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Benefits of Smart Partnerships

How many of you grew up is in traverse or think you are now and I heard many people talk about balance and so I'll tell you this course has been life changing for me um and what we're going to talk about is very specific, so I'm going to go with you a set of steps with you and the benefits and pitfalls and we're going to try things on but what's so wonderful is that when you have the right partner in the right method shared so uh, partnerships it's shared success on that's often sweeter with the right partners how many of you had a bad partnership and sometimes we don't learn so I think part of this course is that really identify what we do that helps I'm gonna give you two snapshots stories because I've never understood which people will actually do it and it's one of the blessings there's a woman in victoria bc she was divorced by her husband at age sixty nine and she started working a little gift shop and I mean micro gift shop for things victoria and she got this bright idea after ...

one of my courses to say we're not just gonna have the local artist, we're gonna have a wall and ah whole catalog and people come by and when they walk in and she partnered with a mailboxes yusa so they could have it sent home and then she had different specials, so now three years later she gets sixty five percent of her profits not from people in the store but for people come back or have heard about things in the store, so she has an accountant, she has more artists than anybody else serving all of bc and she has a provider that provides the mailing so inventory everything sandaled so the thing I think that might mattered to you as well if she gets to spend more of a time doing what she loves best and that's what I like about partners, the second thing is I want those partners tio realize the value up front because if they don't it's much harder so here's the other quick snapshot and then we'll dive in there's a friend of mine who's ah woman, methodist minister and she wrote a book if if I'm so perfect, why aren't I married? But the sparks smart thing she did the same thing that the pastor of saddleback church did was she identified her niche markets where they already needed something so she could fill their need and those were the press excuse me, the methodist churches all around the country and then eventually the world where she created a program for them, which she could present if they bought a certain number books, so she became a singles program all over the country and set that up before she even got her book deal picture says I have a built in platform I have these people that you can reach so getting specific about what you offer and make it concrete is going to be helpful but saddleback church, the pastor there he's done four books that way they sold more than anything else and it took three years to get in the new york times best seller list because it wouldn't even I realized that he had the book so what we're going to talk about today is things that you khun d'oh that help you move ahead and we start with what's an engaging event that you khun dio what holiday could be tied for example, teo the kind of product or service that you have and since we're in the middle of holiday season I wrote a column for forbes and you can look up more about it and it's about how you take an event and you allow the people to take that event with you so that they can take it home so several the people watching are creative professionals and several of you are is there a way that they can put themselves in your picture? Is there a way that they can walk home and do something with it? So when you're thinking about some of the things that you might want to do that people could co curate or add to or respond to in some way then think what might that be? So if you could just turn to someone there, you and just talk for a moment say, is there something I can add to some kind of holiday and what would it be and so thinking if it's a holiday what time of year so you can be pretty free floating about it think for example, of accountants, accountants have a busy time of the year, so if you think of how they're served a a seuss for example someone provide snacks and someone who provides the massage coming in a shoulder massage they can have a very busy, very lucrative time of the year, and then there could be someone who could do custom travel trips that you plan ahead of time or maybe people want have a staycation and the accountants don't want to go, so you see what we're going a bit. We're going to some ideas about where you could take your package program to a very specific niche market or to invent or time so just take a moment if you would and think with somebody near you what would be the thing that you might want to share that ties to some event or time of year? So I ask you a question about the benefits um going to those so yeah, yeah um so just take a moment now if you would and talk about it see, I was going to ask you a question too I'm dumping you right into this? I know, so you're thinking you're going to get some time to think about it a bit, but I think it's best because we think of some of our best and worst ideas if for thrust into the notion of is there an event or time of the year or niche market that could give me a built in audience? Or I become one of a kind and with whom would I do it? So just take a couple more minutes we're not expecting perfection because I'm not giving you enough kind s o continue on if you would so tell me, has anything popped into your mind and we're not expecting perfection? This is just really quick. Yes, angela, we're a great pair because we're both in a tech. So we said that not only times of school breaks yes when you know teachers might have more free time parents hers might not have as much because they're taking care of their children but school breaks or conference time we could come in and provide a conference to mean school conferences of school conference u of course u s oh come in and provide tutoring for students during that time come in and provide um feedback consulting to the parents at that time while they wait for their child's conference boy, you jumped right in you just have to great ones filling a specific need that they didn't perceive they could get some help with finding the specific audiences the teachers and are the parents and