how much money your partner could make. For instance, if youre a health club owner, know what your response rate is for a typical direct mail campaign and the dollar value of each new customer.   Step 2 - Make a list of potential complimentary or related products and services. Dont leave out products or services that arent necessarily related in which your customer might still be interested.   Step 3 - Make a list of the businesses that sell those products and services. Specifically note those companies in which you know the owner or have contacts. Then send a letter to those people and propose a meeting to explain your strategy further. Always start by introducing yourself and asking if they would be interested in making money (use a specific amount) with little to no effort. Make a follow-up phone call to set up the appointment.   Step 4 - Present a compelling fact-based case for a joint venture. You might even mention that you have a call in to one (or two) of their competitors to present the potential venture to them as well.   Step 5 - Deliver on what you promise with integrity, honesty, ethics and enthusiasm.   Potential Joint Ventures Are All Around You - Take Your Blinders Off!   As a small business owner, you should always be thinking about establishing joint ventures, even if its just a lead generation joint venture. A chiropractor friend of mine has "drop boxes" in various business locations offering a free back massage and screening, in addition to a drawing to win a free service or product offered by the business hosting the drop box. It took him less than a week to pull this off and the businesses were more than happy to help him. He gets lots of referrals without any effort through this simple JV.   Unfortunately, as small business owners we are taught to fight our competitors to win over their customers. In Joint Venture Marketing you partner with your competitors to win new customers. Potential JVs are all around you, waiting for you to take advantage of them. Stop thinking "competitor" and start thinking "opportunity"!   What Business Are You In?   A couple of weeks ago I was visiting with a marketing executive friend of mine. I was excitedly telling him all about the new marketing course that I had just developed and how awesome it was. He patiently sat and listened to me.   He could see that I was really enthused about what I had just created. After I had finished