From Painful to Profitable: Acing Your Marketing with Power Partners

If you’re not a marketer by trade, cutting through all the noise and trends to figure out a marketing strategy that best promotes your business can be downright painful. However, it doesn’t have to be. With the help of power partners, you can make a profound and intentional impact on your target audience and transform your marketing from painful to profitable.

Marketing and media strategist, Patty Farmer helps clients do just that: leverage collaboration with likeminded partners to expand the impact and reach of their marketing without adding to their workloads. She joined Straight Talk About Sales host, Nadia Brown, for a deep dive into the nine power partners you should have on your side, including how to identify the right partners for your business and broach the conversation around working together.

Here is the transcript:

Beware Spaghetti Marketing

Dr. Nadia Brown  00:00

Welcome, welcome to another episode of Straight Talk About Sales. I am so excited to have with me our marketing and media strategist, Patty Farmer. Welcome, Patty.

Patty Farmer  00:15

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Dr. Nadia Brown  00:18

Yes. And Patty and I have had numerous conversations about marketing and sales and how they go together, so I'm so excited that she and I get to sit down today to chat about how to really power up your marketing so it's not painful, but it's profitable. And so, before we dive into our topic, there's just one thing that I wanted to ask you, Patty, because in your bio, you talk about the pain and the profits when it comes to marketing. So, one of my questions is, why does it seem that marketing is so painful for some and so seamless for others?

Patty Farmer  00:55

That's such a great question. I think really, honestly, that it comes down to a lot of things that we do, which is being intentional. I think what makes it profitable is because you do it with intention, right? You have a plan, you have a campaign, you have a strategy, you know how to leverage. Thus, you monetize. Versus people who – what I want to call spaghetti marketing – where they listen to every new thing they see on Facebook or Google, and then they throw it at the wall and they hope it sticks.

Because here's the reality – and I'm sure you're gonna agree with me – is that we're not in the information business. Google is in the information business. We're in the transformation business. Right? And so, I feel like, you know, you know how a lot of people...I see this a lot, my children are really bad at it. “Oh, Mom, I have this.” I'm like, ‘Oh, really? Who told you that? Dr. Google?’ Right? You know, because that's what we tend to do. So, I think that the difference really in being profitable and making it painful is because if you just want to go look for marketing things – there's a million things – it's going to be very painful trying to figure out which works. Because the bottom line is: they all work. But they might not all be the right one for you. So, it's really hiring and finding that right person who is going to give you the individualized marketing that meets your needs and the needs of your clients.

Identifying Power Partners

Dr. Nadia Brown  02:23

So good. So good. Thank you for that, Patty. Because I see it all the time. I'm sure you do. And I see it on the back end, because I'm like, something's not right with this because of how the sales are going or the sales conversations are going, and then we need to make those necessary adjustments.

But today, we wanted to dig into power partners and how we can leverage those in our business and in our marketing. So, I want you to just kick things off with: how do we identify power partners? Why would we leverage power partners? What are the power partners that we need? Like, just...let's just go. Where do you want to start?

Patty Farmer  03:01

Okay, so first, one of the things that I always want to say is what is a power partner, right? And I think if you ask most people, what they would say is somebody that they exchange referrals with, right? You know, so I'm in marketing, and so somebody that I pass referrals with a lot is, like, a web designer, right? You know, when I'm working with someone...you know, really, honestly, in marketing and in sales, what happens is when you solve a problem, it illuminates another one, right? Like, you could hire someone for branding or, like, oh, well, now that I have my brand, I need to do marketing. Oh, well, now that I've done marketing, I need a website. Oh, now I need to know how to do sales, right? Like it illuminates another problem. Which is kind of exciting, though, right? Because you're going down the journey.

But with that said, when you're passing referrals with somebody, some people, it's really easy. It's like peanut butter and jelly, right. But then other times, it's really not. And so, what I like to say is: if you have somebody that you pass referrals back and forth all the time because it just makes sense for what your industry is, that is a power partner. However, not everybody is a power partner. So today, I'm going to share, like, nine different power partners, why you need to have all of them. You should be building relationships with all of them. And if they're not a direct referral partner – where it's somebody that you pass referrals all the time – if they're three of the nine, then they are a power partner. You do need all of them, but where you want to be intentional about spending your time should be determined by those things.

And so, I would say let's start, if you're ready: where are they four ways that you identify who they are, right? So, the first way are what are the commonalities of past referral sources, right? So, don't think about your clients. But think about where do I get my referrals? Like, where has it been really easy for people to refer me business? And then think about what are the commonalities that they have, because that should be a clue for you who may be really, really great partners for you. So, that would be one.

