Working with Your Cause Marketing Partner

It’s important to work closely with your company partner throughout the point-of-sale process. You need to make sure that you work with the right people and that you have a timeline for what needs to be executed and when. You also need a plan for including a partner in the approval process.

• Working with operations people. To recruit the partner for the program, you’ve probably worked directly with the CEO or the marketing team. Now you need to learn to work with the operations people behind the scenes who will make your program happen. These back-office workers busy themselves with shipping and fulfillment, dealing with managers in the stores, and making sure that everything is running smoothly.

  
  

  These people are not minions or office help to be commanded or disregarded! They’re valuable, critical people who can be important allies in motivating managers and ensuring that stores are well supplied for your program. Alienate them at your own risk!

  
  



• Creating a timeline for executing your program. A timeline is invaluable in keeping everyone on task and in the loop. Your timeline doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it should include deadlines for when materials are due, when creative design needs to be approved, when things will go to print, and when deliveries are expected.

  
  

  Keeping the timeline updated means keeping your partner updated on the latest changes and developments. Trust us, they’ll appreciate it, and your program will be better with it.

  
  



• Including partners in the approval process. Make sure that your partner approves the design of the pinup, especially if he’s including a coupon. An error on a coupon could lead to lost revenue for your partner, an expensive reprinting for you, or both!

  
  

  Haste really does make waste here. Give yourself, your printer, and your partner plenty of time to review the proof for the pinup before it goes to print. The key here is attention to detail and flexibility.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/working-with-your-cause-marketing-partner.html