building something around them because one of the things about partnering is you create a core curricula like you've created a program you think where no, I adapt it because I can adapt it to a niche in fact, a niche within a niche within a niche. So for example, going back to that methodist minister, she actually found there was certain demographics within that that were more attracted to her approach to how to find the right mate and they happen to be filipinos, so she then directed it so you want to notice with your partners, and you do want each partner to have their own interest and benefit of doing it notice where is the hottest interest and why so that's, why we dove into this right away? We think time of year event um so did anybody else come up with one that just sprang to mind in that short of time? Here's what I'd suggest I should just thinking about something that's very specific for you you're very good about characterizing what your products about or your service and think what are the unlikely allies will be looking for later on and what's the time of year and so I've just given you some ideas and I'll be giving you some more as we go along um, and then the course the vital thing we'll be talking about more is what's a reputable provider with whom you want to partner and what their benefits that you don't have. So we talk about the benefits and the resource is as we go along, and that takes some thought ahead of time, but I want to go back to the notion if it doesn't generate value together, this may be blindingly obvious and that's, not something you can see concrete that you try out that it's not worth considering there's, a man who wrote a book called collaboration and he said, a bad collaboration is worse than no collaboration, and for all of us, we've learned that the hard way. The second thing I'll say is go slow to go fast, and we'll be talking about that later. But the notion is it's always hard for people think of doing business a different way, and yet the first evers and be the ones that of the media magnets, so even though you want to be patient to get the right person, the funny thing happens is its scales and builds momentum after the first success and that's, where people want approach you. So I want to talk about the benefits in a way that that you can think about because what I want you to think about is we're going to talking about how you communicate about it, how you pull them in, and this is hugely different than a current trend. My core area is about human behavior, and have you noticed that more people tend to refer back to themselves sooner and more often, and that when they say that me too they're talking at you sometimes and that they don't follow up on the thread of the conversation you have? So the benefits here a really vital that you're able to say them specifically clearly, but the rewards are once you have something out there because we're all literal than people think, oh, I want to do that. I want to be a part of it, and most people tend to want to be a part of something you've already done, ironically, rather than starting something on their own. So the goal, then, is to build up the number of partners, the more valuable partners you have, your overhead goes down in general, and your visibility and your value can go up, but it's the power of the weakest link, so anybody that distracts it's a very difficult problem to resolve to boot somebody off so going slow to go fast with one other partner and the two of you green on a third one and the three of you agree on a fourth, for example, is a ghost logical fast approach so that you feel comfortable because we all think highly of ourselves most of time, but it's, when we see each other in action that's going to make a difference. So what I'm suggesting, um, is we're going to talk about ways that you stand out from the competition. Umm how you gained a warm up the introduction and you had to be seen more often buy him a prospective partners, one of the most powerful thing for me being raised as an introvert if you haven't read susan cajuns book quiet, it's brilliant on the more expanded version of what an introvert ius is it's to demonstrate value and to be introduced by a partner who already has his people's clients. So we'll be going back to that a lot, and what will be noticing is how many people don't know why people buy their products. They're not clear about the hot buttons, and the most important thing is what most draws them and also what they most dislike now let me say and talking about that, warned of introduction, this is just a very powerful concept that I learned from a behavioral scientist going back to your background and it's this if I do a study and I saved up my customers, tell me about the company. What do you think about our company now? We are fighter flight responders, so we respond soon a quicker and longer to what we don't like them what we do, so asking them what they think is a net negative because you may be enjoying this course right now and they have five little things there's think this is pretty cool and I'd do one thing and that irritates you and it's going up like that. And the same thing happens when you ask people to think about your business so instead to prepare yourself to be the best you can be as a partner is to say, tell me, what is the specific thing you most like about our business and most people talking generalizations? That's, when you ask the follow up question, could you give me an example of that and that's where you get the gold and a really, really cemented before you even ask that question? How does something in your hand from a partner and say, may I give you a small gift as a token of my appreciation of you as a customer, because I'd like to have three to five minutes to get your feedback? So what you're doing is you're warming up your own customers, you understanding them better and then you're better prepared when you're talking about how you warm up each other's customers. So next thing is to be seen more often. One of the very powerful things about partner rain is how will I multiply the credible places that I'll be seen when my, um competitions not even in sight? You go down a grocery store aisle and if you eat cold cereal, there's dozens of versions if you want to drink there's all kinds of health drinks, you want to be in the place where none of your competitors or insight and that's one of things you can do