Strategic alliances – be careful who you endorse!

I am a firm believer in strategic alliances and the power of collaboration, and am in fact in the midst of setting up a community of small business owners to help them leverage off each other’s strengths and experiences.  As a result of my brain being in “collaboration fever”, I found myself susceptible to a marketing email that I would normally ignore.  The email was titled  “No more hype, this is PRACTICAL business strategy at its best!” and it was a promotional email about a book that was recently launched.

I was given the opportunity to buy a Kindle version at $1.97 (RRP $14.97) and I feel like a complete fool for falling for it.  Read my review on Amazon.

Sad

I thought I was buying a book about developing strategic alliances and how to use collaboration to fast track your business.  What I got was page after page of self-promotion and up-selling.  The scary thing is that the book is well-endorsed, and the purpose of this post is twofold.

Firstly, to save you from wasting your time and money on the book, but secondly, to warn you to be careful who you endorse if you are setting up strategic alliances.  These people who have endorsed the book have fallen in my esteem as a result of being associated with the book and are going on my blacklist.  I’m sure reputation damage was not a price they had intended to pay for this alliance.

As I have been typing this post, I have received an email from the author inviting me to consider a strategic alliance with her company!!  I don’t think so.

About the Author

Coach Mi

I'm a business coach passionate about helping women make the impossible possible! Do get in touch. I would love to have a chat to see how I can help.

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Comments 4

  1. Hi Mi, great post: you don’t hold back, and this is a topic which I feel strongly about as well. Ultimately it’s our reputation on the line when we endorse or recommend others. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  2. WOW do I see myself in this. As you probably have suspected from earlier communication, I too prefer collaboration. I find there is a lot to be gained in business and in life. But, up selling seems rampant. I wonder if some folks don’t know when they have crossed a line. And, I too tend to think others have the best intentions. Well, is it better to be fooled sometime than to never have tried in life and in business? Eternal question. best, Peggy

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      It’s a shame we are on opposite sides of the world. With the work that we do, we’d have plenty of scope of collaboration, and I would have loved the opportunity! All the best, Mi

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