As a new marketer, or a marketer who is not yet earning 6 figures, building a business can be slow going. You’ve got to write lots of articles and blog posts, do SEO, write a weekly newsletter, participate in 2-5 social media venues a day, network at events, etc. And all of this is just to get your business off the ground.
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 you and your partner sharing 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 so much faster than by doing all of those other things we’re told to do. 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 is a real shame. These potential JV partners have already done all those things we listed to build their good name and their lists. If you could simply get your offer in front of their list, you would be golden.
But there is a way to get potential JV partners to pay attention to you, even if you do not yet have a list. Are you ready for this? No, it’s not sending them FedEx packages or calling them on the phone or promising to clean their house for a month if they’ll just mail for you. 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. Everyone, including potential JV partners, want to be part of something BIGGER than themselves.
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 weightloss, maybe it’s a challenge to get 10,000 of America’s office workers to lose 500,000 pounds. (That’s 50 pounds each, so target accordingly.) If your niche is teaching music, maybe it’s to fund an inner city program.
The point is to have a BIG IDEA and then get as many JV partners onboard as possible. 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. Movies are cast like this, too. Once a star comes on board a movie, EVERYONE wants to be in that movie.
And by the way, this is also the secret to motivating yourself. I’ve noticed that sometimes earning an extra $___ 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 that you have more motivation and energy for the 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 go home. Instead, you persevere and you find another way. And getting a big BIG idea that gets people fired up is that other way.
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, when the timing is right, take massive action and put your BIG IDEA in motion. 😀