with the right partners you stand out with your main benefit, which you've been having reinforced from what you've learned from your own customers but having a partner that helps you to be seen in a different place. So for example, if you're all a brick and mortar business it's in person, you definitely want to have somebody that's doing an online business and the reciprocal you want to benefit from both so thinking ahead of time think ok, this looks pretty good um if I can reach more customers more often a more credible way, then that means that I can look at the other ways I'm spending money for promotion and it could go down and part of the key words if there's one word I'd want emblazoned in your head it's specificity the more you get specific about your different chaining benefit the more likely it is that people repeat what you say not what they say and they'll speak in generalizations if there's any branding tip to give its the power specificity for your own clarity and free own communicating to connect with them so you want to pull them in and what I really value about pulling them in this is a partner of mine that's me I mean but my partner one of my partners creates groups there one minute videos so what's happened there one minute videos were you convince eo and their their text around it so how is that benefited me it's another way people see and see whether I'm a match for them it's a way to reinforce my content with his distribution channel so he enhanced my content so you might have content you might have a distribution channel but going together here's ways that you can tout each other and it's a lot more becoming to tout your partner than to boast about yourself on my right and there's a lot of boasting going on there's will be a lot more boasting going on it's one of the biggest trends we're going to see from this year on is more people trying to find ways to talk about themselves some more so continuing on if you're doing this and you're appearing in unexpected places, you're getting to spend less on your overhead and you're getting to understand your customer more as they approach both your product on others then the next part is what is the most valuable way? The most valuable wayne pardoning, in my view, is to be helpful and being helpful helpful via tips I'm recommending another book as you'll notice I'll be doing this all day it's a book called utility why o you and some of you are nodding because you've read it by j bear and I believe along with him that the companies that have the most helpful tips in their market will be the companies to whom u turn first when you're thinking of buying a product like that well, the obvious multiplier is ifyou're having tips from a variety of your partners and they're complementary and you serve the same mutual market, then you're gonna have it easier to not only get more tips, you can have enough partners over time that you may actually have a professional writer help pull things out of you not you, of course, because you're all a ticket but you might know somebody or that would be helpful, but this is one of the things that people especially who don't like hard selling like to do fresh tips that happened the right tips for your market offered in the right time in the right way. And one of my favorite examples that he gave was that presbyterian hospital in phoenix. Um, they deliver a lot of babies there. They looked at what were the hot tips that people most wanted and they found one of the biggest issues was how to find a car seat. That's the right car seat for my kid because I go into the store and it's complicated a huge mess of choices. So what they did is they took existing information, partnered with an app provider, and they created nap. So when you walk in the store and you look at all this bewildering choices, he's saying, put in the way, put another factors. This is the one that's right for our car, our child and it's it's selling all over the world, and now they've got a free version of it, and they tout the app maker through all of their channels. And they said in advance that some of our doctors and physicians and other vendors might be interested in a nap, too, and they made seven solid recommendations because they understood more deeply what it takes to make one. And so that promotion together, let them highlight each other's best talents. So if you're thinking just for a moment content minds content to have a good distribution channel dough I understand some of the different ways that people could actually hear about us because those would be factors in it so thinking about that you think there's other benefits we all have some slow times during the year or bumps as you were talking about it's a phil and benefit sometimes I think if my slow times are different than other people slow times, then maybe we can be helpful to each other. I felt a restaurant chain that has locally independent restaurants figure out that they could partner with the local coffee maker of all things and they made drive by breakfast that people could drive by colleague I'd still be there in five minutes bring the box out to the car cash and even amounts or they use square or another pharma quick payment and they have a new profit center because they get part of the prophet with their partner that creates those drive by which was a dead time for them because they didn't serve breakfast. So maybe time of the day time of the year ski season means that I bet ski shop to doing really well right now non skiers of buying everything that can keep them warm but of course they may have a reverse time for someone has a fashion boutique where the clothings for spring so you think, ok, is there something I can do that can combine us so that we help each other through those times and then combining the resource is is one of my favorite ones? So if you're combining the resource is what you want to think of is what kind of bundled package could we have? What would it look like? Um, and we're going to go into that more later, then spur more upfront spending. We're going to talk about that because most people don't know the top five percent of their customers are the ones that spend the most most retail stores, for example, even though they're going more digital don't know that habit and may change in the next two years and with east complimented, credible new way that you help. As I've mentioned, your costs go down so that's