This post is going to address the many emails and proposals I receive on a regular basis concerning potential joint venture deals and relationships. If we’re going to work together, you need to understand what’s below.
To put it bluntly, I’m a results type of person. I’m not too interested in intentions or “potential.”
What I value greatly are things like transparency, honesty, integrity, and repeat customers. If you’re disciplined, read this entire blog post and follow directions, there’s a chance we might work together.
These are things that are important to me:
- Transforming lives for the better
- Teaching others a powerful, strategic skill-set that pays them well for life
- Follow-through and getting things completed
- Inspiring others to create the life of their dreams
- Forward thinkers who have big visions
- Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and chiropractors
- Making money and creating massive impact
- Having a good time and enjoying life
- Living without limiting beliefs
Here’s how joint ventures usually happen:
I’m a bottom line kinda guy. I don’t have time to waste on bullshit and excuses.
With 12 people in my two companies and several products, I have very little time.
LET ME SAY AGAIN: I HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME
The time I have is focused on getting results for clients, traveling the world, consulting, managing my team, and spending time with those closest to me.
Every week, I get approximately 5-10 proposals from people to promote their products or services. If you’re here, it’s because we haven’t partnered together or done a deal together before.
Here are my rules for starting out:
By the way, if you HAVE gotten here by accident or we’ve worked together (or you’ve come to me via a personal referral), then you should contact my assistant. You’re in the clear.
Here’s the deal straight to the point:
After building a big responsive list and a couple of real companies, I know what works and doesn’t. Below is a pretty detailed summary of my rules and expectations.
I’m a slow date – and build relationships slowly on the basis of trust, testing, reputation and results. My most precious assets are time and my reputation.
I have ZERO tolerance or patience for anything that wastes or damages either of them.
Next, you’ve got to cut to the chase and SHOW ME THE MONEY.
Look, it isn’t “all about the money” – but I’ve got a thousand ideas of my own and products I haven’t even sold to my own lists yet (so I get to keep all the money), so if I’m going to get distracted by anything, it has to MAKE SENSE.
I’m looking for 2 key things:
- More customers
- More exposure
Which in turn, get us more customers.
JV and affiliate deals are about the CUSTOMERS and EXPOSURE. It’s rarely about the money, but when it is, it’s got to be a straight line from my list to the bank.
Having said that, let’s get down to business and I’ll fill you in on how we can succeed.
Rules and expectations for promoting your products and services:
You. I need to know what YOU have to offer. How large is your list? What is the demographic/psychographic makeup of that list? What is the open rate? What is the clickthrough rate? What do they buy? What do they not buy?
How long you’ve been at this? If you’re a start-up or newbie, we’re not a match. Unless you’ve got an INCREDIBLE story to tell and 90% of what you’re going to share with me below is a match, you’ve got to earn some stripes and prove what you have works and sells.
The Product. It has to be good and it has to work. I don’t promote products that escalate to an event that escalate and I don’t get paid. Events that are part of a bonus or deliver at the end of a product training do well.
I avoid any connection with MLMs publicly and do not promote anything in that space so don’t approach me with any of that. Products that help doctors and professionals get more customers and make more money do well.
Sales process. If you haven’t sold or promoted my product first, I WILL NOT promote yours. The only exception to this is if you’ve invested to join my VIP private coaching program and I’ve helped you build / refine your product.
If we get to the point where I AM going to promote your product, you need to come with a well-oiled business, sales funnel and sales process that you can PROVE works.
That means you need to show and prove with verified reports and web stats:
- what the value per click is
- value per lead
- sales conversion rate
- refund rate
- average payout per affiliate (low, high, average)
And provide me with links to your sales pages, upsell, downsell, email messages, sequences, videos, teleseminar and webinar scripts and files.
Nothing remotely competitive. Obvious but needs to be said. We do social media consulting and sell online courses in profitable internet marketing. I no longer promote people with competitive products and shy away from folks who have relationships with people who are close to competitors. A confused prospect doesn’t buy. I’m not worried about competition, I’d rather focus our energy on opportunities that convert.
Proof related. Their must be proof that it works.
