In business, building POWERFUL ALLIANCES can help you grow and succeed.

In fact, going it alone (especially in tough economic times) generally isn't a winning strategy. Some of the most successful small businesses find "complementers" to work with, and then use these alliances to attract more customers.

Look for partners with whom you share a common goal and/or a common culture--you can usually find a "complementer" targeting or selling their products or services to your key customers.

For instance, if you're a chiropractor, your "complementers" may include a physical therapist, a personal trainer and a massage therapist. While your customers come to you for adjustments, spine health and pain management--they may also seek complementary services from these other providers, too. Building a strong relationship with these "complementers" may benefit ALL OF YOU.

Here's how to find these "complementers" and cultivate successful alliances:

(1)  Take some time to identify your key customers, and most profitable customer segments. Think about their demographics, psychographics (lifestyle characteristics), purchasing behaviors and overall key characteristics.

(2)  Then, identify businesses that are ALSO selling products and services to these customers. In a brainstorming session, list as many of these organizations as you can. Don't evaluate your list at this point--the idea is to include all of the complementary service providers that come to mind.

(3)   Now it's time to narrow your list. Which businesses have a similar business model? Which businesses are located within a relatively close proximity to you? Which of these businesses do you have a personal connection with? Have you used any of their services? The answers to these questions will help you prioritize this list of businesses--so you can focus on the few that will be the best "fit" with your organization.

(4)   Put together a list of "win-win" benefits for each potential partnership. And, develop a plan for how you think the partnership should work. Will you share advertising? Will you cross-promote? Will you share office-space? Will you package your services? How can your joint efforts give EACH OF YOU a better return on your efforts?

(5)   After you've identified the best "complementers" on your list, AND developed a plan for how you'd like to work together--it's time to ASK AWAY!