By Steve Sullivan
Deciding on partners to help your business is a tough job. We must all decide: Is this function core to our business, or can we benefit from outside help?
Evaluate your current partners (suppliers, agencies, service providers, etc.) and assess whether they are helping you serve your customers. Are there ways to improve your business and are there better options out there for helping you accomplish your goals?
As a business development professional, I frequently talk to company leaders about ways we can help them address challenges. New partner options can be critical. But, good, long-lasting partnerships are hard to find—especially with partners who look out for your company’s best interests.
We recently interviewed a healthcare client about this very topic. They spend a lot of time evaluating suppliers, and noted that making a change can be difficult and disruptive, going so far as to say the ideal option is to stay with a good partner and work to get more value out of the relationship.
In our business, content providers are not all created equally, especially since “content” has become a ubiquitous term. Clearly defining where Hammock brings value and expertise is critical to determining if we are the right fit. And in the healthcare industry, working with a partner with a keen understanding of your customers is vital.
But understanding who you can trust, and who will have your back, is the key to success—and it’s not an easy task to determine. We see a lot of mistakes made, and have done that ourselves. Take a close look at where you are going, who is equipped to help you achieve your goals, and who you trust, to build the partnership that succeeds.
Photo: Getty Images
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