​A stellar partner sales colleague and a good friend  of mine recently went through an arduous and somewhat exciting interview process for a head of partnerships role at a large tech company. While she did handle what- if scenario googlies, whetting from the receptionist at the headhunter’s office to “strategic” questions from the head of the business entity and was a good fit, she didn’t get the role eventually. The reason given to her was her lack of direct team management experience which was deemed to be an extremely critical skillset for success.
Having spent majority of my professional career in partnerships roles, I feel that probably the tech company erred on the margin of extreme caution and probably lost out on a good candidate.
Managing alliances is as challenging and rewarding as a people management role and requires a very high degree of EQ and IQ. In fact, I would stick my neck out and say that it is probably a tad bit tougher, given that the alliance manager has no direct control over either his/her internal teams or with the partner’s teams.  And while a direct people management role comes with its fair share of nuances, managing an indirect team or alliance partner brings its own complex flavour to the mix.
Imagine having to be in a position to provide a 60 second elevator pitch to the partner CEO and then running off to meet the legal folks to persuade them to keep the language in the yet to be signed contract as is. And while you are at it, the partner sales team will need your assistance in engaging with an important client! Throw in a couple of internal roadblocks, personality clashes, channel conflicts, justification to senior management on the need to invest in the partnership, multiple time zones/teams, QBRs etc etc. and I’m sure you get the larger chaotic picture! Trust me, and  don’t let the image on top fool you..a lot of times there will be people pushing and pulling in different directions, but that is where a partner manager’s true test comes in  bringing people, processes, strategies and mindsets together for a common goal.
 
 
Having said that, here are some life learnings on strategic partnership management for fresh blood joining the big bad world of alliances management:
 

1. You are the partner’s advocate in your organization, they are your customer….showcase mutual synergies and long term opportunities.
2. Communicate frequently and keep in touch even when you don’t have an agenda item to discuss.
3.  Partners are organisations and not a single person so they will have diverse opinions, respect them, trust them.
4. Partners also have business models: While as an alliances manager, you would want maximum share of wallet & mindshare along with alignment on joint strategic vision, one should realize that the partner will also move in the larger interest of his/her company & there will be times when alignment won’t be possible & priorities may change.
5. Pick an internal champion & ensure he/she truly believes in the power of the joint partnership and grow from there.
6. Measure and quantify the health of the partnership as often as you can. Use a good old excel sheet or a fancy cascade model, but do that diligently. What gets measured gets done. Period.
7. Disagreement is healthy. If both sides agree all the time, then one of them is probably not required. As Einstein said, "If I were wrong, wouldn't one be enough?"
8. The total is greater than the sum of parts. No matter how large your organization is, the right strategic partner brings in elements that will help it achieve greater heights and yes, 1+1 can often become 11!

 

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South East Asia, an amalgamation of amazing nations and distinct cultures geographically south of China, East of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. To say that the region is at a tipping point and on the verge of an economic renaissance, would not be far from the truth. The reasons are fairly easy to pencil down…a relatively younger & productive population, access to the internet through smartphones & better infrastructure, urbanization, stable democracies & governments to name a few . All these factors seem to be converging & leading to the point of hockey stick growth. And while I may be biased, the single most important factor seems to be the access of the internet- fast, wireless & on affordable devices/screens.
In early 2000 there were virtually no internet users in Viet Nam & today Viet Nam is racing ahead with expected users to be at close to 50 million by end 2016. Not bad for a country of 95 million! Similarly, Philippines has seen a remarkable growth in the number of internet users in the last 5 years and stands at almost 43 million…again not bad for a population of 100 million. Ditto for Indonesia, erstwhile Twitter & Facebook capital of the world and now racing to adopt Instagram through its close to 100 million internet users in a population of about 250 million. What is even more encouraging than the net number of users is the rapid internet penetration and amazing business being started up adding a valuable layer to the economies.
None of what I have shared above is top secret or anything new, but was meant to highlight the importance of the region from a market growth perspective for those of you who may be thinking of either entering the region or growing more aggressively.
Over the next two decades, Southeast Asia is forecast to be one of the world’s fastest growing consumer markets with regional GDP to quadruple to 10 trillion USD by 2030 and with negative growth happening in developed countries, this region will play a big role in the growth and sustenance of technology companies in the future & one which no right thinking business can afford to pass.
Since I have had the opportunity to engage with the finest minds in this region representing internet/social media players, telecom operators, VCs, industry associations, thought leaders, digital government functionaries, I was getting nudges from friends to share my top business development 101 tips for the region. So, for those wanting to get a share of the action and keeping customers delighted, here goes in no particular order of preference or priority:
 

1. SPEAK S-L-O-W-L-Y:

I cannot reiterate this enough. SE Asia is an amalgamation of countries, none of which have English as their spoken/ preferred language (with the exception of Singapore), so please speak slowly and coherently. Introduce yourself, hand out business cards and give your business partner time to understand and respond. Remember, if he/she is understanding English, they already know a language more than you…so respect that.
 

