The Power of Strong Partnerships

It doesn’t matter how good you and your team are. In order for your business to grow and thrive, you’re going to have to build partnerships. These partnerships will increase what you can offer your clients, make your team more efficient, and even send potential clients your way. 

So how do you know which partnerships are the right ones to make? We’ve got you covered.  

Partnerships vs Tools and Software

Before we get too hot and heavy here, it’s necessary to distinguish between these kinds of partnerships and purchased tools or software. 

Chances are your company has some tools you use each week. For example, here at Primitive, two tools we use on a regular basis are ClickUp and 15five. We use 15five for measuring team wellness and engagement and establishing growth paths. ClickUp is what we use (with absolute joy) for task management, tracking time and capacity, scheduling sprints, moving projects forward, and so much more. 

These purchased tools and software bring incredible benefits to our team and our clients. But the relationship is straightforward: we pay for the tool or software → we use the tool with the promised benefits → everyone is happy.

While a partnership usually starts out in a similar way, the relationship evolves into something far deeper and mutually beneficial. For example, our team has a serious infatuation with HubSpot. We’re mad about what they offer. And HubSpot is mad about having strategic partners who encourage their clients to use HubSpot and help manage the process. So, HubSpot created partner tiers that help their agency partners reach even more customers (who will also benefit from HubSpot).

This goes beyond the relationship of paying to use something you love and involves serving one another for mutual growth. 

Prim-Approved Partners

The possibilities for these partnerships are wide open, but here are three that we have developed over the years. 

• HubSpot: Our longest-standing partnership, and a company we will always love working with. Our partnership with HubSpot allows us insider access to new digital marketing features and updates, intuitive customer support, and recommendations as an agency partner to new customers. 
• Laravel: We trust Laravel for its high-quality, well-tested, steadfast framework that helps create applications that are bug-free and ready to launch more quickly. As a trusted Laravel partner, we have first access to updates and new features and strong customer support to help turn our customers' great ideas into great realities. 
• Postal.io: Creating a positive customer experience goes beyond just doing good work. That’s where Postal comes in: they’ve figured out how to automate things like thank you cards, corporate gifts, employee appreciations, and so much more. They make it easier than ever to create memorable experiences that wow clients, retain customers, and show employees how much you care.  
• Non-profit organizations: Partnering with non-profit organizations allows us to use our expertise and talent for good. Not only do these partnerships help us care for our community, but they also help us build authentic connections and relationships that can result in future partnerships. 

Finding the Right Partner

As we mentioned above, many of these partnerships started out because we loved a certain tool or software, and our relationship deepened over time. But if you are actively seeking these kinds of partnerships, here are a few things to consider to ensure the relationship is mutually beneficial, healthy, and sustainable.

• Does partnering with this company hold true to your values and mission?
• What benefits will each side bring to the other?
• Is the partnership something your team can manage, or will it put a strain on overall capacity?
• Does this partnership make sense financially (for both sides)?
• If one or both sides eventually need to end the partnership, what will the impact be on your team and clients?
• Does this partnership make your company better at what you do? Does it change your focus in any way?

Speaking of partners, there is no other word that so perfectly describes our relationship with our customers. We don’t work for them, we work with them – helping them to tell their story and share it with the world to grow their business. 

If that relationship sounds like what you’re looking for, we’re ready to get started.