A few days ago, I was listening to an interview with a Game Warden from California. The picture he painted about how drug cartels are “shortening the supply chain”, bringing to the United States their operations, and growing illegal marijuana a few miles away from major urban centers, using forbidden fertilizers and pesticides, diverting streams, etc. and that are guarded by armed growers and protected by booby traps, sent a chill down my spine.
But something caught my attention in a different, slightly more cheerful way. This is what John Nores said:
“I have a 100 square miles to cover…in very remote areas, if it wasn’t for other sheriffs we work with…ethical hunters…campers…mountain bikers, if it wasn’t for those folks, we wouldn’t be nearly as effective, because we need that force multiplier”
The interesting thing, is that none of these individuals get paid by one another, they just have the same interests.
In contrast, in the technology channel, our first answer tends to be to try to create relationships by adding artificial incentives. Money. Then we are surprised when these relationships don’t last and when there is not much loyalty.
We all could use that same “force multiplier”, but if you are about to expand your network of partners to affiliates and influencers, why not start by trying to align the interests? The relationships we can create this way will be for sure stronger and more lasting.