Don’t Do Quid Pro Bro! Tips on Joint Venture Partnerships.

“Hey, bro!” 

“Help me out, BRO!”

“C’mon! Be a bro, bro.”

I have come to hate the word “bro”. It reminds me of a friend I once had who would always ask me for favors and never do anything in return. 

This guy was your typical freeloading beach bum from Orange County, California. I surf a lot, so I’ve come to know quite a few of them. 

I always knew the request for a favor was coming when I heard him say that magical “bro” word. It was a surefire sign that he would ask for something ridiculous. It was his way of trying to sound endearing before hitting me with the request. 

“Hey, bro. Can I borrow your toothbrush for a moment? I need something to clean my shoes with.” 

“Hey, bro. I want to break up with my girlfriend. Can you call her and say that I died in a horrible car accident?”

“Hey, bro. Do you have any duct tape? I accidentally broke my grandpa’s dentures and need to tape them back together before he notices.”

Ugh… how annoying. 

I tried being nice at first, but eventually I just ignored his requests altogether. 

A similar situation can happen when trying to engage in joint venture partnerships. There has to be a mutual exchange of value for both parties involved. Otherwise, you risk looking like my “bro” friend asking for dumb favors without offering much in return. 

I call that the “Quid Pro Bro” approach and it’s lame. Don’t do it. 

I think JV partnerships are a great way to boost sales and grow a customer base, but it’s important to do them the right way. 

People want to get real value in return for their efforts. Not a help-a-bro-out kind of deal. 

These business partnerships are basically the same as having someone be your affiliate in the sense that the people advertising your product are expecting to get a commission for the sales or leads they send your way. Always remember that your potential JV partners want to, first and foremost, make a profit. 

It is pretty safe to assume that these people have put a lot of time and investment into building an e-mail list of potential leads and customers, so it’s a considerable asset for them. 

Therefore, they are most likely not going to be interested in mailing their e-mail list about just any old partnership or affiliate offer that comes along. 

In fact, if your desired JV partners have a particularly strong, responsive list of leads and e-mail subscribers then they probably have way more requests to promote offers than they can possibly accommodate. 

Recognize this reality before approaching someone with a request to promote your product or service. 

Don’t conduct any risky experiments while engaged in a joint venture partnership. That is not the time to be testing new and unproven products or ideas. 

For example, if you’re in the business of selling shaving razors and mustache wax, it’s probably not a good idea to ask your JV partners to promote your brand new line of feminine hygiene products without testing the sales of those on your own first. 

Unless your target market includes female werewolves or my former fifth grade social studies teacher, there probably won’t be much consumer overlap, which makes it a risky venture. 

Stick to the products and services that you are known for and have confidence will sell. 

Even if you only have a small e-mail list of leads and former customers yourself, try testing your product offer with those people first before bringing in outside JV partners to promote it. 

If possible, offer a generous commission to your joint venture partners in exchange for their work. If you have an earnings per click agreement in place, try to make the ratio worth their while. 

And lastly, it’s important to respect the partnerships you form. Don’t approach JV partnerships with a one-and-done mindset. 

If your partners aren’t happy with the commissions they earn or the customers that they have sent your way don’t get a good experience, those partners won’t want to partner up in the future. 

Keep in mind that any negative experiences that customers have will also reflect on the reputations of your JV partners, so be extra careful not to drag their names through the dirt. 

Burning bridges leads to fewer friends and opportunities in the future. Don’t give people reasons to not want to work with you again. 

Keep your JV partners happy and they may help you out again later. 

Follow these basic tips and you’ll have plenty of partners promoting your stuff in no time! 

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