One of them is that you serve the same market, but you do it in a completely different way. Again, website people, or branding people, sales. I'm in marketing. We serve the same market, but we do it in a completely different way.

The other one is: we are in exactly the same business. Like, we have the same business. They may be in marketing and I’m in marketing, but we serve a different market audience, meaning that we could both be in marketing but maybe one of us likes to do startups, right? They like to really focus on startups, and somebody else likes to focus on established. Like, for me, I don't work with startups. I work with people who are established, usually they're kind of at $100,000 or more or knocking on the door at least. But so it's different. So, if I have somebody who comes to me, and they are in a startup, I usually refer them to a partner that I may have, right. You know, so our businesses are the same, but we have different market.

And then, really, the other one is really who serves the decision maker before or after you. So, again, who else serves your market, but they do it right before and right after you. Those are really, really great partners. So, it's really thinking about who they are.

So, if you look at those four areas, that's going to be really good ways to identify who those power partners are. And now we can really go into who they are.

Dr. Nadia Brown  07:10

Pause one second, Patty.

Patty Farmer  07:11

Oh, yeah, I'm gonna stop after every one, because I know you're gonna have questions with every single one.

Will You Be My Power Partner? How to Broach the Conversation

Dr. Nadia Brown  07:16

It's...this is so good. But one of the bigger questions and I feel like people in the audience will have that is...it’s great to know who they are. But how do you broach the conversation, right? How do you start that conversation around becoming power partners? Especially, I think, one that might be tricky is when you do the same things, but you serve a different audience. You know, so how do you start the conversation that helps say, hey, you know, how do we become power partners and really position it to where it's a win-win-win?

Patty Farmer  07:48

Oh, that is a really, really great question. I'm going to answer it with each one of them a little separately but to be very specific to what you're saying, because I think somebody may want to know that. For example, one of the ways that I do it, I reach out...some of my best partners are actually people who are in marketing. Marketing is a huge umbrella, as is sales, right? It's a huge umbrella. And we don't all do every single thing. But it is true that if somebody is thinking about connecting with you – so this is actually going to be a teaching moment is where I'm going to answer your question – I'm having a teaching moment. Don't you love those? So, if somebody is looking at LinkedIn, and they send you a request, right? And you look at them, and you look at their profile, and you say, “Wow, they do the same thing as me,” so you don't want to connect with them, okay? That is, like, such a huge, huge mistake. And let me tell you why. Those are the people I reach out to the most, because they do serve my market.

So, usually how I approach it: I'll send them a request, and I say, ‘Hey, I see that you're in marketing as well. And you and I both know that marketing is a huge umbrella. What I would love to do is to get on a call and see where we may have synergy but where there may be gaps that maybe you may be able to fill for my clients. And maybe I can do the same for you. Are you interested in having that conversation?’ Well, who wouldn't want to be, right? I mean, you know, we all have gaps in the places that we don't do every single thing. So, I'm always looking for people to fill those gaps.

Because here's what I think people should realize. Here's the good thing about working with people who do the same thing as you, but in a different way. They're going to be the most loyal. And you may not think so, but let me tell you why. They're going to be the most loyal because you're in front of their people all the time. And if you can't fill the need, and you build a relationship with them, and they're loyal to you, you're going to be passing them people all the time. And they're gonna want to do it to you, because they know that if you have that gap, and it's not them, who? So they're gonna want to be really, really loyal to you. So, building a really good relationship with them is profitable and will not be painful.

Dr. Nadia Brown  10:04

I love that. That is so good. I love the way you also shifted the perspective, because I do think that there's that natural tendency sometimes to think, ‘Well, they do what I do.’ I've tried to, you know, keep all my clients over here. But, like you said, they’re in front of your ideal client all the time. And I love the emphasis on that loyalty, because it just makes sense for them.

Patty Farmer  10:25

And I also think, for me, when people talk about competition, right? Okay. Do we have competition? In the biggest sense of the word I guess we do. I kind of believe your biggest competition is in the mirror. But I really feel like it is never really about competition; it's about integrity. Either you have integrity, or you do not have integrity. I can't even tell you some of the things that I specialize in that other marketing people will come to me and say, “You know what, Patty? My client really needs this.” So, doesn't it say more about them that rather than blowing smoke to their client and saying, “Oh, yeah, I could help you with that, too” that they say to their client, “You know what? I know somebody else who's in the marketing business. And I bring her in sometimes, because she has this area of expertise, and I think that in this one area, she can serve you.” I have to tell you, I would have so much respect for somebody if they did that.

