One of the best ways to make money, at the least, if not at no cost are joint ventures. What I'm talking about is joint venturing With Others In Your Field.

I know, you're asking, what does this mean for me?

First, there's the skill of getting outside professionals whose product or service relates to yours to work with you as a team to help your clients and customers, and their clients and customers, and the public in general. 

You see, many outside professionals have a harmful way and tendencies to take recommendations, clients and customers away from you, only to leave you dried out and empty.

There are ways to stop this horrible problem by pointing out that you are not in the "one way street" business, and that you like to give and get recommendations. One of which is to show every one and your competition your Unique Selling Proposition. Strategizing, to try and get one or more of them to see that you mean business.

You see, it really makes me feel bad when I see so many people struggling to get where they want to go, when the answers are lying there in front of them, right under their nose. It's like they're in some desert, and there is an oasis right up ahead, and they walk right past it and end up dying of thirst.

By establishing real relationships with these outside people is going to be an absolute key to making the most amount of money at the least amount of expense. In order for you to move up to another level, you'll have to get into a new level of perception with outside professionals. You don't have a choice.

Marketing through professionals is no different than marketing to anyone. See, you're marketing through them on the surface. What you're really doing is marketing to them. Just like you do with everyone.

Whoever you market to there is always some end result in mind. For strangers, the goal is for them to want to come in to see you. So, your marketing focuses on the emotional strings that will get them in for an appointment. For professionals, your end goal is to get them to refer people to you, and/or to let you do various forms of advertising for their clients and/or have them help you with the cost of marketing.

Your marketing must focus on their emotional strings that will get them to refer people to you. Not on yours.

Let's look at what gets other professionals excited and interested in working with you.

Feeling you're a peer, not a "salesperson." 

Feeling they can trust you to help their clients.

Feeling they can trust you to bring them more business.

Feeling they can depend on you for help, objective advice as opposed to self-serving advice.

Feeling you can solve problems for their clients whether you get paid in every instance or not.

Feeling you are creative and aggressive in marketing. Something most of them are certainly not.

Feeling they can depend on you to say the right things in meetings.

Feeling they can count on you delivering what you say you can.

Feeling you will never recommend anything to their clients without going through them first.

See what's going on here? Do you see what these folks want?

They want you to be an asset to them and their clients. An asset that is dependable, trustworthy and a totally creative Marketing Expert.

These people need new business just like you do. But, you are going to have to bring more than marketing to the table. They want you to bring new business in, but they want it to be accompanied by a solid, trustworthy professional.

So, how do you blend these two things together?

How do you work with them, and get a bunch of new clients with little or no money?

Keep in mind that all these strategies we're going to be talking about require little or no money. Marketing with outside professionals, not only bring you new clients, but in some cases, you can get them to participate financially.

Important Note - when we recommend things like cost-sharing, we're only making a suggestion, not providing legal advice. Anytime you enter into a new area, you should have an attorney review your ideas to make sure they don't violate any local or federal laws or code of ethics.

This concept applies to any type of business, product or service. All you have to do is put your products or services into the appropriate spots, and you've got it. These models have worked in dozens of different industries and will certainly work in yours.

Will all of them you talk to agree to go ahead? No. Will some of them be hard to work with? Yes. Does that matter? No.

Why? Because we want you to keep talking until you find the right person. Talking is free, and if you cannot get them interested with a quick phone call, forget it. You have to make it easy for them to understand why they should participate with you, including financially.

You're bringing something to the table that 99% of these guys don't have - marketing that actually works. And you have to also understand, if you wait around for these folks to do something, your grandchildren will be attending their grandchildren's college graduations before anything will happen.

Most salespeople and business professionals think about marketing for new clients in the old-fashioned, out of date ways that afflict almost every industry. We've all been taught to be "professional" in our marketing, and if we do advertise, we're told it's wasting money.

If you bring a new knowledge base, and a proven formula that actually gets any results at all, you'll be a medal of honor winner to them. Keep this in mind. You have to show them why what you're doing is so effective, and why they'd have to be dummies to not hop aboard with you. And, if they are slow to react, or want to contemplate this issue until the next ice age, then blow them off and move towards the next one.

Believe me, there are millions of them to choose from. So, if you get a "hard to get" player, skip the game and move on. This same philosophy holds true for all kinds of professionals. You have to use the same kind of approach with everyone. You can make a simple call to see if they are looking to expand their business or practice by accepting recommendations from you. That's the way to quickly and cheaply get the door open. 

The real beauty of all this, besides them giving you recommendations and paying for some, or all of your advertising, is much deeper than that. The real beauty is that your clients will be well taken care of. Think about how unusual it would be for a client to have a team of dedicated professionals taking care of you in this client centered manner, wouldn't you?

One of the side benefits for you is that you will have this team to work on your own situation, usually at little or no cost. Often, you can set up an arrangement where these people will do work for free or at a discount for you. Of course, you should offer them help when they have personal needs, as well. Think about the Uniqueness you bring to the table when you are able to tell a new prospect how your team works together to maximize the efficiency of managing their purchase of your products/services.

Do you think this uniqueness is a little better than what your former competitors say? Remember, you have to have a totally different attitude to make this work. You have to be coming from a place of service with a completely client centered psychology.

For example, when you're meeting with a client of an associate or whatever, and after listening to them, you know that they are really not ready to consider your product or service right now. Maybe later, but not now. In your heart, you know that you have to tell this person that he or she should really think about the future carefully before they pour all their money into whatever your offering is. You know those situations.

Do you use all your sales and closing skills to get this client over the hump? Do you "lead" him or her to the conclusion that doing what you say is the right decision, instead of telling the client to consider whether doing anything right now is wise?

If you ask the right kinds of questions, and listen to what people really tell you, you'll always know in your heart what's right. And if you always do what your heart tells you is right, you'll get more business than you'll know what to do with, because of the positive energy you create when you do the right things.

Can you imagine the trust you build with an associate when you tell his client that this person or business isn't in the right position to buy just yet, and you advise waiting until uncertainties are resolved? Do you see how that trust will be a bridge into the heart of not just the client, but the professional as well?

Sure, appealing to a professional's need for more clients will get the relationship started. They'll see you as a person who can help them solve their own marketing problems. But, after you've gotten in the door, so to speak, developing this trust and showing the compassion we're describing will cement you into other professional's lives and the lives of their clients. And if they see you this way you're sure to work some arrangements that are both legal and helpful in defraying the cost of your marketing and advertising.

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