Sales material and copy. You need to invest in understanding MY audience, not the other way around. Get on my mailing list. Read the outbound messages. Read my blogs. Study my products. Use them. Get results. Then write the outbound copy and subject lines for me in my voice so I don’t have to do all the work.
Rapport. My audience only buys from other people when they know I have a relationship with them. If you monitor my stuff, you’ll see I have long time relationships with everyone I promote.
Results in advance. I only promote people who promote us first and who have produced results. One result is worth more than a thousand intentions.
Use our products with proof. My lists want to know “how to”. When I can show them how to do something and I show proof they are a user of our products too, they buy. Again, my audience is interested in social media marketing, building a list and above all, getting new customers and creating a better life.
Once I see results, get paid, hear good things from customers and know the ones who take action got results, we progress.
This is a PERMISSION business and I don’t give anyone permission or access without PROOF. No proof, no access.
Nothing blind. Everything I promote I’ve reviewed, used and gotten results from personally. So whatever it is, I need to see and use it myself first.
Reputation, not cash. That’s my only real asset besides time. I guard it carefully. I don’t care about squeezing an extra dime – I care about clients for life. So my brand and association with someone else’s brand must be impeccable.
Priority scheduling based on results. I have room for about 6-8 new offers a year. I schedule based on these rules which are driven on the basis of results. So the folks I promote have generated results in the past and I take care of them first. The rest are scheduled long in advance.
Getting paid on time. Goes without saying. Zero tolerance for bullshit.
No second chances. I ban customers for life that burn us or are abusive. Same with partners. I get rid of users and abusers from life and business without remorse.
No opportunities to fool me twice. Don’t exaggerate, because the truth will come out and that will be it.
Let me be very clear:
If you’re approaching me and you don’t have a marketing platform that’s equal in size or larger than mine or with a big opportunity that’s proven, you MUST provide results in advance.
DO NOT “come to the table” asking for something first. It’s not going to happen.
I’m interested in penetrating these markets – I have a series of products that can help these people):
Small business owners – these are people who have a product or service of their own
Corporate – where “brand” is the ultimate product and they want to extend their brand to various marketing channels
Bizop. The “business opportunity” space – i.e., people who do not have products or services themselves but want to start a business of their own
Authors, experts, speakers and coaches – these are people who ARE the product
Note that I’m interested in DEALS that are larger than I already have – in other words, an ideal partner is someone who has a larger platform than we do. The kind of deals that get my attention is when you have the ability to reach a market where we can add a few hundred to a few thousand customers with the least amount of work.
That means you ALREADY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS with a large base of customers. That’s what gets my attention.
Your next steps are simple:
- Write an email and send it to me with all of the details included with a short (under 5 minute) video demonstration and walkthrough of whatever you have and answer the questions I ask above. The title of the email should say “Joint Venture proposal”
- Send link to the video file and proposal to my assistant Tracy at info@SocialMediaMadeMeRich.com
- Sell my stuff. Prove you did it. When I send you money, I know you’re real.
- If you don’t already own all of my products, buy them, get results and become my greatest success story. I’ll share your story with my audiences and make you more famous than you already are.
I know that if you don’t go through the paces and provide this, it means you won’t succeed in our partnership either. If you don’t hear from me, try resending in one week. Don’t take it personally. I do my best to follow up and follow through.
I get a couple hundred emails a day and some get missed. Remember, results do not equal intentions.
Lastly, and MOST Importantly
I don’t compromise. When I do, it makes my life hell.
Expectations are the enemy of happiness. I made that up about ten years ago and believe it’s absolutely true.
So here’s how you can manage YOUR expectations (I’ll take care of my own):
- I’m not a “chat on the phone kinda guy” – I use email. If you don’t like that, we’re a match made in hell, do NOT pass GO.
- I don’t expect, I demand results from my partners.
- I have zero tolerance for assholes or haters. Zero. If that’s you, go away.
- The moment I started living a “no asshole” lifestyle is the day I began succeeding consistently.
- ZERO DRAMA. If you’re life is full of it, I need none.
If you can’t deal with my rules, don’t bother responding or writing. We’re not meant to work together. However, if you’re cool with this, let’s have fun, change lives and make money together!