Now, when somebody does that, and they reach out to me, I'm going to tell you, that is the only thing I'm going to be discussing with that client, is the thing they asked me to. Because who is my client right now? The person they brought me to, or are they my client, right? The person who's gonna come back to me over and over again. And so, even if the person they send me, like, goes to my website and says, “Oh, I saw you that you do this, too. I didn't know you did this.” I would never, ever let them hire me, because now I am not in integrity. And my word is more important than any transaction. So, they are my client and they asked me to serve their client, and my job is to do it to the best of my ability while I edify them and let them know that they're in really great hands and how great their marketing person is that they think enough of them to bring in somebody else when it's appropriate. So, I have to tell you, it's an integrity issue. It is never competition.

Dr. Nadia Brown  12:21

That is so good. And so true.

Patty Farmer  12:25

I think people don't always think about it, though, right? I really feel it's super, super important. And when people know that – excuse me – and sometimes when I talk to marketing people, I tell them that. Maybe they don't or it’s never happened to them. And so, I like to let them know that. And they're like, really? And I'm like, absolutely. And I will bring you in for...you know, that's the conversation I want to have. What are those key things that you love to do? They bring you joy. You just happen to be really, really good at that specific thing, right? You know, maybe it's list-building...you know, it could be anything. Like, what is your jam.

Because we don't need to be...we don't need to reinvent ice cream. I tell people all the time, ‘You don't need to reinvent ice cream. You just need to have your own flavor.’ And there are so many people who still likes chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. And then there are some people who want hot fudge. We want sprinkles. We want nuts. So, are you hot fudge? Are you sprinkle? Are you nuts? Just be your own unique flavor and align with other people who are also ice cream, right? And then when somebody says, “Oh, I want a little bit of hot fudge,” you're like, ‘Oh, I don't do that fudge. Let me bring in somebody who does hot fudge.’ Right? So, I think that that's really the way to have an abundance mentality. And really, it's a win-win for everybody.

Dr. Nadia Brown  13:53

I love it. It's so true. I love the emphasis on integrity over competition, like that is...and it's true. It's so key.

Patty Farmer  14:01

Yep, I really feel like the way that I have built my business is lead with contribution, and compensation will follow. Right? But always lead with contribution. Because I think that sets the stage and people will rise up to it.

Dr. Nadia Brown  14:17

Yes, I love that. Oh, my goodness. All right, let's get into this next partner.

Social Media Partners

Patty Farmer  14:23

All right, let’s do it. Okay. So, the first one is what I call a social media partner. And what this is: this is the easiest ask of all. And I always like to say, have you ever been on a call, all of you out there who are listening? You're on a call, and you get to the end of the call, and you're getting ready to wrap up. You have this little awkward period there because, like, what do we do now, right? And you say, “Oh, well, I would really like to serve you. What can I do? You know, do you have an ask? What can I do?” But you really don't know each other all that well, right? But you kind of do. So really, this is a super easy ask. And I'm going to tell you there's two asks, to me, that literally...here's the way you answer that question on every single one of those calls, one of these. And it all depends on where you are in your business as to which one.

The first one, which is the best one, would be to say to somebody, “Oh, Patty, you know, what can I do to serve you?” And I would say, ‘Well, if you know any podcast hosts, I would love an introduction. I want to be on 100 podcasts this year. That's my goal. And if you know any podcasts, I would love an introduction.’ Now notice, I didn't say, ‘Can you get me on their podcast?’ Right? So, there's no guarantee I'm gonna get on it. All I'm asking them to do is introduce me to the person. So really, all I got to do is send an email and say, ‘Such and such was asked to be introduced a podcast. I love your podcast. You're a great podcast host.’ Make them look great, right? And then do the intro. I can take it from there. So, I'm not asking you to guarantee. So, that's an easy ask. Who doesn't know at least one podcast host, right? Super easy. So, that's a super easy ask.

But then hear “social media partner” when somebody says it. That's why you should be intentional. This becomes intentional marketing. You should always know what your ask is going to be before you get on the call or at least a few of them so you can do the one that's most appropriate. But a social media ask...it's super easy to have social media partners. That is pretty much somebody that you just say, ‘Listen, I'm not asking you to do anything, but could you share this post? Could you retweet this? I'm having a workshop; would you just share it on social media?’ Not that big a deal.

Now, with that said, because most of my partners are in...we have the same similar market. You know, like, I'm in marketing. And if somebody, say, did Reiki...I mean, I love Reiki, but I wouldn't really send something out to my audience, because my audience would be like, “What?” You know what I mean? So if it's not appropriate, then don't do it. Right? But really, you're serving your market, and is this something they may be interested in. So, your audience will appreciate that.

