* PUBLISHER'S NOTE  ~.~  Kimberly Stevens
* FREE EMAIL COURSE  ~.~  The 10 Biggest Mistakes
* FEATURE COLUMN  ~.~  Joint Venture Your Way To Sales
* AFFILIATE PROGRAM  ~.~  Earn money by helping others
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.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  PUBLISHER'S NOTE ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Dear Readers,

You know what makes me really happy? Drinking a Starbucks
latte while doing my grocery shopping at Safeway. Getting my
Godiva fix at Barnes & Noble. Cheap thrills, I know!

Ever wonder why McDonald’s is inside many WalMart stores?
Or why you can buy the board game, Cranium, inside most
Starbucks locations?

These are not just lucky coincidences. They are very
well-planned, structured, and negotiated marketing strategies.
They are implemented by companies that get creative with
their marketing by focusing it around who their ideal customer
is, where they spend their time, and what they do.

These kinds of joint ventures, or distribution agreements,
deliver convenience to the customer while generating profits
for both the company that manufacturers the product as
well as the one that distributes it. It is a win-win-win.

Joint ventures are likely one of the most profitable ways for
you to invest your marketing time. If you can identify ways
to team with someone who already has the attention and
respect of your target market, you will multiply the results
you get from your marketing campaigns.

So, how do you do this in a service business? Read on!

Best Wishes for Continued Success!

Kimberly Stevens
Ask The Biz Coach, LLC
PH:  410.721.8522
kim@askthebizcoach.com


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’The 10 Biggest Mistakes Business Owners Make
                & How To Avoid Them’

Even those of us who have been in business for several years
can occasionally forget to consistently implement some of
the most fundamental aspects of running a successful
business. Once your business starts growing, some of the
basics can get out of whack.

Whether you are just launching your business or could use a
refresher course to take your business to the next level, sign
up to get my free 5-part email course, one part delivered
every other day.

To sign up, visit http://www.askthebizcoach.com

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  FEATURE COLUMN  ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Joint Venture Your Way to Extraordinary Sales"
by Kimberly Stevens

Joint ventures are hot these days. You see them everywhere,
both online and offline. So, what is in it for you? A lot!

Think about it - what could be better than someone who
already has the respect of your ideal clients telling them all
about you and what great work you do?

That is all a joint venture really is, after all. One person or
company putting their seal of approval on another. In simple
terms, they are saying “This guy is okay. You can trust him.
I have seen his stuff, and he knows what he is talking about.”

Smart business owners take the time to identify who else
has contact with their target market and approach those
people to ask if they would recommend them to their clients.

Some arrangements might involve a referral fee. Others
might just be reciprocal agreements – you send me people,
I will send you people.

That is why your printer might be able to recommend a
good graphic designer, your pediatrician can recommend
a nutritionist that specializes in working with kids, and
your web hosting company can recommend a web designer
or two. They have developed relationships with other
professionals with a natural crossover with the service
they provide.

Perhaps they met at a networking function, stumbled across
each other during the regular course of work, or took a more
proactive role to seek out joint ventures. It does not matter
how it gets done – just that it does get done.

So, how can you get started? It is easy. Just sit down and
really take some time to think about your ideal clients. What
are they like? What kind of business are they in? What kind
of life do they lead? Where do they live? What do they
read? What organizations do they belong to? What do they
do during work hours and off-hours? Where do they spend
their time?

Once you have a clear understanding of them, ask yourself
– based on what I know about my clients, who might already
have a trusted relationship with a group of them?

Some common online examples are ezine editors who have
a subscriber base of your ideal clients, other companies who
have a client base of your ideal clients, or discussion group
owners who have a member list made up of your ideal clients.

In the offline world, you might approach associations whose
members are your ideal clients, other businesses who sell
complimentary products/service to their client base which
consists of your ideal clients, or print publications whose
subscribers are your ideal clients.

Once you have identified some potential joint venture
partners, just contact them with an offer. Decide ahead
of time if you are going to offer a financial incentive or
simply reciprocity.

The referral mechanism for reciprocity could be as simple
as displaying one another’s business cards, adding the
other organization’s logo to your materials, or sending
out an endorsement of them to your clients and having
them do the same.

The opportunities are endless once you begin to think in
the right terms. So, take some time this week to really
understand your ideal clients. Who are they, what do
they want, and how can you best deliver it to them in
a place that is convenient for them and makes money
for you as well as your joint venture partner?

Best of Luck!

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ RESOURCES ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

'The Profitable Business Owner – Part One: Building the
Foundation for Getting the Business You Really Want' ebook
gives you a step-by-step system for finding and reaching
your ideal clients. For details, visit:

http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  AFFILIATE PROGRAM  ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

You can create multiple streams of income by joining the Ask
The Biz Coach Affiliate Program. Offer your clients,
subscribers, members, and site visitors the opportunity to
download my free MiniCourse, and you could earn a sales
commission every time they buy one of the many ebooks
or web tools I will be launching over the next several months.
Learn more at:

http://www.askthebizcoach.com/affiliates.htm

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY  ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The client names in the Feature Column have been changed
to preserve the Coach-Client Confidentiality Agreement.  In
some cases, the scenario is not that of one client but is
representative of the experiences of the many business owners
with whom I have worked.


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