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I was doing some cleaning up in the office the other day and I came across an old copy of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ that my neighbour had given us.  So I was curious about this book because I’ve heard so much about it.  I suddenly realised that these 7 habits were very applicable to first class Partnership Marketing so I wanted to share a recap with you today in that very context.

Habit 1:  Be proactive

One of the first things I say to my clients and network is to be proactive!  Don’t just wait for the opportunities to come to you – create them.  Put it out there!  Be clear about what you want/need and then go after it!!  As the book states “You’re the creator.  You are in charge.  It’s based on the four unique human endowments of imagination, conscience, independent will, and, particularly, self-awareness.”  (See Step 1 of our Winning Formula – Business Discovery).

Habit 2:  Begin with the end in mind

Particularly when you’re aligning with another business, you need to ensure you know what you’re aiming for.  What are your measures of success? What are you seeking out of this partnership?  Be clear and be innovative! As Einstein once said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” According to the book, Habit 2 is based on imagination – the ability to envision, to see the potential, to create with our minds what we cannot at present see with our eyes. (see Step 2 of our Winning Formula – Engagement Strategy)

Habit 3:  Put first things first

I have to confess –  I love spontaneity and being organised didn’t come naturally to me.  However, as I’ve discovered with experience, organisation and systems – planning ahead – saves you a lot of grief in the long run!  If you really can’t bring yourself to do it – leverage off someone who can!  As the book says, this is about the practical fulfilment of Habit 1 and Habit 2. (gosh anyone would think we ripped our winning formula off this book but I assure you we didn’t!!  So check out Step 3 of our Winning Formula – Program Design)

This according to the book is your ‘Private Victory’.  We think so too!

“There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.”  Samuel Johnson

Habit 4:  Think Win/Win

Anyone who knows me or is familiar with the material I’ve published via PartnerUp, knows I always go on and on about the Win/Win!  My study of Buddhism over the years has only served to reinforce this in me.  That it is so essential to love yourself and love others and genuinely want the best for everyone.  That is my idea of the ideal world and the ideal Marketing Partnership.

“We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life.”  Edwin Markham

Win/Win or No Deal  (See Step 4 of our Winning Formula Partner Selection and Negotiation).  This is the only way to do business in my book.

 Habit 5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Ok, the following extract of the book cracked me up.

‘Suppose you’ve been having trouble with your eyes and you decide to go to an optometrist for help.  After briefly listening to your complaint, he takes off his glasses and hands them to you.  ”Put these on,” he says.  ”I’ve worn this pair of glasses for 10 years now and they’ve really helped me.  I have an extra pair at home; you can wear these.”

Needless to say, you wouldn’t find it an effective solution and in fact it would probably make the problem worse – and you’d be unlikely to go back to that Optometrist!  What made me laugh is the number of times I’ve been on the receiving end or been asked to sell in a partnership which is simply about benefiting one party without any real consideration or understanding of the other party.  It doesn’t work – and it’s not Partnership Marketing in my book – it’s selling to another business whether it works for them or not!  Think about this when framing your sales pitch to prospective partners.

Habit 6: Synergize

I love this bit.  ”Synergy is the essence of principle-centered leadership.  What is synergy?  Simply defined, it means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  I used that very line in an interview just the other day and it is the whole premise of effective and successful Partnership Marketing.  Have you ever heard of companion planting?  It basically means that if you plant basil around your tomatoes they will both do better (together).  The primary benefit is that it increases their yield.  Even nature tells you this is a good idea – providing you’re sitting in the soil next to the right partner as the wrong partner can have the opposite effect!  My dear friend and organic gardener Nicola Chatham could probably tell you more about companion planting if you’re as interested in organic gardening as I am!

I just love this simple diagram from the book – it says it all.

Defensive is win/lose or lose/win, respectful is compromise and synergistic is win/win.  Remember this when selling your proposition to partners.  Save your efforts for the ones you genuinely see a win/win outcome for.

Habit 7:  Sharpen the Saw

This last habit is exactly what we mean in Step 6 of our Winning Formula – Measure, Optimise and Innovate.  In other words – sharpen your saw!  The book uses the analogy of a man sawing a tree in the woods – he looks exhausted.  So one man says ‘why don’t you sharpen your saw, I’m sure it would go faster.’  To which the other man replies ‘I don’t have time to sharpen the saw, I’m too busy sawing!’  Don’t we all make this very rudimentary mistake in many aspects of our lives!

 

“We should remember that effective interdependence can only be built on the foundation of true independence.  Private Victory precedes Public Victory.  Algebra comes before calculus.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself – most things in life have a success formula and sequence is very important.

So there you have it.  I’ve been asked before if I’ve read the book – because I practice these in my work and I practice them in my life – though I’ll be the first to admit that when I personally find things getting a little laborious it’s usually because I’ve forgotten how important it is to stop to sharpen my saw!  I’d love to hear your thoughts…

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