Most business people know by now that consumers are in control of the buying process and that consumers are being continuously bombarded with marketing messages that make it hard for any business to stand out.

So what do you do?

Create new and unique business partnerships. Maybe you run a clothing store, partner with a drycleaner or maybe you run a pizza store, partner with a fire department. Maybe you run a bakery, partner with your towns welcome wagon organization. Unique partnerships not only can generate new business but may also provide you opportunities for extra publicity. (i.e. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet)

The first key to success is to focus on combining with other businesses to offer something that truly brings the consumer value. Anything that saves a consumer time and provides information and knowledge about a purchase can be a valuable offering.

The second key to having a successful working partnership is to focus on the benefits first to the consumer, then the other partner and then yourself. Look for other businesses that have similar values as yours and that you can have some assurance that they will make and keep any agreement you might make. Think “You us Me,” partner first and then yourself.

In addition to examining the values of potential partners you want to evaluate their product and service, thier distribution structure and of course their backend office capability. Each of these will vary depending on the type of business. The point is you want a partner who can deliver to the customer and not degrade your good name.

To help you learn more about partnering smartly, Anita Campbell has as her guest on this show Kare Anderson, author and ex-Wall Street Journal reporter and owner of SayItBetter.com. They discuss Smart Partnering and how it can help your business grow faster. The partnerships discussed are marketing partnerships where you and the partners (other businesses or organizations) come together for your mutual benefit.

Why is partnering so popular these days and why should you consider it? As Kare puts it in the show “Information is more valuable than promotion.” Consumers are deluged with messages, partnering can help your business stand out.

Here are just a few samples of the kind of content in this show:

Kare also provides at least a half-dozen examples of creative and lucrative successful marketing partnerships that you can learn from and maybe even copy.

Additional highlights of this show include the Today’s Trend segment, “The Trend of Ad-Hoc Organizations.”

Come on, take a few minutes and listen today, you will be glad you did.

Recorded: June 27, 2006

Duration: 60 minutes

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About Kare Anderson

Kare’s the publisher of the international “Say It Better” ™ E-Zine. She’s the author of several books, including Getting What You Want (in 19 languages), Resolving Conflict Sooner, Walk Your Talk: Grow Your Business Faster Through Successful Cross-Promotional Partnerships, and Beauty Inside Out.

She’s a trailblazer in media, business and politics. She’s a former journalist for the Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, UPI, and other newspapers. Kare was Pacific Telesis’ first Wideband and Cable Division Director, a co-founder of a national public affairs and advertising firm and is now president of the Communicate to Center. In government, she was a state senator’s chief of staff, co-founder of nine political action committees and appointed commissioner. Kare’s a frequent strategic communication coach to leaders in business and government.

Kare has an joint MA in Urban Planning from Occidental College and the University of Southern California; Certificate in Economics for Practicing Journalists from the London School of Economics and was a Fellow with the Coro Foundation in Public Affairs.

Her clients are as diverse as Sony, Nomura Securities, National Renewable Energy Labs, Pfizer, Hewlett Packard and Ringling Brothers. As David Rockefeller Jr. said after hearing Kare speak, “She will forever change how you see yourself and your world.”

Learn more about Kare at the Say It Better Center