Friday, March 14, 2014

Alliance



Alliance Listings


JV Hero connects businesses that are looking to set up strategic alliances, for win-win business partnerships through our online marketplace.

To find a JV or strategic alliance that best suits your business, search our current alliance listings for businesses that are already looking for a partnership.

Or if you prefer, post an alliance listing of your own, and let other potential business partners come to you. We offer 3 levels of listings to suit different sized businesses, which can be upgraded at any time.

Types of strategic alliance listings:


To keep it really simple, we’re going to categorise strategic alliances and joint ventures in 3 ways:

1.  Profit Shares


Profit share strategic alliances and joint ventures are where the businesses that partner both share the profits they are created from them promoting the other’s business to their client list (or database). This can be one way or two way promotions. Usually initially, it is set up one way. Keep in mind if the costs of the promotions are also split, and how this will effect the profit share. If the promotion involves more work on one businesses side, the profit share arrangement should reflect that (ie: 60/40).

Profit share strategic alliances are ideal for companies large and small. For companies with high traffic volumes or that are already well established, they can benefit by offering a profit share agreement to create a new revenue stream by partnering with smaller companies that have a similar demographic with complimentary products or services for sale. For smaller companies or businesses (start ups inclusive), creating a profit share alliance with a larger company and agreeing to share a percentage of your profit can give your business much needed exposure with minimal out of pocket expenses.

Example: An online beauty e-commerce website sets up a profit share alliance with a large beauty forum website in a deal that see’s the forum website feature editorials and advertising spaces on high traffic pages, in exchange for a 25% profit share of all beauty product sales for 6 months. This gives large exposure for the beauty e-commerce website with minimal financial outlay, plus creates another revenue stream for the beauty forum through the use of content  pages and advertising spots.

2. Mutual Benefit


Mutual benefit strategic alliances and joint ventures are where both businesses agree that they are receiving a mutual benefit from the partnership, and therefore neither receive a profit or commission of sales. Both businesses make money (or gain exposure, whatever is more important to each business at the time) from each other’s client list (or database), and both keep the money they make. These alliances are much simpler to set up and maintain than the profit share alliances.

Particularly effective mutual benefit alliances are done with businesses that your customers would visit either directly before, or after they visit your business – both online and offline. The highest converting like database strategic alliances are where businesses offer irresistible deals exclusively to each others database.

There are many, many different types of mutual benefit partnerships and alliances. These include (but aren’t limited to):
 Advertising swaps (either online or in person – ie: banners or marketing material in offices)
Blog/Article swaps
Free gift/promotions to each other’s databases (ie: Business A gifts Business B’s database a gift each to the value of $300, to gain the interested business)
Recommendation emails to each others’ databases
Give-aways for competitions (charities, etc)

Example 1: An accounting firm and a financial services firm set up a strategic alliance to refer business to each other.

Example 2: An online fashion retailer and an online shoe retailer exchange advertising spots on each other’s websites. They both increase their market exposure, reaching the same demographic for no additional cost.

Example 3: An airline company and a hotel chain do a like database promotion (same customer demographic), they offer a discount to each other’s services for March and each send it to their database as a limited time offer. In additional, they could even host an event together, both inviting their databases for a getaway-themed night, and use the event to showcase their services and sell their products to customers of both businesses.

3. Others


Other strategic alliances are only limited by your imagination. Creative, collaborative and innovative alliances that break the traditional mould of partnerships and offer customers real value, convert well for both partners involved. So don’t be limited, get out there and think of what other businesses are also dealing with your customers. And you don’t have to guess – ask them! Ask them what they’re up to next, or what they have planned for the weekend and keep a list – then go and talk to those businesses.