Who would you Joint Venture with?

[Dr Edison]

What are some good small businesses to do a joint venture with? Say you refer their services or products & they refer your computer repair service?

I was thinking perhaps HandyMan services or perhaps high end stereo, television, maybe a realtor or accountant?

 

[Bryce W]

An Electrician.

Me to Client: Oh, you want your house hardwired. I have a friend who can do that.

Electrician to their Client: Your networking cable is fine. Theres a problem with your computer. I know a good computer tech.

 

[Blues]

I would say as Bryce did electrician

Here is a quick ranking of what I would consider

1. Electrician
2. A/V business
3. A/V installer

Someone who installs A/V setups can view you as more competition then help becuase most of us can setup a home theater system. I would go with the businesses first as they do want to do installs and seem more likely to get questions regarding HTPCs. The HTPCs are your game for now not too many are on the market so most are custom builds. Your still butting heads a bit there but not as much as with the installation guy. Your best bet is still an electrician who would be doing all the wiring for most any of these jobs.

 

[hawks5999]

Depends on your target market. Who do your target market use. For example, I'm solely focused on small businesses between 5 and 30 seats. I've partnered with a couple web design firms. Using Bryce's dialog scenario:

Client to me: Oh you can set up our network can you do our website?
Clients to them: Oh, you do our website can you fix our server?

In either case we pass the referral.

Two more things: This is not considered a joint venture. That has a very specific legal meaning and you don't want to be in one with someone unless you really want to be in a JV.
If you want to connect to a lot of people to pass referrals between, look up your local chapter of BNI (http://www.bni.com).

 

[Dr Edison]

I am more interested in a referral between two different businesses. I like the web design business as a referal & possible client JV.

Does it matter if you do web design also? Do you tell the other web design business

 

[14049752]

Does it matter if you do web design also? Do you tell the other web design business

If you do web design, you wouldn't want to send referrals to them....that just wouldn't make sense. The exception would be if you don't really focus on web design...like, you only do it as a special request for special clients or something like that...or if a client requests something you don't feel that you can do...
But, anyway...my point is this: Sending a customer to someone else, for something you do defeats the purpose of being in business....

 

[Dr Edison]

I see what you mean about sending client to a biz that does same service.

We also build high end gaming computers that are liquid cooled with neon lights of choice & Mountain Mod Cases, if desired. I thought of doing JV with High end stereo or specialty lightning/interior design, cabinet makers.

 

[Nathan H]

I have such an agreement with my local used game reseller, i recommend his games / software in return he recommends me.

I tell people to mention my company and they get a discount, think he does the same, so far we have only been going for 4 months but i get on average 1 job a week, so i consider it a success.