Enhancing Longevity on Amazon & Mastering Partnerships 

Welcome to the dynamic world of Amazon selling with boundless opportunities, but large success comes with strategic planning. Today, we explore a pivotal facet of establishing a thriving Amazon presence and brand: Forging long-lasting partnerships

Navigating the Pitfalls of Trend-Chasing

First, let's confront a common pitfall: The allure of chasing/fleeting trends. It’s all too easy to be drawn to the latest craze, pickleball is a great example. However, such trends can rapidly fade as quickly as they appeared, whether next week, next month or next year. This poses a challenge for sellers aiming to build long-lasting, value-driven product bundles.

Picture this: you invest substantial time and effort into a trendy yet unrelated product or service, only to see its relevance wane. Suddenly, you find yourself back at square one, scrambling to overhaul your offering to keep up with the next trend or shifting consumer preferences. It's far from an ideal scenario for sustainable growth.

Strategic Entry Points

To construct a resilient, long-lasting strategy, focus on simplicity and perpetual relevance. An optimal starting point often involves a product that aligns seamlessly with your brand's core market. For example, if your product niche is pool equipment, introducing a related pool accessory would be a logical step. While not obligatory, this approach resonates with your target audience.

The Ideal Entry Point

To build a strategy that endures, you should prioritize simplicity and long-lasting potential. The simplest point of entry is usually a product directly related to your brand's niche. If you're selling pool equipment, for instance, offering a complementary pool-related product is ideal. It's not mandatory, but it aligns well with your target audience's interests.

Finding the Right Partner

The cornerstone of this strategy is forming the right partnerships. Ideally, you want a partner who offers a consumable product or service in the same niche. Why? Because these types of products or services have resilient, long-lasting potential. As long as you deliver quality, customers will keep coming back.

It's crucial to choose a partner with an excellent high quality product or service. If their offering falls short, your customers won't return, lower your bottom line, and your partnership won't be sustainable. So, due diligence is key. 

Service Partners: The Evergreen Advantage

Service-oriented partnerships are excellent examples of sustainable opportunities. Let's use the pool equipment niche as an example. Imagine you partner with a pool maintenance service company to offer a complimentary spring cleanout to your customers. If they do a great job, your customers become repeat clients for the service provider and elevate your brand.

The seasonal nature of your product doesn't necessarily hinder this strategy. If your product attracts customers in regions where the service is year-round, you have an excellent match.

Overcoming Geographic Limitations

Geographic challenges or limitations may arise when seeking partners. While it's unlikely to find a nationwide pool service provider, franchises with multiple locations present a viable alternative. Although these franchises might not cover your entire customer base, they can still offer substantial value.

The Value Proposition: Product vs. Service

When deciding between offering a complimentary product or service, consider the value proposition. In other words, what is the perceived value of what you’ll be offering? Products can often convey a higher perceived value than their actual cost, making them enticing offers. In contrast, a gift card holds a value equal to its cost, making it less attractive to customers.

While trends like pickleball might seem enticing, prioritize securing a partner with long-lasting appeal over a trendy product. Enduring partnerships, founded on mutual benefit, withstand the test of time. If the product or service offer doesn't prove enticing, both you and your partner can adapt and make the necessary changes.

Seizing Opportunities and Acting Fast

When selling on Amazon, it is important to realize the importance of speed and seizing available opportunities. Many see an opportunity in minutes or hours, but they will take months or even years to make the first move. This is when your competition will get the upper hand. You are giving your competition the shovel to dig your own grave. 

Of course, do your due diligence, but don't put off big decisions or opportunities out of fear of something going wrong. Set practices and terms in place to protect yourself, adapt quickly, and when you notice a change needs to occur, do it. Taking advantage of speed will open your brand up to so many opportunities – increasing sales velocity, capturing additional sales, Improving ad campaigns, and growing with partners. If you find yourself with an amazing opportunity, Don't wait years to make a move. Do your due diligence, make sure it aligns with your brand's goals, and make your brand a fortress. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, your path to Amazon's success lies in creating partnerships that are as enduring as your brand. Prioritize simplicity, align with your niche, and seek partners offering consumable services. With the right strategy, speed, and partners, your Amazon brand can thrive year after year.

Action items

1. Create a list of potential partners with an excellent complimentary product/offer. Due Diligence is key.

2. Understand your limitations - Seasonal, Geographic, etc - to ensure you pick the right complement to your product

3. Consider what you can offer as a free product or service with a higher perceived value to cost - Make a list

Here’s to your success!

Jon, Mike, and Matt

P.S. Want our Brand Fortress Blueprint course on how to use this powerful strategy for your brand? Take the quiz on our homepage and get this blueprint for free!