Partnerships for me are like friendships; you surround yourself with like-minded people with similar interests and morals, who you enjoy spending time with. I can’t say that was always the case growing up, but certainly now I am a bit more life experienced. Why waste your time with people whom you really don’t want to be spending time with, and I believe the same can be said about business partnerships. They are important and need to be chosen wisely, as they can really affect the progression of your business and the way you are seen in the world.
Why have partnerships? There are many reasons to have partnerships; the key ones for me and Saxon Air are: Develop a new client base, support other local businesses, value-add for clients both new and existing, increase brand visibility, and it’s not all about taking. I am sure I have missed some, as there are many reasons, but let’s focus on these listed and please add any comments on what you feel are key ones for you and your business.
Develop a new client base: Choosing partners wisely can really help you to reach an audience that previously you would not have had access to or even that would never have considered using you previously. The way in which you communicate with this new client pool is ever so important, especially for us in an industry with so many preconceptions.
Support local business: We are known for being a local business with a global reach due to what we do. We are headquartered in Norfolk (which is sometimes seen as out of the way) but have jets going all over the world and clients to match. By working with partners, we believe we can assist them in reaching a wider audience, and if we can do that for other Norfolk-based brands, then wonderful!
Value-add: Business is competitive. What can we offer that no one else in our industry does to help keep clients on board (apologies for the aviation puns)? Small gestures go a long way; some fresh pastries from a well-known Norfolk artisan bakery (Bread Source) is something we do for all flights departing our home base. It’s a tiny gesture, but it’s something a bit different, and this could help with brand loyalty.
Increase brand visibility: Getting your name out there and being known is a very important benefit of partnerships. Can your partners help you do this? Do people recognize your brand? If someone saw your logo, would they know what you did? It’s a very simple point but a key one. Can you partner with a big established brand with a large customer base to help grow your business?
It’s not all about taking: I think it’s key that it works both ways, like friendships. It’s important that you both get something out of this relationship; otherwise, one of you will soon lose interest. What can you do for the company you want to partner with? It’s key to have this worked out before even starting the conversation.
Here at Saxon Air, we have various partnerships that we are very proud of. Bread Source is a key one for my part of the business, as mentioned above, we also partner with an amazing local charity called Little Lifts, who support local cancer patients and most recently we have added the incredible local restaurant Farmyard to our list of partners, who are going to be helping us with on board catering as well as unique client experiences. We choose our partners carefully, and the above are just two of various ones we have. There are also some new ones in the process of being finalised, so watch this space for the exciting announcements…
I’d welcome any thoughts and comments on the above. Have I missed some key reasons for your business to partner? Are there points you don’t agree with? All points of view are valid, so I’d gladly open the floor up to discussion. Thanks for reading, and I hope you didn’t fall asleep!
