As members of LeTip, you probably already know the value of building relationships. As those relationships are built, you may find members in categories that are a synergistic match with your own – members that can easily tip you by the nature of what they do. Those members are your Power Partners. Within LeTip, Power Partners are defined as “businesspeople whose professional connections intertwine with yours.” If your chapter is focusing on growth this year, working on adding members to a budding power partnership may be the way to do it! What categories may be great additions to your current power partner groups? Are there members who aren’t being tipped as often who would benefit from starting a power partnership by bringing in certain categories?
Throughout 2023, we will be shedding some light on some of the more popular power partnerships throughout our LeTip family. The month of February may evoke thoughts of love and relationship with Valentine’s Day coming up. This led us to think about Weddings and Events and the power partnerships that fall under that topic. We spoke with members in some of the most popular event categories and picked their brains on the power partnerships they are a part of or, in some cases, what categories they would like to see added to their chapters to get a power partnership going.
We connected with Carl Kosola, owner of Kosola Productions. He holds the category of Photographer in the LeTip of Central Bucks chapter in Pennsylvania. He shared, “We have a travel agent and a caterer which are new members in my chapter. We have talked about ways to partner. This is a new venture for all three of us because we finally have the option to recommend each other’s services to our clients.” Carl also added that he would love to see an event planner, a florist, and a bridal boutique join his chapter.
Speaking of florists, Suzanne Shepherd, owner of Sparks Florist, holds the Florist seat in the LeTip of Reno, Nevada chapter. She said that she would like to see a wedding venue, a caterer and a DJ join her chapter. However, she shared that regardless of category, she has received referrals from all members for their friends and family.
What about the category of “Advertising Specialties? Would they be a good power partner for weddings/events? Absolutely. Maribel Pagan holds this seat for the LeTip of Somerset Hills in New Jersey. She said that weddings are a “crucial branch” of her business. Her company, Alliance Promotional Products, carries a wide range of promotional products that custom brand the bride and grooms’ name and wedding date. They can also create custom logos and designs for that special day. Regarding power partnerships, she added, “Sharing leads is the absolute path to success.” What categories are great partners for her? Bakery, tuxedo rental, make-up artist, hairdresser, and limo service, to name a few.
While we are on the topic of weddings, let’s talk about honeymoons! Sue D’Ambrosio, Travel Agent in the LeTip of Freehold, NJ chapter, and owner of “A Cruise for You,” told us that in her chapter, there is another travel professional who sells all-inclusive resorts. Instead of seeing it as competition, they have created a great partnership – “She sells all-inclusive resorts and I sell cruise vacations. We have helped each other and several times even partnered to create longer trips for clients that included both of our products. We refer business to each other frequently and this partnership has helped my business grow.”
We can’t discuss weddings and events and not talk about food! Marianne Andreotti, owner of Andreotti’s Catering in Cherry Hill, holds the Caterer seat in the LeTip of Mount Laurel, New Jersey chapter. She said that the photographer of the chapter and her feed off of each other and share clients. She would like to see a rental company and a florist join her chapter to add to her power partner group.
There are so many other categories that we could talk about with this topic. What about dry cleaners for the gowns and linens? Jewelers? Event rental companies? Printers for those invitations? What about a banker to get a loan to pay for it all? We can definitely keep the list going. Hopefully we have sparked some ideas for you with who you can invite to be a guest at your next meeting and get a fabulous power partnership growing in your chapter.