throwing a lot at you and the part that we're going to go through each parts of these throughout the next two days are to help you get more concrete wherever you are out there in the internet or wherever you are in this room, to say what's, the thing that I'm going to use what's a way that I find the right partners, so I generate more visibility, more value, and I get a share my partnership success with other people that I grow to admire more and I also learned a lot more about my own hot buttons about who I'm drawn to and the kind of businesses they are, so when you think about that let's go the pitfalls and then we're going to do an exercise as you can imagine, the pitfalls list is there and long too so um how many of you tried a partnership already? And it was less than successful they're sitting over there together and it's hard, isn't it? And it sticks with you a long time and just remember that when you're approaching partners, so when we're doing that I don't think going before you go to more the pitfalls I want to think of the upside why do you think of these benefits? Which ones do you think are most important for you so pair up if you would or do a three person group but pair up and say ok, what are the one or two or three benefits that I think I could be most important to me? And then I'd like to call in here from some of you, so we actually have a question here curry coming this really interesting just talking about the seasonal perhaps the ski instructor, et cetera on natalee's he's asking she has a business that has slow times that happened more than others she's a jewelry designer the busiest times of course right now but she has a much longer slow time from january through to march, so it is something that impacts I think a lot of different people in small businesses in different ways, I think you're right and responding to her, I think when I do is I think what is going on people's hearts and minds in the niche market I'm going after. So whether it's contemporary classic everybody has different styles of jewelry, is that a way? I can tell you my some other event where people are quite busy, I'm trying to think for first thing that comes to mind is I'd have a cross promotion and a joint partnership around valentine's day, but I wouldn't make it just about my sweetheart. I would say valentine's day for the people you love and she just have to talk my mind, it might be about friendship can I do a line of jewelry or you give it to people you admire? Unlike I'd also say, um, I believe there's certain kinds of jewelry done right that could be part of a recognition and reward program for employees in a large company because I believe a lot of a small creative artists should band partner up with large companies and say, look, we have a range of designs were looking at, and we think you may want to even play recognition for men and women with the right kind of label, it might be cheeky. Might be quirky. It might be fun. Um, and we'd like your review and you may like some of these we could make him in advance so you could surprise him. So you partner up with the potential customer, but you also think other places that people can see it where friendship matters to them, and I'm sure she can find some non profits where they talk about friendship too. That's a really great idea. I think you know, a lot of companies do too rewarding for their employees, but they often do with just cash, of course. Every who doesn't like cash but to do something very personal, like that that's. Not a standard corporate gift. But to do something in jury, I think, is a really great idea would stand out a one of a kind something you'd really remember as well. Yes, yes, is another question know? But I was just thinking I did actually, one year when I have it, I did have an assistant in the production come, I worked for I knew she really covered in this tiffany rings so I got it for her. On she said she was a single older lady she was just so filled with the guy and I like to give mirroring that it meant to know that he meant it made a great deal way want something like that again, and you'd have that custom made it would have been a really nice and custom made words, a collection where you're the only one tying it to a specific situation and few jewelers do that, but also, um, letting the company take pride because it's a sort of creative co branding that they help pick them out because they thought of their people. And the other part, I'd say, is since a lot of companies are trying to show goodwill to the nonprofits and the communities and sectors they serve, they could them. I'm going on to how to extend it, offer their employees a chanced to give some momento when they're also giving the funding to the non profit of the training, so we should I think down the line, how can I extend this stepping in the shoes of my partner? Great to give it, yeah thinking, thank you so ideas popping up, right left. It sounds like, um can I hear from what one of you like to step on the stage and tell me some of the benefits and why that matter most to you always different oh, good just hop right on join our colors. So which one first yes oh, you have a cold and I know hey it's okay, I'm wearing this so what's one or two that came up for you that were important to benefit yes oh, well immediately just access tio qualified prospects s o if it's just easier that way because yeah and then qualified prospects means that you've prequalified them through your partner in a way because you reach the same kind of market right but you get to take the next step when you see who actually does respond to the partnership method you do right? So you get to go through two screens, right? Yes. And you had another one? We did what you're on stage will I think also I mean, what if, but I think also branding just you know, I'm working on partnership right now with a brand I can't say it because it's not done yet I'll come on his four seasons say she way actually so that's just a that's a very respected brandon who serves a zoo. I'm stepping in the patriots side, right? So it serves my my demographic and psychographic profile my target customer is someone who might stay in presidential suite or uh the four seasons or do business, so I'm glad you decided on your demographic as you well know, some people don't and that doesn't mean I had think e doesn't mean all of your customers will come from that. No, but it gives you another distinctiveness. Yeah, so your co branding with the quality of that brand that you associate is equality of the arthur ukraine, right? Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Specificity helps so may have somebody else who has night. Yes, come on up in it. Yes, I'll try to say your name with the gracious way said it. Yes. So it was kind of nice when she kind thanks for having me. Oh, sure. So one thing that we discussed, I know beautiful color today, um, one thing we discussed was actually kind of rephrasing the question of what benefits most to your client and phrasing it that way in the reverse engineering above. Exactly. And so one niche that we've discovered, we had all these online tutors signing up, and we're just in little missing the demographics and their bios. They're saying it's, a lot of state home moms. And so how could the most benefit parents and think about like you said, where our parents not being reached, you know? Because when they're on, you know, at school and, you know certain times of year, those air obviously really great times, but also where else their parents coordinating for things for their students, for example, during college enrollment time if they're setting up for a c t prep, things like that start thinking about some of partnerships with test prep companies, and that would be a great way to tie parents in but also giving up things for them too. Provide online services are learning services for their students to so it's kind of a twofold clients service. I got to tell you, I'm impressed with how much detail you thought this out, and they notice it on, I must say, online, stay at home dads, a growing profession, I mean, a growing sector. Yeah, I think it's going to be interesting to see how that folds together, and you've already come up with some of the partners that had more value, invisibility. And so when you talk about the reverse engineering, I mean, I was putting that label on it. You can step into the shoes because you've seen their previous behavior, you're noticing what happens, and you can speak to them or personally on down the line. We're going to talk about how to use that to also find other valuable partners because of your noticing and asking for background about them, absolutely so exactly, very much this is a fun one more if I could, that they have specific benefit u s senate nice to see you nice to meet you yeah s o for me one of the great benefits of partnership is just collaboration two heads are better than one I think e I think you get exponentially more done you can on your own china where all the different hats and concentrate fully on each piece of your business that you need to grow so for me the benefit would be how many people can I gather around me they're kind of going in the same direction and how we use our best skills like the example that you gave I want to do what I do best yes more or not spend as much time on the things where that I'm weaker on I could always learn and grow but aiken grow a lot stronger and faster in the things I already love right strengthen so how can I find partners that share you know, compliment my skills and then we share the same kind of market and customer and I think it starts with sharing the same kind of market and customer in that demographic so you've gotten very concrete that's helpful I think it's also one way to look at us messaging medium market now what are the messages are the complimentary what's the mediums that we have that we can use and one of the niche markets were going after but it really does start with you're getting clear and you've so far so far along that path is what is my niche market but going back to that so thank you very much it's sort of one of the wonderful benefits about creative life is that you've got all these ideas but when you're in a setting and you're focusing and there's a methodology and path and you get feedback from someone here or an internet, something happens where you start to make a plan at least that spend my experience for doing it um so I I just want to reinforce the specificity because this is unusual you are a lot more specific and it's going to be important down the line when people get a picture in the head because it's a foreign concept for it? No, I'm going to talk about some of the pitfalls because we want to go there understand it and go in with our eyes open on that factor. So when you think about it and this is one of my hot buttons and one of the things about partnering that's been character building it's still in your hot buttons behavioral research shows that we all have two to three that is strongest and we're actually can get more concrete about what we dislike than what we like so if you're trying to get your priorities for example, right down the behaviors and the kinds of people in situations that you most dislike and then prioritize them for most intensely and if you flip around to the opposite, you're gonna have a really clear, quick way to know what matters most to you. The situations you like, the personas that are best for you to floor ation, um, and it's much season trying to write down what you like. So that's my roundabout state way of saying from two studies we did, I was somewhat comforted that that was the number one problem that people have partners, they don't keep the agreements they make as a former journalist, like a lot of military people, we call all the rest of people civilians so it's the utter shock of saying that they said they were going to do it that's why we talk later about having a one time or short term partnership first diving is simple um, and if you're literal not that you would be literal, but I'm pretty literal. I'm trying to be less so people say what they believe they are, and we want to see them in action. So spotty reputation may not be apparent, so observing them not just hearing what some people see about them online seen them in action say, does their reputation match what you value and values? They're such generalizations, so it's only when you notice you're feeling an action to do that. S o I'm suggesting those of the ones that most get me they may have the same slow times is you that doesn't make them absolutely the wrong partners you may have reasons and high motivation to work together, but it means that you don't have that strength you can't play on that and then we also find that we don't serve the same kind of customer and usually