Strategic alliances are increasing at a rapid rate. It is good for business, good for the consumer. A strategic alliance is similar to a joint venture. Everyone remains in his or her own entity, yet come together for a single purpose or period of time to create something that could not otherwise be created.
There are cautions and rightly concerns one must consider before entering into a strategic alliance with other people. For instance, evaluating each partner's value and capabilities for alliance is mandatory before agreeing to an alliance. The who, what, when, where and whys all need clarification with failsafe boundaries.
There are many considerations when developing a strategic alliance, here are six main areas along with questions that you will want to answer to help you determine your own readiness for an alliance.
1. Assessing contributions. What do you or each partner bring to the alliance? What is each person's purpose and goals?
2. Agreeing to the terms. This has three parts: (1) area of interest, (2) net benefits, and (3) joint operations. What interest is yours and what is theirs. Strategic interests must be similar and materials or services comparable. Economic interest must have enough benefits for each to remain committed and minimize trade. There must an operational agreement.
3. Agreement on task and skills. Who is the apprentice on what? Who will be name master on what? Who is going to specifically be responsible to complete what task? Who is going to learn what? What is the division of duties?
4. Defining and measuring progress. Who is going to define or handle sales? What target market will be pursued and when? What is the process chart for a new product or service? How will the revenue be generated and distributed? What will occur if the measurements aren't met?
5. Progress and time. Who is tracing the progress and the time invested? Is the time to be contributed equal or is there a trade-off for other resources? Who and when will the progress reports be regularly discussed and completed? Is there going to be a board that will monitor equality and fairness?
6. Points of tension. When there are points of tension, and there always is so don't kid yourself that there never will be, is an outside source going to be the arbitrator? When tension occurs does it need to be expressed in writing first and then discussed? Is there a cool-down period that is required? Who is going to sign off on checks, balance the checkbook, and monitor cash flow?
So many questions, so little time. Yes, I understand, however, this one time you want to stop and open time, address these questions, and any others might need to be addressed.
? Copyright 2004, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.
Catherine Franz, a eight-year Certified Professional Coach, Graduate of Coach University, Mastery University, editor of three ezines, columnist, author of thousands of articles website: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://www.abundancecenter.com
shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareA focus group is a group of employees or current... Read More
I am not a big fisherman, but I do enjoy... Read More
When someone mentions business planning we have been conditioned to... Read More
No "meme" isn't a typo and Got Milk, the more... Read More
There is a story, about a business owner who wasn't... Read More
So you've decided to write your own business plan because... Read More
Diversify - to make diverse, give variety, to balance, to... Read More
"I don't need a business plan."Neither did Alice in Wonderland."Would... Read More
Succession planning, like any business acumen, is both an art... Read More
Let us look at a few of the big distribution... Read More
Every business experiences slower periods. For some, they sell more... Read More
Running a business, whether it be an offline multi-billion dollar... Read More
Writing a business plan is an essential part of the... Read More
Mobile auto detailing equipment becomes very inexpensive around March each... Read More
We all know that nothing runs without a plan, and... Read More
As a franchisor it is imperative that you seek, find... Read More
For many consumers and producers, MSP is an acronym for... Read More
I love the excitement of starting up a new home... Read More
Have you been in a "brainstorming" session where each person... Read More
Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business... Read More
The first step in starting a restaurant is proper planning.... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains, former Great Plains Dynamics is excellent fit... Read More
As a business owner, you've likely created a hurricane plan... Read More
Whether you are seeking capital for your company or are... Read More
How are you feeling today? Good, not so good, great?... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..Ask Yourself three simple questions that affect your strategy planning...... Read More
The foundation of any business transaction is the promise of... Read More
When looking at Akron carefully one cannot help but notice... Read More
If you are looking for a partner, funding, angle investor... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains serves mid-size and large clients... Read More
Is there really anything as a problem? Does chaos or... Read More
Why do so many companies languish and watch as their... Read More
Many companies are reluctant to dive into outsourcing ocean because... Read More
The boom of the dot-com era in 1999 brought the... Read More
Part 1A few weeks ago I attended a seminar sponsored... Read More
Last week we talked about a few of the ways... Read More
All investors greatly desire and are motivated by a clear... Read More
David E. Gumpert, author of Burn Your Business Plan, often... Read More
Six Sigma is becoming a proven approach for businesses and... Read More
The first step in starting a restaurant is proper planning.... Read More
Please take a moment before you read any further and... Read More
The time when a website was just a simple set... Read More
Cassy was an employee of a nonprofit who had been... Read More
The current state of the available technology at the disposal... Read More
"Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas."That's... Read More
Many very successful business owners may never have had a... Read More
Writing a Business Plan these days is tough, venture capitalists... Read More
Canada's lean leaders need to look beyond the horizon and... Read More
GETTING STARTED WITH SUCCESSION PLANNING: PART IA survey of 4,300... Read More
While writing an article recently on effective ways to bridge... Read More
Strategic Planning |