How can you prioritize business relationships with underperforming partners?

Business relationships are vital for any organization, but not all partners are equally valuable or productive. Sometimes, you may face the challenge of dealing with underperforming partners who do not meet your expectations, goals, or standards. How can you prioritize business relationships with underperforming partners without damaging your reputation, trust, or opportunities? Here are some tips to help you manage this delicate situation.

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1 Assess your partner portfolio

The first step is to evaluate your current partner portfolio and identify which ones are underperforming. You can use various criteria, such as revenue, growth, satisfaction, alignment, innovation, or risk, to measure their performance and impact. You can also segment your partners into different categories, such as strategic, tactical, operational, or transactional, based on their value proposition and contribution. This will help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of each partner and their potential for improvement.

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Sayed Adnan Ahmed

MBA |Credit Relationship Manager at HSBC | International Banking Sustainability Frontline Pioneer AI Ambassador
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To assess your partner portfolio, follow these three steps: Evaluate against performance metrics: Metrics such as sales, customer satisfaction, and adherence to agreed-upon terms would give an idea of what isn’t helping. Assess if each partner is strategically aligned with your business goals and values. Ensure that their offerings complement your products or services and contribute to your overall strategy. Conduct a risk analysis to identify potential challenges or vulnerabilities within the partner relationships. Measure factors such as market changes, financial stability, or shifts in business priorities during your analysis. A detailed understanding of your partner portfolio, allows you to make informed decisions.

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2 Communicate your expectations and feedback

The next step is to communicate your expectations and feedback to your underperforming partners. You should be clear, honest, and respectful about what you want from them and how they can improve. You should also listen to their perspective and challenges and acknowledge their efforts and achievements. Communication is key to building trust and mutual understanding and avoiding misunderstandings and conflicts. You should also document your communication and agreements and follow up regularly to monitor their progress and performance.

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Sayed Adnan Ahmed

MBA |Credit Relationship Manager at HSBC | International Banking Sustainability Frontline Pioneer AI Ambassador
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Effectively communicating expectations and providing feedback to underperforming partners involves a thoughtful and constructive approach. ✏️Clearly communicate performance expectations and objectives to underperforming partners, ensuring a shared understanding of standards and goals. ✏️Provide timely and constructive feedback, addressing specific areas of underperformance with actionable insights for improvement. ✏️Collaborate with partners to find solutions, encouraging open dialogue and involving them in identifying strategies to enhance performance. ✏️Establish clear, measurable improvement goals, regularly checking in to monitor progress, acknowledging positive efforts, and reinforcing achievements.

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3 Provide support and incentives

The third step is to provide support and incentives to your underperforming partners to help them overcome their challenges and achieve their goals. You can offer them training, coaching, mentoring, resources, tools, or best practices to enhance their skills and capabilities. You can also reward them with recognition, referrals, testimonials, or discounts to motivate them and show your appreciation. Support and incentives can boost your partners' confidence and commitment and foster a positive and collaborative relationship.

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Sayed Adnan Ahmed

MBA |Credit Relationship Manager at HSBC | International Banking Sustainability Frontline Pioneer AI Ambassador
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While there are many ways to provide support and incentives, I believe the following are the most successful ways: 1️⃣Use a customized support program for underperforming partners, offer mentorship to address their unique challenges & enhance their capabilities. 2️⃣Implement innovative solutions through collaborative problem-solving sessions, leveraging the collective expertise of both parties to overcome barriers and optimize performance. 3️⃣ Establish a performance-based incentive system, aligning rewards with measurable improvements to motivate & recognize them for their dedication towards goals. 4️⃣ Utilize data-driven insights to continuously refine and adapt support strategies, ensuring a dynamic and responsive approach.

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4 Realign or renegotiate the partnership

The fourth step is to realign or renegotiate the partnership if your underperforming partners do not show any improvement or meet your expectations. You may need to adjust the scope, terms, or conditions of the partnership to better suit your needs and goals. You may also need to reduce the level of involvement, interaction, or investment with the partner to minimize the risk or cost. You should be transparent and fair about your reasons and intentions and seek a mutually beneficial solution.

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5 Terminate or exit the partnership

The final step is to terminate or exit the partnership if your underperforming partners are not willing or able to change or improve. This is a difficult and sensitive decision that should be made after careful consideration and evaluation. You should follow the legal and ethical procedures and protocols to end the partnership and protect your rights and interests. You should also maintain a professional and courteous tone and attitude and avoid burning bridges or creating bad blood.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How can you prioritize business relationships with underperforming partners?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Assess your partner portfolio

2 Communicate your expectations and feedback

3 Provide support and incentives

4 Realign or renegotiate the partnership

5 Terminate or exit the partnership

6 Here’s what else to consider

Business Relationship Management

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How can you prioritize business relationships with underperforming partners?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Assess your partner portfolio

2 Communicate your expectations and feedback

3 Provide support and incentives

4 Realign or renegotiate the partnership

5 Terminate or exit the partnership

6 Here’s what else to consider

Business Relationship Management

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