How are you acting as a true partner to each other, our clients, our ecosystem and/or our communities?

A couple of weeks ago In the last few years, a lot of people have talked more about ‘collaborative discovery’ rather than ‘client education’ or ‘client onboarding’, and some agencies have established a new way of working side-by-side with their clients. In this article, we’ll discuss alternative approaches to client relationships that will help you transform them into long-lasting partnerships. 1. Collaborative discovery One way of including the client more is to “We treat our clients as partners — we don’t like being called vendors because we see it as a truly collaborative partnership where we are both mutually invested,” explains Nikki Shum-Harden, SVP of client partnerships, at “We begin by deeply immersing ourselves in the brand, culture, category, and audience, and then invite the client to an immersion workshop. We spend one to two days heads down in a room where it’s our team and the brand’s stakeholders, and we really start to surface all of the critical information we need to know to get started on the right foot. We find that it’s also a great way for them to see what it’s like to work with us, and a very efficient way to get everybody on the same page.” “We typically ‘bolt on’ to a team of engineers, leadership, and sometimes other designers and front end devs already in place, so there’s a lot of collaborative discovery. It’s always our goal to make our involvement as seamless as possible, so the entire team can focus on the quality of the work.” “We want our ...

Table of contents • • • • • • The chances are you’ve heard the term ‘partner ecosystem’ of late. It’s a hot topic in growth team meetings, CEOs’ offices and boardrooms full of investors alike – perhaps it’s not surprising given that nearly a third of total global sales is predicted to come from ecosystems by 2025 (according to But what exactly is a partner ecosystem? Why should you want one? And is it possible that you already have one without even realising it?! Here, we’ll answer all your burning questions about partner ecosystems so that you no longer have to nod and smile every time they’re mentioned, pretending you have a clue what anyone’s talking about. You’re welcome! What exactly is a partner ecosystem? In its simplest form, a partner ecosystem is a network of cross-industry partners working together to create solutions. If you’re wondering whether you’re part of a partner ecosystem, the answer’s probably yes. Do you work with reseller partners? Comarketing partners? Referral partners? Outsourcing partners? All of the partnerships you’ve created for your business are part of a partner ecosystem that revolves around your company’s services. Most digital ecosystems (83%) are a collaboration between partners from four or more industries, and more than half (53%) involve partners from at least six (according to That said, the term ‘partner ecosystem’ can mean different things to different people. After all, an ecosystem will always reflect the needs of each company’s ...

Earlier in the year, I had the opportunity of experiencing true client/agency partnership when I worked as part of a team that developed a brand strategy for several brands owned by a leading indigenous FMCG company. It was such a fulfilling experience for every member of the team as we learnt together, motivated each other, played hard and all truly owned the brands which ended up with an excellent brand manual delivered for four brands to guide consistent messaging, product innovations and provide a clear vision that helps all stakeholders work towards the same business objectives. We were such a synergised team that we called ourselves ‘The Incredibles’ and had a mantra ‘We Crack It!’ which we chanted together at the start of every session and at every roadblock to stay motivated together and deliver the best output together. And so, here are 5 ways for clients and agencies alike to get to experience this mutually fulfilling definition of a partnership: 1. Encourage true collaboration: True client-agency collaboration is the pillar of every brand success and the notion of a subservient relationship that exists between clients and agencies must be discarded as clients are only as good as their agencies and vice versa. True collaboration should be encouraged in the form of getting the best minds from the agency and client-side to participate equally by harnessing their uniqueness and sharing information that positively shapes the future of a brand. 2. Work with integrity:...

These kinds of stats aren't exactly comforting to small business owners and entrepreneurs, and as a result, many have resolved to bend over backward for their customers in the hopes of keeping them around long term. But while I understand the sentiment, becoming a yes-man won't have the effect you desire. Related: I Talked My Way Out of Making $50,000. Here's Why It Was a Good Business Decisio The art of saying "no' When increasing customer retention by As the leader of a software company, I've seen time and again that customers generally know what kind of outcomes they desire, but sometimes, their requests and desired outcomes aren't the same. In those cases, we need to be good partners and push back. Business leaders trying to improve their retention should adopt a similar mindset — focusing their effects on Still, saying "no" can be tricky, so here are a few strategies you can adopt to push back without driving customers out the door. Related: 1. Set the stage In my own business, I've found that the best way to ensure client projects don't go off the rails is to set clear expectations upfront. At the beginning of each project, we dedicate time to ask probing questions that get to the heart of what the client is trying to accomplish. Typically, that will prevent us from going down the path of doing something just because the client asked us to, even if it doesn't necessarily make sense for the project's goals. That openness around why we can or can't do something sets th...

