BECOMING AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS: PART 1
Let’s stop right there. There’s no such thing as an overnight success. If you embark on a corporate partnership strategy thinking that success will come quickly or, that getting money out of corporates is easy, you’re setting yourself up to fail, in a most spectacular fashion.
So, what IS achievable in corporate partnerships? What DOES it take to achieve success? There are two major things to consider here. INTERNAL factors and EXTERNAL factors. This week I dive into INTERNAL.
Internal
Is your organisation actually ready to pursue corporate partnerships? Within readiness there are two levels – 1) ORGANISATIONAL readiness and 2) PARTNER readiness.
1) Organisational readiness factors include having clarity on; the societal problem your organisation solves; what you do with clear brand essence and values; and what you have to offer (specifically). You need support from board & management, an attitude of abundance (‘needy’ charities are not favoured) and resourcing – having the right person to pursue, research, approach, win and manage corporate partners.
Too many non-profits charge in, under-prepared, believing that just doing great work will get a partnership across the line. It won’t. There’re thousands of others doing great work. How will you differentiate your approach?
Download our free infographic detailing the 7 Organisational Readiness factors here
Discover if your organisation is ready to pursue corporate partnerships – calculate your (free) unique readiness score here
2) Partner readiness means implementing a strategy, preparing vital documents so when you DO meet with a corporate prospect, you present a professional and compelling offer and you’re able to answer all questions they have.
How often have you had a meeting with a corporate and left not knowing what steps to take to progress it? Or you meet with a corporate and then find it impossible to get hold of them again? This is most likely because you’re not partner ready, and the corporate can clearly see it. Fortunately, I’ve spent 20+ years developing and refining a corporate partnership strategy that you can implement within your organisation and the steps are clearly mapped out here in this free downloadable infographic.
When I think of ‘overnight success’ stories I think of the Beatles. The Fab Four were hailed as an ‘an overnight success’ when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show 58 years ago. What most people may not realise is the many years of hard work, rejection, adaptation, and determination that went into the making of The Beatles. Initially called the Quarry Men, their early records in the 50’s were mostly covers, and they played small venues like the Liverpool Cavern Club. They all worked at ‘real’ jobs to survive and buy instruments.
The make-up of the band changed as members came and go, and they’d perform under other names like the Moondogs. It was only when they met promoter Allan Williams that their fortune began to change. Allan changed their name to The Beatles, styled them in matching outfits and secured a regular gig in Germany.
For most of the early 60’s the band developed their musicianship and honed their sound in strip clubs and bars in Hamburg. It was here they met a moody-looking drummer named Ringo. Through new manager Brian Epstein, they got their first recording session with Decca...and were promptly rejected. They then got to perform on BBC radio where they met producer George Martin.
It wasn’t until 1963 that they had their first no.1 in the UK and that breakthrough appearance on US television in 1964. An overnight sensation – that only took 10 years!
Corporate partnerships is no different. It takes hard work and time. Fortunately, it doesn’t take ten years and you don’t have to compete with strippers. Also, the steps to success are mapped out (in our BePartnerReady.com process, download here). Success is within your grasp in just one year.
Tune in for Part 2 next week where I share the External factors to consider.
Hailey Cavill-Jaspers