it's because we haven't really thought clearly enough about what our customer is so we aren't clear with them so there any other things that you see his pit falls from your own experience about partnering are thinking of partnering yes, angela um unrealistic or unknown timelines of how the partnership will play out I think that's vital I think that's really good and sometimes we feel guilty are we rushed to the last minute because we want to keep our agreements and some people really are optimistic as a quick aside so much of our culture we want to be upbeat when we want to smile a lot um and in fact people that are on the other end of the optimism pessimism scale by some research or a lot more realistic. So when you're thinking about your core partners, I'm just going to say here you want people different than you there's quick thinkers they're slow thinkers daniel kahneman thinking fast and slow how many of you think quick on your feet so I do too so I want to be around people who don't that's why having some of the partnership work done in writing see let's think about this and right down and let's come back with your ideas it's just like um I'm not really good at finance there's a fabulous finance course happening here too creative life too I have a brilliant brilliant cash flow finance person who's my partner and I'm forever giving him new clients because he can talk down to me I can understand him and so you think of negative positive on that scale if you haven't read any of marty seligmann's book cause on that would be helpful you think of fast and slow thinkers see that's the way you also generating value and so we get he's their best talents now of course I have to admit you'll be grumpy with each other because they don't act right like you but get to that grumpiness with kidding and say look at these differences we have are going to make us stronger as long as we don't get negative about those behaviors and we're grateful for it so the first time I feel like saying come on I just gave you for ideas why don't you say anything instead I can say I gave you for ideas but you're the one who's going to see deeper which ones are right or wrong for us and I'm grateful for that because that language and that attitude is just got to make a huge difference so what I'm suggesting is there's a couple things that we need to do now they don't follow through, they haven't unexpectedly spotty reputation, they don't serve the same kind of customers um there's some things we can do there's some people how good judgment about other people or they seen them and you can go to someone else and say, I know this is my market I want to serve I believe that I'm looking for partners that have a good distribution channel or have an online presence it's bigger than mine or have a physical presence it's a busy street traffic walking or whatever. So I'm looking for some partners like that who also served my kind of customer do you know someone that you know respect and I've worked with before so those all fold in no respect and have worked with in some context could you introduce me? And the research shows if they're sitting with you in an in person introduction, then it's like the reflected glow of their spotlight, it actually builds the trust faster, so an introduction by e mails good, but there's that third party presence that can help speed the cement of the connection so I know a lot of us make partners where we have a partner of the only met four years indoor partnership he's from romania and he's a great app maker people can code create aps um they conserve write their own ticket but my goal was I wanted him to have a better life and so I partnered with the app developer here and him brought him other business and so together we again have very different resource is but I got to meet him for the first time a month ago um but trust but verify ah and I know no he has ten people that he's teaching and we scale it and since that's one of the hottest things to have a nap created around your product on disowning them girl more so um and who knows how they're done unless she wanna learn how to do it yourself again I'm reinforcing the pitfall can also be the benefit because you're picking partners where you don't know their expertise so you can on lee go by the bonding you have with the friend you already know and again some of the best introducer czar you quote weak links there not your best friends so it's one of the reason I look through linked in and I say who actually no I feel good about we know each other we don't know each other well but we've done some things together they're often the best assets to help you find your partners so before I go on do any questions so far about what we've been talking about yes, this is not so if somebody comes to you and they want a partner with you, what are some warning signs to look for that maybe it's not the right fit or maybe it's just not the right timing that's a terrific question I don't even think about it for the course I mean that's wonderful um because it's more likely that I'm going to ask you a question that so more likely they came to you and want something from you and some people get up there and say, well, let's, talk up me about mutuality what we could do together and some people immediately back off that's one sign oh that's okay, no, what if there's some time in the future when you can do this for me is one of the most frequent responses, but if they come to you and they asked a partner, the first thing is to say well, let's first talk about our mutual market and then notice how specific they are and you might say if you're not aware of who they are and most of us aren't in some ways let's talk about how you can learn more to see if we're the have a mutual market, then you can just see how diligent they are to follow through or if they'll say, I don't think I need to do that you just noticed the thing. If they're willing to do some homework, too, like you are. So I think that's a great question. Then you want to do something as we'll talk about later, we say let's review some of the very basic, simple things we can do to see if if it's a match and helps us. But I definitely wouldn't say yes on the spot unless it was a knock your socks off idea method and the partner was someone that you know well, the potential partner, or that someone else does, and you say, let me think a bit about it. And thanks for the great question.