You may be crushing it as a senior fee earner, but making partner is not about just being a strong performing senior associate, manager or director. Your partners want to see you demonstrate that you are already working at the level expected of a partner at your firm! To be considered for partnership when the time comes, you need to have been building a strong personal case alongside your everyday duties, so how do you do that? Here is how to think, feel, and act like a partner (which you need to be doing as soon as possible!). *This blog is an excerpt from chapter 9 of the 3rd edition of 10 ways to think, feel and act like a partner As we said, if you want to make partner, you can’t just focus on being an excellent senior fee earner. With that being said, however, you also can’t focus solely on doing the role of a partner ( thanks, chargeable time targets! ). You need to balance the demands of the two. To progress your career, you need the right mindset . A mindset that will allow you to scale it back a bit when it comes to your day job so that you can take on partner-level responsibilities. This is a difficult juggling act to do, but the more you can show you already think like a partner, the stronger your Personal Case will be. Here are 10 things that you need to be doing to show that you can think, feel, and act like a partner: 1. Hit your billing and collection targets. The first thing you need to do to strengthen your personal case for partnership is to make sure tha...

Morgan Lewis is the largest law firm in the world led by a woman. In this interview with US editor (content) Helen Donegan, firm chair Jami McKeon provides insight into her plans for her second term in the role, reveals what most challenges and excites her in her work, and shares her thoughts on women in the legal profession The firm has changed dramatically since you first became chair. Has your focus changed for your second term and, if so, what is your main focus now? It is certainly correct that our firm has changed dramatically. Expanding in practice areas and locations where our clients most need us has led to us growing by upwards of 50% to more than 2,000 lawyers. This is much more than a numbers game, however. Our focus has been and remains on client service – meaning, serving our clients where and how they need us – by deploying a fully integrated bench of elite lawyers across all of our 15 practice groups and 31 offices. I am most passionate about continuing to foster a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative culture in my next term. Everything we do is oriented toward our ‘one firm, one vision’culture, and our ability to deliver excellence seamlessly across Morgan Lewis. Are there any big differences that you expect in your second term compared to the first? During my first term, we made bold moves in expanding our global footprint and attracting superlative lawyers and professionals to continue to establish ourselves as a global, world-class law firm. Our focus ...

TheChartered Institute Of Management Accountants (CIMA) defines business partnering as a finance professional who works alongside other business areas, supporting and advising their strategic and operational decision-making through insights that drive better business . The speed and quality of decision-making is becoming increasingly essential to a business’ success, and may actually be that competitive edge they need. Newresearch with senior executives from around the world identified a common need forfaster, better decision-making — businesses are expecting more from the finance function. Real business value is created throughknowledge, intellectual property, collaboration and partnerships throughout thecompany. Now more than ever, financial leadership has an opportunity tocontribute tangibly to the success and future of the business. But they can only dothis successfully if they are effective business partners, which requires a special setof both technical and behavioral skills: an understanding of the business and what isactually driving the numbers, as well as good people and leadership skills. Here are the five traits CFOs need for effective business partnering —all of which canbe learned and honed: Business partners need to lead groups by challenging the beliefs of others. "Braveheart"/Paramount Pictures To be a valuable partner, you’ll need to be able to challenge therecommendations and beliefs of others in the business. This requires afinance professional to be gr...

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: BEING A TRUE PARTNER WITH YOUR CLIENTS (AND PROSPECTS) Know who they are—personally and professionally By Scott M. Wood You are an advisor, a consultant, a broker. You are recommending and facilitating benefit programs to employers, but sometimes winning a client or keeping a client is about more than just benefits. By becoming a partner with your clients, you can earn their trust and loyalty. Building trust and loyalty does not “come easy.” You need to understand how loyalty works. Many clients may be happy and content with you, as long as things don’t change—things such as price and your service team. Once there is a change, they will begin subconsciously asking themselves: Do you make my life safer, easier, better? If they see someone else who may be able to do that, they could be gone very quickly. That means you have to really know who your clients and prospects are: their likes, their dislikes, what’s important to them, what challenges they face, and what their goals and aspirations are (personally and professionally). To be a true partner to your clients and prospects, you need to understand and care about their business; provide them strategies that sync with their organization’s goals and objectives; make their life as easy as possible with benefits implementation, management and administration, wellness programs and other types of initiatives; and be a continuing partner when your contacts move (or want to move) to new companies. When the COVID...