So, the first one is a social media partner. Super easy. You should have bunches of them. But if you're doing it for them, and they know, “Oh, you know what, Patty? I was on this podcast. And this is a really good topic. Would you be willing to share it with your audience?” Absolutely, right? You know, “I'm having this workshop. Would you do it?” Like, when your book came out. Like when my book came out. ‘Would you be willing to do a social media share?’ It's not that hard, right? It's super easy commitment to do. But make sure you're doing it for other people, too. Not you, but if you're going to do that, make sure you’re doing it for other people, too. That's a social media ask.

Promotional Partners

Now, a promotional partner. That's the second one. That is really when you're helping somebody with specific promotion. Like, sometimes people will say, “You know, I'm having a new book come out.” Or, “I'm having somebody come out. Do you want to be on the promotion team?” And it's where you're committing to be part of a team, where...I know somebody, she does this podcast lab and so she, you know, reaches and has a whole team. And we all agree that in this short period of time – kind of like when somebody comes out with a book, and they wanted to hit number one that day – we all agree that we're going to promote it on that day so that they make it to number one. So yeah, you’re their promo partner. Yeah, again, not all that hard. If people ask you for the date, make sure that you put it on your calendar. And you're just saying that on that date, that is what you're going to do.

Dr. Nadia Brown  18:24

Please put it on your calendar.

Patty Farmer  18:27

Right? Yes, put it on your calendar. Okay, so these are pretty easy.

Content Marketing Partners

The third one is a content marketing partner. And a content marketing partner, this is really...I see this done on LinkedIn. It is done on Facebook, too. I am going to say here that if you do this thing on LinkedIn, make sure you do it correctly, because there are some terms and conditions that LinkedIn has. I see it. Some people do it right; some people do it wrong. So, make sure you're careful there. That was my disclaimer. That was my disclaimer.

But, like, for example, you can say...so say, you're in sales. I'm in marketing. Maybe we have somebody branding, somebody in websites. And we're all serving the same market. And we would have a, quote unquote, pod, where we would say, “Hey, on Thursdays, we're going to have a group. And on Thursdays, we're all going to put some content in there. And we're all going to agree that over the next week, we will all share that person's content.” So 20 people aren't all trying to do it the same day. But over the next week...so say, “Oh, well, we're gonna do it every Thursday,” and then you have until the next Thursday. Whatever you put in there, they're gonna do it, too. That's a really great way to have a content marketing partner.

It's also...another way somebody might do it is you could, like, literally, you could have somebody who is going to do something on a blog. Maybe when you have a podcast, you are a content marketer that they're going to provide content for you in some way. That's a really easy way to have content marketing, really, for somebody to help you with that.

Also, another thing in content marketing, another teachable moment here, is you can create content or you can curate content. And a lot of times people get really confused with this. So, really, to the audience very quickly, creating content is content you create. You wrote the blog. Curating content is where it's somebody else's content, and you're pretty much just endorsing it or giving your opinion, which really will make you go from expert to authority. So, I suggest everybody not only have these partners, but you do it.

And here's an example of that. So, say Nadia posted something and said, “Here's the top 10 sales tips for 2022,” for example. I don't know if you have that post. If you do, I'd love to see it. But anyway, so you have that post. Now, I could literally be your partner, and I would just be your social partner. And I would say, ‘Oh, yes. Would you share that, Patty?’ Absolutely. That'd be a great one. But if I was your content marketing partner, that would mean that I would promote it, but what I would do is I would say, ‘Oh, I love number three. Number three, I am definitely adding that. You know, number six...oh, I never thought to do that.’ But you're adding commentary that adds value to it. So, you're endorsing it. Because I gotta tell you, if you just saw it, there'll be people that say, “Oh, wow, top 10 sales tips. I want to read that.” But somebody that's in authority says, “Ooh, number three, or oh, this,” they're like, “Oh, why does Patty think number three is so good? Oh, now I have to read it.” So, we will get more eyes on it when you have content marketing. So, now you're saying I want you to take a little bit of extra time, not just post it. I want you to actually add value to it because you're an expert as well. And I want you to add value, which will actually endorse what I'm saying. But you actually get to kind of endorse you a little bit, too. That makes sense?

Content Curation vs. Content Creation: Establishing Yourself as an Authority

Dr. Nadia Brown  21:58

That makes sense. When would you want – because I think we should talk about this one a little bit more – between creating your own content and then curating someone else's content? Because you mentioned it takes you from expert to authority. So, why would we want to switch or, you know, be taken to authority? And then how do we be more intentional about including both?

