Beware the Joint Venture

Hello again...

but hold on - aren't I the one who's been telling you for months that joint ventures are the fastest way to grow a list, build your business and transform your earning ability?

Yep. So maybe I should plead guilty right now to deceiving you all along?

Yes and no.

Joint ventures are a brilliant way to build your business. That means they're also a brilliant way for everyone else to build their business, too. And there are joint ventures and joint ventures...

Just recently, it seems that every other email I get is promoting the idea of joint ventures. Most of them, not surprisingly perhaps, are promoting the idea of joint ventures with the sender of the email. Of course, they're trying to sell me something and there's nothing wrong with that. But what they suggest is not a joint venture at all. It's an affiliate scheme, pure and simple.

Not that there's anything wrong with afffiliate schemes, either. Ask Ewan Chia. But I do think that promoting one thing as something else is wrong.

In a recent email to David Congreave I used the term 'interested affiliate'. I think that's a more accurate name for the kind of joint venture offer that really amounts to 'sell my product for a commission and I may promote something of yours later'. In other words, the affiliate partners have a vested interest in the success of the whole promotion, since it builds a bigger list they may be able to tap into later. But it's not a joint venture, which entails a far more specific relationship and a more tangible return.

To me, a joint venture is where both (or all) parties bring something roughly equal to the table and share the rewards accordingly.

But if you're suddenly bombarded with 'exclusive' or 'limited' joint venture offers from people whom you know wouldn't know you from Adam or Eve, just ask yourself, as always, 'What's in it for me?'

As for me - I usually just press 'delete'.

Roy Everitt, Writing For Results