As a new marketer, or a marketer not yet earning 6 figures, you probably find that building a business can be really slow going. There’s a heap of stuff to tackle. Lots of articles and blog posts to write, SEO to wrap your head around, writing your newsletter, participating in 2-5 social media venues a day, networking at events, etc etc etc. And all of this before you even get your business off the ground. It’s enough to blow your mind.
There is a major shortcut to success that bypasses all of this time and effort, and it’s doing joint ventures.
A joint venture is when you and your partner share resources for mutual benefit. A typical joint venture is simply, “You promote my program and I’ll promote your program.” Using nothing but joint ventures, you can grow your business much faster than by doing all of those other things.
JV’s are a massive, MASSIVE shortcut to success.
But when you’re new and you still don’t have a very large list of your own, big JV players will seldom even talk to you, much less do a JV with you which can pose a bit of a problem. You need to get your offer in front of their list, so how do you manage it?
Believe it or not there is a way to get potential JV partners to pay attention to you, even if you don’t yet have a list and it’s not sending them FedEx packages or calling them on the phone or promising to clean their house for a month.
Instead, the secret to getting JV partners when you don’t have a list of your own is to have a BIG idea, or a unique vision that gets them fired up and excited. Everyone, including potential JV partners, want to be part of something BIGGER than themselves and they know will make them money.
Your big idea is going to depend upon your niche. If you’re gardening, maybe it’s to raise money for community gardens or to send seed to countries in need. If your niche is weight loss, maybe it’s a challenge to get 10,000 of America’s office workers to lose 500,000 pounds. (That’s 50 pounds apiece, so target accordingly.) If your niche is teaching music, maybe it’s to fund an inner city program. To be honest it can be anything your brain can think of.
The point is to have a BIG IDEA and then get as many JV partners onboard as you can. There’s a tipping point effect involved in this – once you get a few prominent names in your niche, others will quickly sign up because of the star power of those first comers. It’s how I got my first big break back in 2005…
And by the way, this is also the secret to motivating yourself. I’ve noticed sometimes earning an extra few $___ a month isn’t enough to motivate some would-be marketers, but having a really big goal that helps others gets them fired up and moving.
So it’s a 2 for 1. Get a big goal and you’ll not only find that JV partners want to join you – you’ll also discover you have more motivation and energy for your project.
And there’s another lesson in this – just because something doesn’t seem to work doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Just because the established marketers in your niche seem adverse to doing JV’s with newcomers doesn’t mean you throw in the towel and give up. Instead, you persevere and find another way of getting those JV’s on board.
So make yourself a list of possible big ideas. Keep the question simmering in the back of your brain for the next few days – what would be so big it will get you and your future JV partners fired up? The answer will come when you least suspect it – quite possibly as you’re driving, showering or falling asleep.
When the answers come, write them down then act on them accordingly.
