Partner Acquisition
Overcomming Knowledge Gaps
The prior section's list spans many disciplines. Many of these services can be Googled to learn how to provide them. There are also online classes we can take to get grounded in certain subjects. But no matter what we know, it is important to understand that no one knows everything. Some people know a lot about a little. Some know a little about a lot. Not knowing something is not necessarily a good reason to not accept a job offer or a client engagement.
There is a lot we don't know. But there are others who know what we don't. There is no need to go it alone and often, it is best not to. My staff knows things I do not. My contractors knows things my staff does not. Together we get the job done.
Partner Network
When first starting our career or business, we may not have the luxury of a staff or a stable of contractors. That does not mean we are on our own. We can cultivate and grow a diverse network of knowledgeable people so that when a client asks if we have a required expertise we can truthfully reply with the same response offered by the big three management consultants, "we have partners who do."
Client Provided SMEs
SMEs are often in our client's business which the client can provide at no cost to us. The SME knows the subject, but not how to model it. Together we can create solutions our client needs and after having learned from the SME, we may even be able to provide the same service to other clients who do not have such SMEs. But once having connected with a client's SME, we should try to maintain that relationship because we may need them in the future.
SME Referral
There will be times when a client asks us for something we cannot provide either due to scheduling conflicts or a real lack of knowledge. We could just walk away from the client or, better, we can refer them to someone in our partner network. This keeps us in good graces with our client and strengthens our network relationships. It may also become clear during negotiations with a client that they won't meet our price. If we happen to have a partner in our network needing the work, even at a low price, referring the client to our partner is good for everyone.
Competition Referral
Not all clients are good clients. When we come across a client that we can tell will not deal honestly with us or is too demanding, we can refer them to our competition.
