How can you effectively influence partners and allies?

To gain the confidence of partners and create allies, you need to understand where they are coming from. Empathy is one of the greatest tool you can use to understand their situation and try to offer them something that they can relate to. Simply expressing empathy can help gain their trust which is the stepping stone to greater collaboration.

This is with no doubt one of the key pillars of building a strong partnership. I would suggest even go beyond the obvious, depending on the culture (some countries have different approach for blending personal and business) break the barrier of business aspects to the personal ones. After all we are all people with similar needs and motivations that go much further beyond the business aspects.

Every business could have multiple types of partners classified in accordance to their business models. I believe the 3 questions to ask ourselves would be , "Why do you need a partner?", "What do you want to accomplish through the partner", and then "What type of partner would suit our business to accomplish the identified task effectively?" Some partner models might not suit all businesses or sectors. Businesses will need to choose the best potential partner synergy that could work for them. This depends on the sector or industry they represent, product or service they offer, the geography they are in, and also identify the challenges of approaching the end customers directly. The answers to these could provide valuable insights.

In today's dynamic business environment, being able to adapt and pivot is crucial. Active listening allows us to stay attuned to changing needs and circumstances, enabling us to adjust our strategies and offerings as required.

One of the best ways to build credibility is to show your weaknesses. People don't tend to sympathize with and usually distrust "Mr. Perfect". If you ever failed (and we know you did), share that story with your colleague. If your product has challenges - it's not a disadvantage. It's a way of showing authenticity and building a credible image. One more thing: sharing testimonials is a great idea, but make sure you're not triggering the wrong response. For instance: if your most satisfied client is a direct competitor of the company you're eyeing as a client/partner - you may want to rethink the example.

When we plan to work with partners, it is utmost important that we tend to build credibility with the partner, not just on the organization or company we work for, but also build credibility on the account manager, the products or services you offer and also on your support levels. Acquiring a customer through a partner is not an easy task, here your partner totally rely's on you to provide his customer or his lead with the best possible service or customer experience, because you might be just one of the vendors for the end customers, whilst the partner might be promoting multiple vendor products to the same customers.

Communication channels should be very clearly established to build continuous trust and collaboration with the partner. Many at times, breakdown in communication results in the partnership been hampered by mistrust, and misunderstanding. It is important to also choose the appropriate communication tools to communicate the correct content, ensuring the tone of communication, the emotions expressed in the communication channels are moderated and responsive, but not reactive.

I believe negotiation would many at times be appropriate face to face than on emails. This ensures that we are able to also analyze the customer sentiments visibly that virtually. Such insights would clearly enable us to identify customer emotions first hand. Many at times virtual interaction do not help us to understand such in-depth customer sentiments.

In the fast-paced business environment, conflicts and disagreements are inevitable. However, it's crucial to approach these situations constructively and respectfully. Ultimately, as for BDM, nurturing relationships is the key to not only influencing partners effectively but also to achieving long-term success in a competitive market.

At the end its all about trust. Be there for your business partner during the Ups and Downs and don't be affraid to build true friendships that goes beyond business.