ONE OF THE foremost reasons to create a partnership is because it allows you to reach more people quickly and economically. With the advent of the Internet, creating strategic partnerships that maximize your exposure is tantamount. The more places your name or logo is displayed, the more opportunities you will have to entice your target audience. This also applies when you present yourself in print, radio or television. If you create an alliance to share costs and maximize exposure, you are making every marketing dollar you spend work double and even triple time in your behalf.

Your partners can work for you when you're sleeping, when you're at the bank or meeting friends for lunch. You can expand your horizons through affiliation with key contacts; as a result, all of their contacts can become your contacts. Remember what your mother used to say? "Never judge a book by its cover." Your Mother was right! When you meet someone new, you don't know who they know or what they can do for you. Learn to be a great listener.

Big "I" and Little "U" have no place in partnerships. A partnership is a combination of the words—partner and relationship. If your relationship with your partner is not on equal ground, someone or something will pull it apart. Partnerships should be based on a "Win-Win" philosophy.

Last but certainly not least, partnerships create strategic alliances that in turn can create financial gain. By creating alliances with other organizations you often times cut your marketing expenses and create a public awareness that doubles or triples in value.

Exposure is critical no matter what business you are in. The more touch-points you can create, the greater your opportunity becomes for being seen. It also creates an atmosphere to assist others and in my estimation, there are no truer words spoken than, "There's more happiness in giving than receiving."