Patty Farmer  22:21

Sure. Okay, so first, let me define what the difference is for somebody who might be saying, “Well, what's the difference, right?” Now, I personally would like to believe that whatever it is that you do, you're an expert at it. Like, if you're not, I'm going to definitely say you need to hire somebody. But, you know, you should be an expert at what you do. But what makes you an authority is when you're an expert, but you are also able to influence other people's decisions, specifically a purchasing decision, right? So, you really want to have relationships with people who are in authority, because people listen to what they say. They're an influencer, right?

And why you would want to do it. Well, for one, not everybody loves to blog. I don't blog at all. People are like, “Really, Patty? But you’re a marketer.” I'm like, ‘Yes, I made a decision several years ago that I hate to blog.’ And I'm going to tell you – I don't care what anybody says – you don't have to do every single thing. There are all kinds of muscles. And this is not one exercise that works that muscle. There's a lot of exercises you can do. And I realized that I'm a speaker, and I don't like to blog on demand. And so, five years ago, I made the decision that I was going to stop blogging. And everyone was like, “Oh, my goodness, Patty. You're not going to blog? Oh, that's going to hurt your business.” So, I just publish a magazine instead. Now I only have to write once a quarter instead of once every week, and I get to have a whole bunch of content marketing come in from experts that I feel will give great content, and I get to promote them. So, for me, that became something that I wanted to do for something that I didn't like to do.

So, with that said, curating content is something I love to do. Because I'm very, very busy, but I am an expert and an authority. So, I would much rather, much rather than sit down and be like, ‘What do I want to write about?’ Now what I'm talking about really good, juicy social media posts. I do those every single day, getting lots of value. So, we're not talking about that. But we're talking about, you know, really writing a blog about something. What I would rather do is let everybody else blog, and then I literally share it, add what I think I like, and sometimes – never be negative – but sometimes, I have because...here's what people will click on. They want to click on you saying how fabulous something is, or you saying, ‘Hm, I'm going to think on that.’ They want it to be polarizing, right. You got to get them curious. And so, if I say, ‘Oh, I love two and three and seven. Nine, hmm, I'm gonna give some thought on that.’ Believe me, they're clicking that link right now. They want to know why does Patty Farmer want to go “hmm” about number nine? I didn't say it was bad. I've just said that I needed to think about how I was gonna put that in my business, or whatever. I have to tell you. And do you think the person who wrote that's gonna be upset that, you know, 2000 more people put eyes on their thing, right? You know? That's kind of the thing.

Here's what most people do. They look at an article or a blog, they copy the title, and then they put the link. They don't say anything about it. Well, we could have did that on Google, right? You know, so say what is it that made you post it. Use your expertise. And you can do that more on somebody else's content because you can't really get on there on yours and say, ‘Oh, number three and seven and six, I said, are the most brilliant ideas you’ve ever heard.’ Because I wrote it. But man, it really gives you the opportunity.

So, I have to tell you, the best way to promote yourself is to promote other people. Hands down, it's the easiest and best way to do it. Not to mention, whoever that person is that you're tagging and saying that, what the law of reciprocity, you know, makes...there's just something about when other people do things for us, we want to. Now, don't do it for that reason. But there is something about that, right? You know, so really, honestly, you can be really creative here. So, does that make sense?

Dr. Nadia Brown  26:27

Yep, that makes perfect sense. Thank you for breaking that down.

Asset Partners

Patty Farmer  26:30

No problem. So, number four is an asset partner. And all of us need to think about what our assets are. Now, obviously, Nadia has a podcast. So, that's one of her assets. I have a podcast as well, on which she's been a guest. And after, we got a lot of downloads on that, too, so really, really great. And so, think about what your assets are.

So, I have a podcast. I have a magazine. I do events. I mean, so there's a lot of reasons. But you don't have to do all those things yourself. If you're building your network – like I'm showing you here – and you have these partners, your assets could actually be other people's assets. I can't even tell you how many hundreds and hundreds of people share my magazine. It's free, right? It's a free resource. And they share. Actually, you're in my current issue right now. And they will literally share it as a resource for people and say, “Oh, do you get this magazine?” And they give it out. I have people who have it on their website, all kinds of stuff. Because it doesn't cost anything, but yet how beautiful they are to be thinking about them, to give that to them.

So, the assets don't actually have to be your assets, right? But what you really want to be able to do is lead with those, right? So, I have all kinds. Now, here's probably going to be one of the biggest tips I'm going to tell you. And if you get nothing else out of what I say, this is the writer downer, is this: when you have assets – how you're going to do this – is by looking at what other people do.

