Forming Alliances And Partnerships

Think about how information and resources come to you. Meeting as many people as you can and forming

alliances and partnerships with them is your most valuable resource. If you are going to be successful on

the net or anywhere else people need other people. 75% of career moves are made through others that you

know. Networking is a important part of being financially secure.

What is networking? It is forming partnerships and alliances based on mutual need, respect, and trust. It is

passing on and getting information through the people you know. It is helping others to be successful while

helping yourself to be successfulWhat kind of networks do you have. The primary network is made up of family, and close friends that share

your value system. They always want the best for you. They will help you prosper in anyway that they can.

Your secondary network comes from acquaintances and your community. This may include people you do

business with, church friends, organizations you belong to, people you just meet. Your secondary group is

made up of acquaintance, those with different values, beliefs, attitudes, and friends. The casual contacts

who make up your secondary group come from everywhere, past and present: Work, community, school,

and vendors. They may be made up of people from your past, employers, teachers, school friends. Or they

may be people who you work with now, present employers, people you are currently doing business with at

this time.Research and my personal experience shows me whatever technical advise, professional advise, I may

need comes through people who I know. They are available to listen and give me advise. They are people

who are willing to do things for me, meet a need in my business, share their experience, people who will

meet some of my business needs and that I can do something for in return. Reciprocity, or fair exchange, is

the foundation of networking.Some contacts are from your primary group family and close friends they are best for providing support,

helping you overcome shortcomings, improve your skills. Secondary group are best for providing

information and resources. A contact may be anyone who provides you with access to what you want. An

example of this I have a friend who is absolute whiz at math. He has helped me figure out how to refinance my house, to find financing for my business. He has helped

me put on paper my financial needs for my business so I can clearly present them to others like the bank

for a loan. He also knows I have issues with money and provides support over time for me to overcome this

shortcoming.

 My family has been a great resource for giving me support when I am down and don't think I can go on.

They tell me I can do everything. Some of my impersonal business aquaintnesses like other editors,

writers, have exchanged advertising for me in exchange for advertising. This has been a tremendous help

when I was trying to build my business. They have not only exchanged ads with me but published my

articles help to establish me as an expert in some fields, enhanced links on the internet with their business

and mine. A contact may be anyone who provides you with access to what you want or need to grow your

business.

Contacts are people who can help you access information. They are useful as they provide expertise you

may not possess. They may have contacts you do not have. There is power in information. You do not have

to know everything just where to get that information. That is where your contacts come in. They provided

the resource you do not have. It is also important as a human being not to be alone in seeking what you

need and want.Whether you are trying to find work, a new doctor, moving to a new city, we all rely on others to help us on a

daily basis. But if you are to be effective at forming partnerships and alliances you must make a physical

record of your whom you know who might help you in your current project. Putting on paper who you know

who might be helpful in your current situation and what resources they may offer and what you might offer

them in return makes clear the next step of who to contact. This will help you know what avenues to pursue

both in the present and future.As hard as it may be to believe, you have exponentially more contacts than you would ever imagine. Active

networkers know that every stranger represents an opportunity: The chance to reach targets, get

problem-solving assistance, obtain guidance and direction, information, tips, leads, referrals, advice,

support, counsel, sponsorship, as well as enhance your self-esteem and growth.Networking is an excellent method for creating your visibility and credibility among those important to the

achievement of your goal. Active networkers know that every stranger represents, making a friend,

establishing a relationship of trust, that becomes  an opportunity. The chance to reach targets, get

problem-solving assistance, obtain guidance and direction, information, tips, leads, referrals, advice,

support, counsel, sponsorship, as well as enhance your self-esteem and growth. Always remember that it's

a much smaller world than you think. You can get information by way of a chain of people very quickly.To be effective at networking, forming partnerships there are some guidelines:1. Determine what you want by assessing your own resources2. Determine what you have and what you need3. Let others know you're interested in them4. Let them know you have resources to offer to them as wellBe able to describe who you are, what your resources are, what you need, suggest an exchange. You must

be able to do this clearly.You may not immediately be comfortable with reaching out and asking people for help but you owe it to

yourself to follow each step and to do each step. Remember one has to stretch their comfort level a little at  times but do go beyond former boundaries.

References:

"  adapted from an article Do I Really Have To Network by Signe A. Dayhoff, Ph.D., Effectiveness-Plus LLC, is a coach-trainer who transforms self-presentation anxiety and self-promotion reluctance into socially effective marketing.

http://www.effectiveness-plus.com/articles.htm and http://www.speakwithoutfearnow.com/articles.htm . Please visit Dr. Signe’s web site athttp://www.speakwithoutfearnow.com for additional articles and resources on alleviating performance anxiety and sales reluctance,creating supercharged  confidence, and conquering small talk and public speaking.")

Strategies of Cooperation: Managing Alliances, Networks, and Joint Ventures By John Child, David Faulkner

Does Familiarity Breed Trust? The Implications of Repeated Ties for Contractual Choice in Alliances Ranjay GulatiThe Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Feb., 1995), pp. 85-112doi:10.2307/256729Alliance Advantage:

The Art of Creating Value Through Partnering By Gary Hamel, Yves L. Doz

Networks, Alliances and Partnerships in the Innovation Process By Albert N. Link, John De la Mothe