How to avoid a partnership that doesn’t feel right

If you are looking to attract clients through joint venture partners, you will occasionally meet someone who is not a good fit for you. This is normal in business and in life – you are not meant to work with everyone. So, how do you handle this situation? Here’s an example. One of my students–I’ll call her Mary– was a health care professional in a BNI group. Part of networking in BNI includes getting to know other members over coffee, since they act as your sales team. In chatting with this member who was also in the health care field, Mary realized that they would not make good working partners. My student didn’t respect this person or feel they were a good match in personality or philosophy to attract clients for her own business. She felt fearful about being pressured to work together and didn’t know what to do about this delicate situation. Being members of the same group, they would continue to see each other every week. Fear of Confrontation. While Mary knew she wanted to avoid working with him, she also wanted to avoid the awkwardness as well. She didn’t know how to say “no” gracefully and admitted she wasn’t comfortable saying no to anyone due to her fear of confrontation. You Have the Right to Choose. I explained to Mary that she had the right to choose who she worked with. It was totally appropriate for her to avoid starting a partnership with someone who didn’t feel like a good fit. Saying no to anyone, even if the person was in her BNI group was completely acceptable. To attract clients, you want to team up with people who support your values and way of doing business. Listening to your gut instincts and intuition in these situations is always smart. You Don’t Need a Reason. I assured Mary that if this member pushed to start a partnership, she didn’t need to give a reason why she didn’t want to. All she needed to say is something simple like, “It just doesn’t feel right.” Or, “My plate is full now, but, I’ll let you know if and when it feels right.” Issues Come Up for Resolution. In addition, I explained to Mary how this person was like an angel, bringing up issues for resolution. I encourage all my students to do some personal growth and development in order to work through these situations because they will keep coming up while in business. EFT can be an excellent resource around confrontation, but there are many healing modalities that can be helpful as well. Healing these fears is important because you have big things to do. You don’t want to play small. Don’t avoid addressing these issues because they will keep you from playing a bigger game and achieving your potential. Your Assignment. If you are going to be in business, you need to learn how to say “Yes” and “No” to situations and people. When this arises, remember you have the right to choose what feels best and don’t need to explain yourself. Joint venture partners are meant to help you attract clients and build business, but getting involved with the wrong partners will not help with either goal. Be strong and choose wisely.