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Allied Partnerships Offer Win/Win Strategy

for Market Growth

ropane marketers know all too well the frustra- Growing and maintaining strong strategic peer
tion of losing a sale to consumers who weren’t networks takes time and effort, but the benefits far
aware of propane’s ability to better serve their outweigh the effort. They include:
Penergy needs. Even worse, when a trusted • Broaden your exposure to different market oppor-
trade ally tells them something incorrect about pro- tunities
pane or wrongly suggests an alternative because they • Deepen your understanding of different market
don’t know better. issues and trends
Most electric furnace, water heater, diesel fleet • Connect to influencers, decision makers, and end
buses, trucks and irrigation engine purchases represent users
gallons lost to some degree of customer ignorance • Expand the reach of propane’s story
about better options available to them and listening • Elevate your solutions for customers
to the wrong voices. With your team already slammed • Accelerate your speed to provide solutions
with delivery and service calls during peak season, how • Help you become the go-to expert for solutions
else can you raise that awareness? As you think about expanding your business,
Successful marketers have learned to maxi- your growth strategy should include well thought out
mize business results by strategically building partner tactics for identifying, building, and maintaining deeper
relationships. More than ever, they are finding win/win relationships. That includes trusted advisor relation-
opportunities outside of their company to grow their ships with customers and value-adding partnerships all
businesses. along the propane sales and distribution channel. “De-
veloping strategic partnerships into a strategic network
Every market served by propane has its own involves more than just adding names to your contacts
network of trusted peers and other business partners list. To create an effective network, you need to ded-
that propane marketers can tap into.
icate time and resources to the effort,” Cordill says.
In the residential and commercial market seg- “But in an industry like ours, which values and relies on
ment, for example, they can include industry experts the strength of relationships, creating a strategic peer
and professionals who are a part of the sales and distri- network is well worth your time and effort.” You can
bution channel – builders, construction professionals, connect with these and other subject matter experts by
tradespeople such as plumbers and HVAC professionals, attending national, state, or regional shows, as well as
chimney sweeps, original equipment manufacturers, professional association meetings. In addition to PERC,
distributors, equipment dealers, and aftermarket sup- other examples of professional associations include:
pliers. • Local chapters of the National Propane Gas Associ-
Having good, allied partner relationships is a ation
smart way to develop a team of advocates for your • Local and state Home Builder Associations
company as the energy provider of choice for homes • National Association of the Remodeling Industry
and businesses they already are serving. • Local Realtor Boards

“Networking develops your cred- • Clean Cities Coalitions
ibility and influence, which is a corner- • National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium
• State and local landscape contractor associations
stone of a successful business growth • Farm bureaus
strategy. Strong partners help you lever-
To learn more, visit The Learning Center on
age opportunities, extend your sales propane.com to complete the Strategic Partnerships
force, and boost your professional repu- Collection training courses and watch the video that
tation in the business.” highlights the success of partnering with community

Bryan Cordill, Dir. of Residential & Commercial Business Dev, PERC and technical colleges to grow the workforce.■

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