By Holly Reisem Hanna

When I first started out, I was so eager to market my business, that sometimes I may have crossed the fine line between self promotion and aggressive marketing tactics. Since then, I have learned that it always better to take things one step at a time and build up slowly.

This is especially true when it comes to approaching individuals for collaborative efforts and partnerships. The whole idea behind a successful partnership or collaboration, is that both parties benefit from the deal, not just one individual.

Ideally, you should start with a soft outreach campaign, what this means is make an appearance and general introduction. This could be done through social media, forums, blog comments or the like. Once you have the initial building blocks in place, then send a brief complimentary email, remember no proposal yet, you’re still building the relationship. Once you’ve established a rapport, you can send a business proposal for consideration. (more…)