Why would a company partner with you?

Over the years I have formed many partnerships with companies worldwide, and I've learned that they will only work with you for four main reasons. 

Before we look at these, here's a key principle when working with partners: they don't have to work with you.  They're independent, and like any client, they can choose who they want to work with, and when. It is their choice as much as yours!!

The first reason a partner will work with you is your market dominance.  But this is not a great way to maintain partnerships, as it's built on fear.  As soon as something better comes along, they're likely to jump.

If your product meets their needs and you have a reasonable partner program, the first reason they will do business with you is your consistency.  You have a program that doesn't change every five minutes, so partners know where they stand and what's in it for them.  This allows them to build a business model around your partnership and be confident that you'll support them.

The third reason partners will work with you is if you're easy to work with.  How often have you tried to work with a company that made your life as difficult as possible?  Late orders, difficult ordering processes, and awkward customer service are all turn-offs.  If your partners feel this way about working with you, why would they bother?  Unless you have a monopoly, they have the choice to go elsewhere and represent a company that comes across as caring.  Don't forget, they're trying to give the best service to their customers, and if you're difficult to work with, their job is that much harder.

The fourth, and major, rationale is trust.  No matter how good your product is or how easy you are to work with, if a partner doesn't trust you, the relationship is missing something.  They won't be committed to it because they'll always be trying to figure out what you mean and what your angle is.  If a partner trusts you, they'll support you and accept it when you say no or tell them they're wrong.  Like a marriage, once trust is gone, so is the relationship.  And it's always hard to rebuild trust once it's been damaged.