Almost daily, I receive JV requests in one of my inboxes.
Most of them are awful. The presentation is terrible and the sender gives themselves almost no chance of successfully hooking the partners they need to have a successful launch or just get their product out there to the masses.
Here are the Dos and Don’ts of attracting top level JV partners, even if you are rolling out your first product, have no list and are starting from scratch.
1) Title: If they don’t read your email, you’re dead in the water:
Solid JV partners, the kind you can leverage for high sales volume and market validation are busy people. They are also in demand.
They get piles of spam.
Your title needs to demonstrate that the email is not junk AND some kind of relationship to the JV partner.
2) Establish a Connection between you and JV partner:
There are ways to stack the odds in your favor and demonstrate it. These call for attention. They don’t close the deal but they warrant your potential JV partner allotting a minute or two to consider your proposition.
Who the Heck are you?
Do you read my blog? Do you comment on it regularly? Did you buy one of my products? Did you buy an affiliate product from me because you liked my bonus? Do you subscribe to my list?
Prove it. Forward me an invoice and write your message above this invoice. I read things that are related to sales.
If you read my blog or are a subscriber, leave comments before you ask for something. Don’t just say “hey man, great blogâ€. It sounds like one of the hundreds of spam messages WP automatically deletes everyday.
Give me a specific example. Did you like my post about XYZ or was one of my newsletters useful to you? Tell me and be specific. You’re rubbing me the right way and breaching the gap that exists between 2 people that don’t know each other.
Worst case scenario? Paypal them a $20. Drop a note at the same time that you did this to grab their attention because what you have to say is that important. Money talks.
3) Give them a reason why:
When you introduce your proposal, the first thing your JV partner wants to know is “why should I read this? How does it apply to me?â€
Answer those concerns right away. If you’ve done your homework, you are contacting the RIGHT person for a REASON: because your product and the potential JV have a match. Demonstrate it right away.
4) Show them you’re on top of things:
- Don’t send your message from a free email provider. Your proof is lessened.
- Show them you have a reason to put out the product other than make a quick buck. Why are YOU qualified to be the one that puts this offer to market?
- Attach a sample of the product to your message right away. Better yet, include a review copy.
- Demonstrate you’ve done your homework and the JV’s list would benefit from the product.
- Have some sales copy up (more on this in a minute)
- Have an affiliate program ready
5) Sales Copy and packaging:
Your JV partner is concerned with making sales and sending his visitors to something that looks and feels professional. They are thinking about conversions right away. They are the person you selected because they know how to run a successful business.
Sales copy is incredibly important. If you can’t write something top notch, pay and outsource it. If I have any doubt about your copy, I won’t promote, it’s that simple.
Bad copy shows you are not a pro and you are not willing to invest in one. It tells me right off the bat you aren’t as invested in your product as you should be.
6) Affiliate Deals:
You’re soliciting them. Make them a special offer. Can you give them a higher percentage of the sale than you can give regular affiliates? Can you give them ALL the money from the sale to hook them in?
Do you have a unique bonus you can give for a select few partners? Ramp it up to irresistible. What customers can’t refuse, affiliates have trouble saying no to.
7) Name Drop:
Did you get another big name to commit? Say so, it proves someone else saw value in your proposition. Someone your JV can identify with.
That’s why you can afford laser target the first partners you wish to attract and give those people ALL of the commission from the sale: because you can leverage their participation into critical mass for your project.
By the time you’ve hooked a couple of bigshots, the others will almost automatically come onboard just to be in the party.
If you follow all these rules, you will select the right people, demonstrate value and competence and generally convince them that you are a solid choice to do business with.
Leave no loose ends. It will take you more time and commitment than to do things half way. Your JV partners know that and it only proves that you mean business.
Don’t forget to follow up.
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I would like to add to this one…
Link to them with some really compelling content. Most Internet Marketing blogs don’t get a huge amount of inbound links, and some of the best internet marketers monitor their stats or have people who do it for them.
Even if you are not sending them a huge amount of traffic, if you are saying smart things that benefit them, or doing smart things to show you know what you are doing when promoting their product, they do take notice.
Hey Andy,
Thanks for your comment. I had a feeling I was forgetting some good ones. That’s probably not all of them, but the all powerful link is definitely an attention currency.
The thing is you don’t have to have a lot of power, you just have to say and do smart things.
I have gained a lot of attention not so much with “social proof”, but “know how” plus the odd Stumble
Hey Andy,
I agree with you in a nuanced manner.
You’ve done spectacularly well and it has much to do with the ongoing quality of your posts and participation.
In the world of blogs and web 2.0, there is hardly a better way to proceed.
In the more insular world of pure internet marketing, there is still a gaping divide (in many cases) between market feedback at large and the audience you want to reach.
The barriers are thinning but there is still a chasm between the voluntary audience and the captive one.