1. Localize:

In the context of large strategic market entry plans, we always think of “localizing” our product or creative advertising to appeal to a larger subset of the population. Think on those same lines for a meeting or engagement in a SE Asia country. Try picking up key words and using them as ice breakers in your meetings. Trust me, even a simple “Terima Kasih” or Thank You in Indonesian Bahasa would charm your toughest of business partners. Don’t be afraid of making a fool of yourself. The fact that you tried to speak their language will be hugely appreciated. Similarly, respect local dressing and local food. When you do go out with a potential client or partner be a sport, try the Indonesian Nasi Goreng (fried rice with vegetables or meat) or Sambhal( traditional chili paste in multiple varieties..if you can handle it)  or a Vietnamese Cá Kho Tộ (caramelized fish in clay pot). For business meetings try wearing local dresses like an Indonesian Batik shirt (which I love!). While dressing though do take advice from a local. You wouldn’t want to do a boo boo for an important meeting.
 

1. Face Time:

Ok, so I’m not rooting for Apple here, but culturally the whole Asian region prefers doing business with a face attached to a name. While emails, concalls, video conferencing etc. are the tools available to the modern business development champion, there is nothing that beats a face to face meeting for building trust. More so, if you are pitching to a senior executive & can more easily read body language & modulate your pitch accordingly. Once that trust is developed & visible (which may take multiple meetings) with the key executive, it will be easier for you to navigate through various teams in culturally hierarchy aware societies. Also, in general, I have found senior executives in the SE Asia region to be more open and transparent about their thoughts on my pitch vs say executives in India.
 

1. Network:

This one is a no brainer. Especially if you are trying to develop a new market or territory for your company. And don’t limit networking to adding connections on LinkedIn but go out and speak to people, meet them at social & industry events & ask for introductions. I would even recommend friending people from all walks of life, maybe even the concierge of your hotel or the cab driver. You will be surprised at the amount of local knowledge and relevant inputs that you will get.
Of course, while having a conversation with an executive at an event the basic rules still matter… that of being relevant and having done enough ground work for a fruitful meeting.
 

1. Patience & Persistence:

Last, but certainly not the least, understand the virtues of patience & persistence. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your deal come through instantaneously no matter how cool your product or service is. It is not uncommon to have multiple meetings and conversations after an “in principle deal/ term sheet finalization”. This may be a bit hard to understand for some of our colleagues in the Western world, but keep this in mind, balance internal expectations with reality & keep chipping away at your goal.
 
All the best!!

The Internet has revolutionized the way the world communicates and searches for information and services. This change is evident in various aspects of our daily lives. The Internet is increasingly being used, among other things, to book tickets for travel, run a job search, to chat, e-mail, trade and bank online.

Irrespective of its size or type, having a website has become a prerequisite for any successful business. Being the world’s third largest internet population, India will be second to China in terms of people using Internet, as more than 330 million Indians are expected to be connected online by 2015. Your business can ill afford to ignore this medium to create awareness, make business connections and to find customers for its products and services. Additionally, a website opens your doors for business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and therefore increases the number of opportunities to engage your customers even when your business is closed or no one is available to answer your phone.

While having a business website is clearly a business imperative, it is just not enough to have a web presence, your website should provide your business a competitive edge and should work to meet your objectives of achieving greater visibility and find-ability of your business online, enhance credibility and lend a professional image to your business. Prior to building a website, it is therefore critical to register a .com domain name for your business, which has become the standard for doing business online. A .com domain conveys your unique identity and builds brand recognition.

Just like putting your business in the proper location in the physical world, might be the single most important thing you do to bring in customers through the door, similarly, selecting and registering a .com domain name might be the single most important thing you can do for your business location in the virtual world. Here’s why a .com website is a must have for your business –

• Improved Visibility - A .com website can give your business the right advantage in a populated online landscape. It helps business websites rise to the top of search engines. 90% of top brands today use .com today.
• Competitive Advantage – A .com website gives your business a competitive edge and helps business websites rise to the top of search engines.
• Enhances Reputation–Most, if not all of the biggest corporations around the world use and promote their websites with a .com domain extension. 97% of the top 100 brands have a registered domain in the .com TLD
• Creates a Positive Perception – A website with a .com domain name extension suggests that you are serious about doing business and lends credibility.
• Establishes Longevity – .com is one of the oldest extensions and your business website with a .com domain name extension suggests a well-established presence on the Internet.

A .com website can help even the playing field between large and small companies. It allows smaller businesses an opportunity to compete with their bigger rivals. By building a .com website that makes for an effective online presence, a small business can play to its strengths. Your website is an important part of your business and by having a .com website you have to treat it as such.

This post has been written by Nitin Wali, Head, Business Development, Asia Pacific, Verisign Services India Pvt. Ltd. It is a part of the FICCI Confederation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (CMSME) Newsletter for June 2014. The complete news letter can be accessed on our Slideshare. 
Author views are personal.
Published on: June 17, 2014 by Social Media Desk FICCIFiled Under: Domestic EconomyTagged: MSME, SME

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