When I started thinking and applying Allyforce principles and tactics, it was in a B2B environment.  In fact, it was specifically in the enterprise IT software space.  The kinds of partners and companies that I targeted was somewhat specific.  But it worked.

Then I began a consulting business targeting individual owners and executives around their tax-deferred and tax-free retirement solutions.  That was a different market with different partners.  There, the concept of Allyforce resonated even more so because so many of them were already doing it.  They were just very ineffective at it.

So I’ve been thinking about how the ideas and ideals can apply, for example, to consumer oriented online sites.  I’ve seen it.  People call them “joint ventures” and the basic principle of working through partners is the same.  I actually foresee that the way these types of partnerships are executed will extend and expand with greater effectiveness and accountability.

But it first begins with a mindset of being able to apply the concepts and to find and attract the right partners.  Creativity is king.  I’ve been thinking about how I can make the concepts more applicable and also to provide some live examples.  These can be relevant even to those who are strictly B2B because they can awake a creative impulse that may be missing in your current partnerships.

The key ideas to keep in mind when looking at applying it, whether B2B or pure B2C:

  • Who do I want to work with?
  • What is their ecosystem in terms of value and problem solving?
  • Who else can provide it?
  • How do I create a relationship and offer to those potential allies that works?