you'll want to have an agreement regarding what to do in case things don't go the way you planned. Life happens and priorities shift. Some things are not predictable. What will you do if that happens?

7. What are 1-2 top tips for people creating new partnerships or upleveling partnerships they already have?

• Start simple – There’s no need to overwhelm yourself. Often, the best partnerships are as easy as “I’ll post for you if you’ll post for me.”
• Masterful Mix – If people are always hearing the same things from you, it’s time to mix it up. Partner with someone new so you can say something new. People will start paying attention again and that’s a good thing. Also, if you serve a large audience, like we do at the HCC, you'll want to have plenty of offers so more people can find what they are looking for.

Ø Special offer: Save 10% on all MUIH Professional and Continuing Education offerings with code HCC10. Visit http://ce.muih.edu to find available courses.

Ø HCC Members: Log in to get access to all of our partner’ special offers and make the most of your membership. This short video shows you how:

 These days, the most powerful partnerships will add to your online presence as well as other aspects and elements of reaching new - and keeping current - customers, clients and patients.

Ask yourself, is there someone I would like to partner with? Can I get that started today?

Are you ready to partner with our cause and community? Click here to join now!

Camille Leon is the CEO of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce. She helps people find holistic approaches to health, life and business. She helps holistic professionals to connect with more customers, clients and patients. Looking for a speaker for your next event? Call 310-490-6862 for availability or visit https://500speakers.com/pitch/camille-leon.html.