I’m inspired by the talent and dedication of the athletes at the Paris Olympics. But I particularly felt for the two synchronised divers who were on the cusp of winning a medal. On the final dive one of them slipped on the board and launched off at an awkward angle, killing their medal hopes. The team must have felt the loss bitterly, but they’ll be back at the next competition to try all over again.
Partnerships don’t always go to plan and, as with all relationships, there are times when it doesn’t quite gel. The final decision is not within your control and whilst you put in your very best efforts, you couldn’t get it over the line. I once spent 12 months warming up a big opportunity only to have it fall at the final hurdle when a new corporate CEO restructured the team. Back to square one.
You need to plan for failure in partnership prospecting. As Elon Musk said, ‘if you’re not failing, you’re not innovating’. But there are ways to bounce back and keep going after failure. Here’s how.
- Keep going. No one wins a gold medal at every outing. Even Simone Biles, the world’s greatest gymnast, had a wobble at the Tokyo Olympics. But she picked herself up and managed a bronze medal on her least favourite apparatus. One failure doesn’t mean that every other opportunity is going to fail. But you will fail if you stop prospecting.
- Remind yourself of past successes. Revisit past partnerships and reflect on what you achieved together. Check in and give your former corporate partners a call and see how they’re going now. You may even get an awesome testimonial to use in your next pitch deck.
- Reconnect with your WHY. In the midst of busyness, you can lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing. What is it about your cause that inspires you? I recommend spending time with your program/ services team and scheduling a visit to one of your organisation’s great programs. Hearing from frontline staff or beneficiaries about the value of your work can be inspiring. You’ll get your head out of the day-to-day tasks, reconnect with your WHY and be able to tell a more compelling story for new partners.
- Ask for a referral. If you’ve got a great cohort of existing partners that love you, then ask for a referral. Ask them who else might be passionate about your cause or who needs help with a similar business issue. Don’t be shy about tapping into their networks.
- Learn from your failures. Do an analysis of your previous attempts and try to identify gaps or weaknesses in your approach. Always, always try to get feedback from an unsuccessful partnership. You’ll learn more about the corporate partner’s perspective and you’ll be able to leverage that in the next opportunity.
- Get support and ask for help. If you’ve identified a weak spot, get help from experts or peers that you respect. Sometimes you need a specialist or someone who can see the situation more objectively than your immediate team. Other times you need help from your boss to reprioritise the multiple priorities on your desk.
- Set small goals for each day. Don’t get overwhelmed by the whole To Do List, just focus on one or two key things you want to achieve that day. Quick tip from productivity expert Donna McGeorge- the first two hours of the day are usually the best time for conquering the meaty, thinking tasks.
- Don’t take it personally. If the partnership doesn’t come to fruition it’s not a judgment on you as a person. It’s simply that the timing isn’t right, the fit isn’t strong or the corporate wants to go in another direction. Your role is to help them make a decision that makes sense for their business, and failure is not a reflection on your worth as a human being.
- Stay match fit. Don’t forget to nurture your own health and wellbeing. Improved physical health will help with stress management during those busy days. Taking a walk at lunchtime will fill your brain with oxygen and combat those winter bugs.
- Learn to say no more often. All of you working with small teams, trying to do everything- I see you. Just because you’re totally passionate about your cause doesn’t mean you have to be a martyr to it. Saying no to the extra project, longer hours or umpteenth meeting means you have more time to think strategically and position yourself better for the next partnership prospect.
You may not be in competition for a gold medal, although the journey can feel just as arduous sometimes. You won’t be on the podium every time but if you show up regularly, put in the training and keep going, you’ll be more likely to see results than someone who has packed up and gone home. Failure is uncomfortable, but if you expect it and embrace it you’ll be the winner in the end.