Determine: Is an Alliance Partnership Needed?

Before you dive into a strategic alliance, spend time to understand the customer's problem.

• Understand if it is a want or a need.
• Will the customer going to pay for the new solution?
• Do other customers need a similar solution; how big is the opportunity?

Understand the customer's problem and determine if the strategic alliance the best way to create the solution. Deep dive into the customer problem to understand the gravity and then decide if creating a strategic partnership is the best path.

Often, I have seen companies get excited about creating a strategic alliance without deep diving into the customer problem, and later on, they discover that alliance was not necessary.

As a best practice, spend time in the early stages to solidify the need before you form a new strategic alliance. And if there is a need, then and only then form a strategic alliance.