Last week, an internet marketer that I highly respect approached me about a collaboration with Solo-E. Wow!

Here’s how it happened. I was introduced to this fellow about six months ago by a colleague whom I had met in a course I was taking. He was looking for free bonus products, and I had one to offer. Soon after, I became an affiliate, and then was offered the chance to participate in his co-registration program. Along the way, I happened to offer him a bit of technical advice that ended up being very valuable for him. And we traded emails occasionally.

Then, a few weeks ago, he started a new internet marketing venture. I signed up for the introductory offer, and jumped in as an early, active participant. I commented that I really liked his new ideas. And, viola’, he came to me with the collaboration offer.

Now, I hadn’t done anything consciously to pursue a collaborative venture — I wasn’t even thinking in that direction. So why did he pick me?

Here’s what I think: Aside from the fact that it was a good strategic fit, he liked the way I "showed up". I was genuinely interested in his success and how we could help each other. I shared my knowledge with him freely.  I "showed up" in this way consistently, over a period of time. And I did all this because I also liked the way he "showed up", too.

It’s all about relationships and trust. And you never know which relationship is going to provide the springboard to your next new direction.

Tags: [collaboration], [jointventure], [businessrelationship]

Last 5 posts by Terri Zwierzynski

• And now just for fun... - November 27th, 2008
• The Grateful Life of a Solo Entrepreneur - November 17th, 2008
• Can a Lifestyle be a Niche? - November 4th, 2008
• Social Networking: Top 10 Tips for Twitter Success - November 3rd, 2008
• Virtual Book Tour: Becoming an Online Business Manager - October 20th, 2008

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 15th, 2006 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Alliances/Collaboration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.