So, here's what I do. I don't share this all the time, but you and I are kind of like power partners ourselves, so I'm going to share. So, you know, every single day of your life, on social media, in your email, whatever, somebody's having a virtual summit; somebody's speaking about something. I always...I'm on so many email lists for that, because I want to get them, because I like looking at who all the speakers are. But what I like looking at is what are the freebies they're giving away? Because I'm like, are they a good partner for me? What kind of assets do they got, right? I want to know what kind of assets so that I can get to know them. So that when I'm talking to people that I think need that asset, I actually have a spreadsheet that I keep everybody and their assets on. And whenever I see somebody needs something, I just go, ‘Oh, let me do an intro for you.’ And then when I'm doing...so, if I was doing an intro for you, Nadia, ‘Oh, I want to introduce you to XYZ, whatever, because she was really looking about for some stuff about sales. And I told her about your podcast’ – and I put the link in there, right, so you see that I did – ‘and I just shared with her about your book and told her how she needs to get your book. But I would just really like to introduce you.’ So, first of all, would I not be a rock star, that I did that?

Dr. Nadia Brown  29:33

Oh, total rock star.

Patty Farmer  29:35

And not only that, but then what didn't you...literally that person would think, “Wow, this was really nice of her,” too. Now of course they really want to get to know you, because I just told them all these things about you. And then you probably want to do something nice for me, too, to say, “Oh wow, Patty’s magazine’s coming out in a couple weeks. I should promote her magazine.” Because we naturally want to do things for other people who do things for us, right? We live in a world where everybody's me, me me. There are people who aren't that, that we want to develop relationships with them, right?

Which leads me now...for those of you...I've done a lot of quotes since I've been on your podcast, because I've opened my mouth. And they're all original, too, but I can't help myself. But here's one that I will tell you that I think is really important. When you meet somebody...you haven't had any conversation with them yet. They're not really a connection because you haven't connected. They're just a contact. But the only way that you're going to go from being a contact to a contract is the R. That's the only difference. And that “R” stands for relationships. So, the only contact in a contract is the R, and the “R” stands for relationships, right? It’s all about the R.

So, that is really what is really important. Because, you know, people talk all the time about looking for opps. Like, “Oh, I need some speaking opps. So, I'm looking for this.” But opps, for me, stands for Other People's People. What can I do for somebody? Because really, honestly, again, best way to promote yourself is to promote other people. Right? I mean, being on a podcast, you're in front of however...all those people that maybe you don't know any of, right? And that's why, when she was online, she was so gracious that “Oh, Patty, thank you for having me on your podcast. Would you like to come on my podcast?” Because we had a similar market, right? So really, always be thinking about that. You got to have a bigger mindset and expand in the conversations that you're having of what kind of assets. And again, the assets don't have to be yours. Oh, my gosh, ‘I have a friend, and I was on this podcast, and I think you'd be a great guest.’ You know, whatever that case may be, right?

Um, I also like to promote and market the things that I'm on. So, here's kind of another tip, for me, which is this podcast. So, I am a really good podcast guest for no other reason – well, one, I'd like to think I give good value – but the other reason is I really know how to promote because I do marketing, right? So here is a tip: if I want to be on somebody's podcast...so, for any of you out there that want to be on somebody's podcast. Now, we're not talking, like, Oprah. Like, you know, we're talking about, like, a micro influencer, right? And you want to be on there. Here's the way you get on whatever podcasts you want.

And here's what we do: one, you listen to their podcast so that you really know what their podcast is about. That's the first thing. Second thing: when you reach out, you want to be able to tell them, ‘Oh, I really loved your episode of where you had, you know, Susan yada, yada, yada. And I really loved the part where she talked about this.’ So, now they know you really listened to it. And then I would say, you know, ‘I really feel like I would love to continue that conversation, because I feel like I could add this to that conversation. And I would really love that.’ So, now you're telling them what's the value you're going to bring to their audience. And I always say, ‘And I loved that episode so much, I already left you a review.’ Because you did. And then what I do that solidifies it: when you do a review – you may not know this, but well, I know you probably do, but not everybody – but when you leave a review, it sometimes takes 24 to 48 hours to show up. So, they go and check it. They don't see it. They're like, “Liar,” right? That was funny. But really, what I do is, before I hit submit, I copy and paste it into that thing and say, ‘I already left you a review. I know it may take 24 to 48 hours to show up, but I wanted you to know that I left it.’ And then they see that I actually did within 48 hours, I'm booked. Like, that’s it.

Dr. Nadia Brown  33:46

Write all of that down.

