uses images in their portfolio with
reference/branding of nutritionist.
4. Identify Your values
9 STEPS TO CREATING
VALUABLE PARTNERSHIPS
It’s vital that you know what you stand
for, what you believe in, and what you
are not willing to compromise. Be clear
on your own beliefs and take the time
to find out about the partners you are
looking to engage with. As a fitness
professional so much of what you do
is based on trust and integrity, so you
need to guard these fiercely, and never
compromise them!
1. Start Developing Your Network
5. Identify Potential Partners
Just make a start. Have a conversation,
connect with peers on LinkedIn and
social media platforms, go to an event
to meet likeminded professionals and
potential business partners.
Based on your goals and the consumer
behaviour of yourself, your business
and your clients – write a big list of all
the companies and organisations who
could provide those things to you. At
this stage, don’t edit the list, let it be as
big as you like, and I encourage you
to get creative! You probably won’t be
contacting every company on this list,
but it’s great to see all the possibilities
out there for you! Knowing your business
goals will also help you identify other
partners, so while they don’t specifically
service your current clients, they offer
further value to your business in terms of
increased network and opportunities.
These are just examples of the kind of
mutual benefits on offer. One of the most
important things is to establish what the
commercial value of the offerings is and
make sure that each side is getting a fair
return on their investment.
2. Identify Your Business Goals
What are your goals as a business? Do
you want to get more clients through
the door, or maybe you want to launch
an online program that allows you to
free up your time a bit, while servicing a
much greater number of clients. Maybe,
you want to keep the same number of
clients but increase your profits… all of
these things are possible, and partners
can help you achieve these goals.
3. Identify Consumer Behaviour
What do you and your direct network of
clients and colleagues currently spend
money on! What do you spend money
on for yourself and for your business? List
these things down. I encourage doing a
mind map (a brainstorm on a big piece
of paper!) for this – write down all the
different products and services you can
think of! It might be quite a big list. These
are all the kinds of partners you could
engage with!
When you know what you are looking
for, who you can get it from, and what
you have to offer in return, you will
easily be able to create a short list of
potential sponsors. And then have the
conversation with them about whether
they’d like to partner with you!
6. Identify Value You Can Offer
Create a library of all the different kinds
of things you can offer your partners –
client referrals, use of your gym facilities
for photo shoots or product launches,
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2016
testimonials and product reviews, selling
through your network, having you attend
their events as a guest speaker, health
tips and even training sessions for their
staff. This is a great one for corporate
organisations or media outlets! The most
important thing when it comes to looking
at what you can offer a partner is to find
out about them through research, and
by asking them!
7. Chat with Potential Partners
Yes, have a conversation, test out the
waters, ask them if they think there is
potential for a partnership, and find
out what they are looking for and
working towards in their business! This
conversation will likely be a pivotal point
in your partnership journey!
8. Identify The Activities You Are Both
Contributing To The Partnership And
Create A Plan
Once you’ve both put your wants, needs
and offerings on the table, it’s time
to create a balanced and mutually
valuable arrangement where you
are both contributing and receiving
commensurate value! Be explicit about
the types of activities, the frequency and
as many details as possible to ensure you
are truly on the same page and clear
about each others requirements and
expectations, as well as what you are
committing to!
9. Sign a Contract or Agreement
The contract should list all of the content
from Step 8 and you can use it as a
checklist to make sure you’re both
delivering what you’ve promised, as well
as for your planning purposes during the
year.
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