Lightlever Partnerships that Work
We often work with partner companies when they encounter opportunities that don’t quite fit their skillset, availability, or other parameters. For example, you have a client that needs a SharePoint portal built; your business model is to sell and support CRM and Office 365. I have worked as Project Manager, Business Analyst, and SharePoint consultant for years and so I have some clear approaches to partnering that seem to work well.
First of all, when you approach me with “my client has a need and I wonder if you can help“, I take that very seriously. Good client relationships are the lifeblood of a consultant’s business and if you refer someone to me, I am going to take very good care of them on your behalf. Likewise, if I refer someone to you, I expect them to be treated with the same level of honesty and integrity they would get directly from me.
Secondly, client relationships and repeat business are also key. If you introduce me to someone, then you had that relationship prior to me. It is your client. I will always respect that.
With that foundation of integrity stated, the following are the most common ways I work with other companies.
- SUB-CONTRACTOR: I come in as a representative of your company, without mentioning Lightlever in any way. I bill you, and you bill the client. My rates are discounted to recognize that you brought the relationship and you are carrying the risk.
REFERRAL: You introduce your client to me, via email or face to face, and I work directly to close a deal, meet that client’s needs, and bill them directly. I pay you 5-10% referral fee of the initial contract amount.
Please pass this on to the system integrators, SharePoint migrators, and consulting companies in your life. I can readily provide references and samples of my work.
Gerry Brimacombe
gerry@lightlever.ca