The Sandwich Method

Patty Farmer  33:48

That's right. I'm booked. And then here's the second thing about promotion, as long as I've gone that far. Here's the other thing. I do this thing that I call...and it's what I teach my clients, so I'll share. And usually they pay me for this. So, I'll tell you, but one of the things that I do is I do this thing called the sandwich method.

Because, here's the thing, it's about leverage. That's what I teach in marketing. It's not everything you do once. It's like when you're a speaker. You get to the place, you're speaking, and you take a picture of it empty and you're like, “Oh, I'm so excited to be here tomorrow. And I'm just envisioning blah, blah, blah.” Well, that's the before. Then when you're speaking now, you're talking about speaking. After it's over, you tell us about what the audience thought and the great conversation you got. Like, you don't just promote it one time. You don't get on a podcast and, “Oh, it was really, really nice. I'm excited that I got to be on your podcast. Thank you.” But that doesn't really...isn't as well for the host. But really, you really dropped the ball on promoting yourself as well, right? You know, like, share some tips that you did, and start sharing that and talking about that.

But the sandwich method is this. So, say for example, you were episode number 55. Okay. So, I'm episode number 55. I share it. I say how fabulous the host is. Yada, yada, yada. What did I share and how I love being on that podcast. Okay, now, two weeks go by. So, I put it on my calendar. Two weeks go by, and I go look for that episode page where I was episode 55. And what I do is I look at that. Now this is really, like...because for most people, like, all my guests talk about marketing, right? That's why my show’s Marketing, Media, Money; yours is about sales reps, whatever. So, I'll look. So, I know that if they're on there, they're similar to what I'm going to talk about. That's why they had them on their podcast and me. So if I'm 55, I go look and see who's 54 and who's 56. And then I go connect with them. And then when I promote, I promote episode 54, and I promote episode 56. Not at the same time. Two separate times.

Why do I do that? Here's why. Because when people go to that episode page and see 54 that I just promoted, what are they gonna see? They're gonna see episode 55 where I was the very next person, and they're gonna say, “Wow, look at that. She promoted episode 54.” Now the person who's episode 54, who doesn't even know me, probably or maybe does, is like, “Wow, how nice of Patty to promote my episode. I should probably do the same thing for her.” So, now they're going to promote episode 55. And none of my people know that person. They just put me in front of all their people. See how this works? It only takes, like, five or ten minutes, but it's a marketing strategy that really works.

Dr. Nadia Brown  36:38

Really works. So good.

Patty Farmer  36:41

All right, we'll move along faster because we could run out of time.

Dr. Nadia Brown  36:44

We could. It's so good. It's like a master class.

Collaboration Partners

Patty Farmer  36:46

I know. I actually do these master classes, actually. Okay, so number five is a collaboration partner. And a lot of times, people think that collaboration partners and JV partners are the same, but they are not. So, a collaboration partner is somebody that you're collaborating with. Like, maybe you're doing a webinar together or something like that. No money is exchanged. Doesn't cost any money. You're just collaborating on something together. You're gonna co-brand something. Maybe you're gonna, like I said, do a webinar together. That's really collaboration.

And sometimes it's something...like, for me, I'm in marketing. I don't like to write copy. I love copywriters, because they usually don't market very good. Not always, but a lot of times. Because the reason why they write copy: they're behind the scenes. They don't want to be in the front. And they're great. They're great power partners for me. I'll do all the marketing, you write the copy, and then we'll be on a webinar together. So, find your strengths. Find the things that are not your strengths – not your weaknesses, but not your strengths. And those are a good collaboration partner for you to do it to get to the marketplace faster.

Bonus Partners

Next is a bonus partner. A bonus partner is really, really great to have. Because a lot of times when you're launching a program, you need to ask yourself, what would it make it nice and juicy, that if I have this program, and it's all about marketing, what else would they might want to know? And you should have partners who are going to be bonuses for you. Now, this is never one-on-one time. It's usually things that they already are giving away, or it's a three-video mini-course, or something they already did. They've already done the time. They've already done it. So, basically, all they're going to do is give you the link. Doesn't require any work on their part. But when people are going to buy your $997 program, a lot of times people buy because they want those juicy bonuses. So, have bonus partners. That's really important.

And it's really good, like, for a book. Like, really, honestly, the people that are going to come out with a book, saying if you want to become a best seller that one day, having bonus partners so that people say, “If you buy my book on this day, these are my partners, and they're gonna give you all these bonuses.” And that's really a great way to do that. So, that's number six.

