tim-hamblin

Profiles of real-life joint venturers - Tim Hamblin..

Tim Hamblin has been delving into joint venturing since he and his wife began www.BlitzPromotions.com (promotion, marketing, and design services for almost any type of business, large and small). It was his customers who "trained" him as a joint venture marketer…

You don't necessarily have to look far and wide for joint venture partners... They may be found amongst the assets you already have! - your customers and clients.

That's what Tim has experienced. He's had rewarding JV relations with several folks who started out as (and perhaps remained) his website design and/or marketing customers...

He and a copywriter often swap services.

He uses "some programming guys from Canada to do database work", and they send him promotion business.

He has several arrangements with web designers to do promotion work for them. Tim reveals, "This is all behind the scenes (i.e., their customers think they do the work)."

And then there's the fellow who has been responsible for bringing in thousands of dollars' worth of business to Blitz Promotions - because he just wanted to pass the good word to his acquaintances. The story of how this relationship got going illustrates Tim's thoughts on how a successful joint venture takes place:

1. Initiate contact
2. Build trust
3. Discover a need
4. Create a mutually-beneficial agreement (As Tim notes, "The key here is mutual - if someone thinks they are getting the raw end of the deal, then it will not work.")
5. Follow up ...continuing the relationship

Tim tells of how one of his most fruitful joint ventures began a few years ago... "It started out as an email inquiring about our promotion services." The inquirer, Hugh, happens to be one who prefers talking on the phone more, so a conversation ensued. "After chatting several times on the phone, he began to talk about other folks who had websites who might need a bit of exposure help."

Initially, Hugh just suggested to some webmaster friends that they talk to Tim about what Blitz could do for their businesses. "Our first project together was for web promotion for a client he was working for. Results were good (i.e., traffic and sales increased), and he started sending me more business." At first, this was without even the thought of compensation - it was Tim who broached that subject.

The two then explored ways Blitz could compensate Hugh for the business he sent them. They settled on a mix of money and services - "usually 10-30% of the price, based on a number of factors... Size of the project, how much time he had involved, etc."

Hugh went on to contact a number of other acquaintances in turn. Tim echoes many another JV marketer in this observation: "It is much easier to have someone who folks know contact them about a product or service - this establishes a basis of trust. Since the folks Hugh contacted already had a high regard for his opinion, getting them as customers was a breeze."

And significant business has been referred because of this one person. Tim said, "I think everyone has what I like to call a circle of influence - those folks who you contact in your business. Fortunately, his was large and related to my services (i.e., his friends and associates had websites)." ...And he happened to be alive to interesting connections between people!

Not to mention that both men have found each other to be valuable allies in other ways as well. Tim says, "This relationship has developed way beyond just a business deal... We now chat on the phone almost daily, about everything from friend stuff to business stuff."

Serendipity has played a large part in Tim Hamblin's joint venturing. ...But I asked Tim whether he ever looks for such "niche" joint venture partners, now that he's aware of how much can be accomplished through such a person's valuable network. He says that he does do this from time to time, in now-rare times of slower business.

When asked to comment on how important his joint venturing efforts are in relation to other promotional endeavors, Tim gave me a list of his top 5:

1. Referrals
2. Joint ventures
3. Search engines
4. Pay-per-click search engines
5. E-zine advertising

From this, we can see how critical listening to one's customers can be to one's success! ...Tim's top two business boosters are a direct harvest from that. (And of course a joint venture is a referral of a sort.)

Tim's last observation on his set of client-centered joint venture experiences... "It basically reinforced what I have always known... Treat your customers with respect and integrity, give them more than they asked for, and you can never go wrong."

Tim Hamblin is the owner of http://www.BlitzPromotions.com - specializing in affordable website design and promotion... since 1998.

What can we learn from Tim Hamblin about joint venturing?…

Attending to the basics comes first... treating existing customers well is at least as important as seeking new customers.
It pays to find out about your customers! - interacting with them on a personal level may lead to great brainstorming between you. ...Otherwise, how will you discover whether they have a "circle of influence" that you might be able to tap into?
(Is it even a possibility to offer to reward customers you don't for new business they bring you?)
And need we say that e-zine editors are not the only JV partners to consider? - !
Not all joint venture partners are mercenary... Some will be delighted to pass the word about your business, just because it's of value. A "special deal to offer his customers" can often grease the wheels - but it may not be necessary.
Payment, however, can certainly keep that altruistic helper on course for the long term. (Everyone has to prioritize her time - the essence of making an JV offer, then, is to make sure that it sifts to the top of your partner's agenda.)
And payment can take any form that both you and your JV partner are comfortable with.
A web business can be greatly enhanced by joint venturing - and with very little work on your part. ...Go for it!

For those serious about JV marketing...

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