Trust is the most advantageous asset in a partnership. It is a prediction of reliance in another person. Partnerships depend on using trust to get their tasks accomplished. Without reliance on the other partner, most relationships fail.
Partnerships are perhaps the most advantageous way of working online. With the right combination of partners, projects can receive a balance of skills, talents, and networks.
Additionally partnerships offer more then just a combination of assets but also a system of consultation and counsel. Discussing and developing your online plans produces far better proposals after having run through the gauntlet of partners.
Partnership vs. Joint Venture
To just clarify a partnership is different then a joint venture. Although there are similar benefits and distractions there is a key difference that is important to note, the length. Joint ventures are short project based relationships. They need trust but lack the long-term perspective and therefore a long-term reliance in the partner. Partnerships are looking at the long-term. Both partners want to make it work for more then just a site-flipping project or blog consultation.
How to Build Trust
Having been in this very process of building a partnership I thought this topic was ideal. Currently I have just become partner to Alex here on Blogussion. I have been learning along with Alex how we want to set up our partnership and in the process build our reliance on each other.
Here’s how we are doing it:
- Communication - The most important element since the beginning of our relationship has been our communication. We have worked at developing a constant and easy system of emailing and IM’ing each other. When Alex has a new idea or suggestion he makes sure to talk to me and I do the same. This way trust is built. We know what the other partner is doing, thinking and working on everyday. An important point in any partnership is to set up a system of communication.
- Clear Objectives — After your partnership has determined the best way to communicate with each other, start talking. Find out what your monetary, traffic, and content goals are. Is there anything the other partner is planning? Certain expectations you have that the other partner might not know? Think about the objectives of your partnership and make sure to talk about them. It will save you lots of headaches in the future.
- Equal Load — Learning to share the load of work is an important step. It is much easier if each of you have specified roles on the partnership. Like for instance in our case Alex and I have very different experiences and skills we bring to Blogussion. So each of us know our duty in building the blog. If something happens to the other though, be sure to always be willing to help each other out. Over the long-term you will always need it yourself sometime so be willing to pick up the load if partners need it.
- Sincerity — An important asset to a relationship is sincerity. Although difficult to quantify or measure, it is apparent quickly in a relationship in which trust is necessary. What are the motivations of each other? Once you have decided that you are both in the partnership for the right reasons, move on and get to work.
If you are currently in a partnership or think you might want to in the future, think about the effects of trust. Building a reliance on each other is an important element in making any plan or project work.
Bonus Trust Tip
Remember as a blogger your goal is to build a partnership with you readers too. So find ways to use the 4 tips above in your relationship building with your readers. Doing this will increase your readers likelihood of returning to your blog and increase comments and pageviews.
Is there a way to build trust that you think I’ve missed?
17 Discussions
Good article. I think too many bloggers are trying to build up their readership by building their page rank, growing their inbound links, and doing all the text-book procedures and then they fail to actually build relationships with their readers. Being open, honest, and genuine with your readers will definitely lay a foundation for a beautiful partnership with them. Thanks for article.
Nicholas Z. Cardot´s last blog ..I Stopped Using Nofollow & You Should Too!
Readers really want to feel connected to the writers of the blogs they read. If they can feel like they are real people they know… they will come back again and again. They will also refer to you over and over again when someone needs help.
I have a slightly different perspective on point #3 – I think it’s more important to have clearly defined roles that both partners consider “fair” than to distribute work “equally.” As long as both partners feel that the other person is contributing enough to the partnership, things are fine, even if the workload isn’t equal. If either partner feels that the other is under-contributing, it’s important to address that very quickly, or it’ll just fester and eventually boil over.
What do you thinK?
Jeffrey Tang´s last blog ..10 Things that Make You an Entrepreneur
I can see your point Jeff. I think roles need to be defined clearly and that the load should be “equal” in efforts. I understand that each partnership is different, but if the partners feel like they are working unequally it can lead to disagreements.
Good point.
Great Post.
Trust is much more effective than outsourcing and JV.
It has that extra edge needed for long lasting success.
~Igor
Mastermind Internet Marketing´s last blog ..7 Fill-In-The-Blank Headlines With Examples
Definitely, the purpose of partnerships is having the ability to trust someone with long-term success that can be shared.
Seth´s last blog ..5 Ways you are Unknowingly Harming Your Posts
Hey Seth! Happy to hear you and Alex are partners! I’m a big fan of both of you and that’ll make Blogussion super-awesome!
Nick Tart | JuniorBiz´s last blog ..JuniorBiz in Local Newspapers – JJ Entry #22
Thanks! I really think this partnership will be unique and offer some powerful tips to bloggers.
Communication is the most important of all, trusting and believing is hard to get around now a days…
The Bad Blogger´s last blog ..The Bad Blogger No Bullshit Answers To The Questions You Want To Know !
Trusting and believing is hard… you are right. But it is essential to making a partnership work. That is why too few partnerships actually work.
Seth´s last blog ..5 Ways you are Unknowingly Harming Your Posts
Good points Seth! Trust is very important in all feilds, even in online businesses and also in personal relationships.
Tech-Freak Stuff´s last blog ..Is INTERNET Male or a Female?
Thats a cool post for people blogging with parnters.. (like me).
Thanks, really loved it.
Enk.´s last blog ..Why Teens Should Blog?
Good, so many bloggers are doing partnerships and joint ventures that I thought it would be an important post.
Awesome post Seth. It’s important to always keep good communication with each other in a partnership.
Alex´s last blog ..Young Blogger Interviews #2: Liane from Better Blogging for Bloggers
Something that you are very good at doing! Communication builds trust quickly if it is open and honest.
Great Post, communication is important in relationship be it business or what ever, Good communication is the cornerstone of happy relationships!
Thanks for the post
This is why I do things on my own, I have a huge problem trusting people.
But on the flip side if things go tits up then I have only myself to blame.
Dean Saliba´s last blog ..We’re Not Just About Making Money
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