Prize Partners

Number seven is a prize partner. And it's kind of similar, but not exactly. I have a lot of prize partners, people who do have books, who do have downloadable things. I really like tangible things for this, though. Because a lot of times, you're at a vendor show or a lot of times, you're networking, or whatever. People have books. You're like, “Would you be willing to give me a few books that I can give as door prizes?” Whatever. And really, honestly, you're not even at that event, but I'm giving away your book, right? You know, so that's a really good to have, somebody be a prize. “Oh, this is my prize, because this is really a great book. And yada yada yada. You should actually send me a few.” But anyway, it makes sense when you...books is really a great way, you know, to be able to do that.

JV Partners

Then number eight is a JV partner. So, a joint venture partner is similar to a collaboration partner, but there's money involved. So, it could be you guys decide to put an event on together. It could be so small, but you're combining funds to pay for whatever it costs. So, you're doing it joint, and you're splitting the cost, but you're also splitting the profit. So, you don't have to do it all by yourself. This is really a great way to do it if you've only done it one or two times, so it's not so risky for you. Because you're not doing all the costs yourself. So, that's really a JV partner. That's number eight.

Referral Partners

And number nine is really a referral partner, in the truest sense of the word. What I said earlier in the beginning, somebody who's so similar to you that if they need you, they need them. And it's really easy. It's somebody that you pass back and forth referrals all the time.

But now that I've told you the other eight, you can see if you can find somebody who can be three of those things. So, they're like, “Oh, yeah, I'll do your bonus, Patty. Yes, we can collaborate on things. And yes, we can do assets together. Oh, and I will promote you on social media, too, for easy things.” Like, now they are really a power partner. So, a power partner does not have to be somebody who...people can serve you in a lot of ways that may or may not be just giving you a referral. That’s some of those things that I said. I mean, you can make a lot of money doing some of those things that nobody ever gave you a referral. So, don't always be thinking about “I gotta find referral partners.” You should have some of all nine of these partners to be profitable.

Additional Resources

Dr. Nadia Brown  41:12

I love it. Oh, my gosh. I don't know how many people are gonna have to go back and play this over and over again. There were just so many juicy gems that you shared. And I really appreciate it, because I agree, three out of the nine partners can be a gamechanger for someone's business, their marketing. And, like you said, and like we talked about at the beginning, to go from painful to now profitable, right? Like, it's just such simple tweaks. And so, oh, my gosh, this was so good.

So, Patty, before we wrap up, please, please, please share additional resources, how people can connect with you. Because I know people are going to have follow-up questions. They probably need to come to one of your masterclasses.

Patty Farmer  41:54

Perfect. So, first thing I want to do is I want to give everybody actually a lifetime subscription to the magazine. And actually this issue right there, you're in that issue. So, they should read that. So, to do that, they would just go to www.marketingmediamoney, – no “and,” just – marketingmediamoney.com. And they will get that.

The thing I would really love to also give them is I have an assessment, a Marketing, Media, Money assessment. But what I love about the assessment, the thing that people tell me about it all the time, is if you never speak to me again...you know, some assessments are really so that they're selling, right? This one isn't that. This is total value. It will really tell you, “Oh, wow, I'm doing those really, really good. Here's what I might need a little tweaking, and here's what steps are that will get me massive results.” Again, whether you ever contact me or not contact me, it will be super valuable, and it's an eye opener. And that's www.m3 – which also stands for Marketing, Media, Money – so, m3bizquiz.com. So, m3bizquiz.com. And anything else they can just...everywhere else you just find me on my website, pattyfarmer.com.

Dr. Nadia Brown  43:03

I love it. Thank you, Patty. This was so good. I'm gonna go back and listen to this myself and take some more notes. So many gems, so many writer-downers. I thank you for just being so generous with your expertise. Because yeah...and this is why I invited you to be on the podcast. I knew it was gonna be a great episode. Yeah, so any final words before we wrap up?

Patty Farmer  43:28

I would just say that...I think that if there's anything I would like to say is to try to think bigger, right? You know, everybody you meet has the potential to be one of these partners. And sometimes we can get tunnel vision, really. And so, I think what's really important is...you know, there's this cliché. I don't really love cliches, but there's a cliche that says it takes a village to raise a child, right? But if it does, it takes a tribe to build a business. So, build your tribe, right? Four quarters...I'd rather have four quarters than a hundred pennies, right? So, for me, I’m really selective. I'm very intentional and stuff. And I invite you to be intentional, too. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing it? And where do they fit? Could they be a partner?” You know, and “How can I help them to become a power partner?” And the best way to do it is to become a power partner for other people, right?

Dr. Nadia Brown  44:21

Yes, I love it. Thank you, Patty. Thank you for joining us. Thank you all for joining us for another episode of Straight Talk About Sales. We'll see you soon.