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Newsletter #772: The “Team Up” Issue

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Finding a good teammate means better ideas, more resources, and better buying power. A few opportunities to make it happen:

1> To sample new technology
2> To get better pricing
3> To make it familiar
4> Check it out: Interactive Kaleidoscope

1> To sample new technology

It can be tough to get your new technology in the hands of consumers to try out, let alone adopt. Ford faced this issue recently with their SYNC technology, which generally requires driving a car to experience. To make it easier for customers to sample it, they found a partner in Best Buy which allowed customers to try out SYNC in stores and receive a $5 Best Buy rebate. In the first month of initial tests in about 30 Texas stores, Ford was able to demo the technology to more than 3,500 customers.

The Lesson: Even if you’re not a tech brand, get your new technology in the hands of customers by teaming up with a business that is.

Learn More: Wall Street Journal

2> To get better pricing

One of the big advantages of teaming up with another business is buying power. After years of intense competition, Ohio-based Scorchers and Wing Warehouse found a way to work together. With costs increasing, the two restaurants explored opportunities to buy in volume. But the partnership quickly blossomed into something bigger: Wing Warehouse owner Darrell Guariniello ended up buying out the Scorchers owners and hiring them as employees — immediately increasing both market share and buying power. While it may seem like a long shot, it never hurts to ask a competitor if they’re interested in exploring an opportunity that both businesses can benefit from.

The Lesson: It might surprise you how friendly a competitor can get if you’ve got an opportunity in which the two of you could immediately benefit.

Learn More: Ohio.com

3> To make it familiar

If you’ve got an unfamiliar product or service, sometimes you can team it up with something familiar to make it more comfortable for new customers. L.A.’s Learn About Wine does just what its name suggests: educates people about all things wine-related. Their classes naturally draw vino enthusiasts, but to attract the more casual, laid-back wine drinkers, they partner their exotic tasting sessions with something familiar. Recently, for example, they hosted a tasting that paired their wines with In-N-Out burgers — a local fast-food delicacy. While not an official partnership, Learn About Wine found a way to team their service offering with something familiar for a new demographic of customers.

The Lesson: Finding a great teammate for your product or service doesn’t have to involve negotiations and formal contracts. Sometimes just finding a familiar, loved brand is enough to bring in new customers.

Learn More: Dig Lounge

4> Check it out: Interactive Kaleidoscope

Remember those toy kaleidoscopes you played with as a kid? Someone made an online one, and it’s pretty cool!

Check it out: Interactive Kaleidoscope

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