If growing your business is all about who you know…

then what should you do if you don’t know anyone?

Introducing

The Partner Marketing Mentorship Program

A one-on-one program to help you grow your business by getting your message in front of the right people. 


Do you need a better way to grow your business?

So, you’ve got a great business with a clear niche, but not enough of the right people know about it.

You know your product or service is good (really). Your existing clients love you and are thrilled with what you provide.

But how do you get the word out there?

When people ask how you get your clients, you tell them “word of mouth,” but what you really mean is “luck.” You’re doing good things and hoping people talk about it.

“If only,” you think to yourself, “I could get someone like Oprah to endorse me…”

But hope is not a strategy. 

And having a clear niche is not enough.

A good sales path is also not enough.

If you’ve got both of those things in place, but you still don’t have enough customers, then what else can you do? What’s missing?


You need a plan.

Many entrepreneurs, desperate for clients, try a scattershot marketing blitz. They post about their event on Facebook several times a day. They personally message everyone they know asking if they want to buy. They go to every random business mixer they can find.

But if hope isn’t a strategy, then hustle isn’t a plan. 

You see, most marketing plans are tactical. They’re a random assortment of tools and techniques. And while hustle will work to an extent, it’s not predictable or efficient.

So, what kind of strategy really works in marketing?

If you want to steadily and predictably grow your business, you need a strategy with a track record of proven effectiveness. One with high leverage. One where you invest one unit of effort and get ten units of reward. One that’s ethical. One that feels good to you and to the person receiving it. 

The only strategy I know of that meets all of that criteria is partner marketing. 

Of course, you’ve probably learned about influencer marketing, guest blogging, JV strategy, PR campaigns, and affiliate partnerships. You’ve certainly been on the receiving end of some of these – and they may not have felt good. Maybe even though you’ve heard of these, you don’t know how to do them or aren’t sure how they could work in your business.

But that’s not what I’m talking about.

But before I tell you more about my approach…

I’d like to invite you to my new

Partner Marketing Mentorship Program. 

The Partner Marketing Mentorship Program

In this program, through weekly, 60-minute, one-on-one calls, you’ll learn how to grow your business more rapidly than you might have thought possible. We’ll walk together through a step-by-step process to connect you with the influencers in your industry who can share your offer with the world.

Here's the premise of this program:

I believe that building relationships with influencers who can share your products and services is the simplest, most effective, and most authentic way to grow your business. 

And I believe that time-consuming, exhausting networking is the hard way to build relationships, and it’s easy to do this a better way. 

What you’ll get in this program:

Personal Mentoring

During our time together, we’ll have weekly one-on-one phone calls. In these calls, you’ll learn the exact process I would use if I were running your partner marketing for you, including how to find the best potential partners, what to say when you reach out, and how to structure partnerships. Every other week will be a teaching call with new information, and every other week will be a check-in call for questions.
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Step by Step Process

After our teaching calls, you’ll get an assignment to complete within the next two weeks. Most of the time, you’ll be able to finish the work in a few hours each week, and by implementing these steps, you’ll go through the process of creating and launching your partner marketing strategy. By the time you finish the program, you will have grown your business through several partner promotions.
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Ongoing Support

You’ll get personal feedback on your outreach emails and your systems. You’ll learn how to track what’s working so you can do more of it, and how to identify what needs improvement and why something didn’t work. Marketing always involves some testing, and I’ll help you make sure your tests are effective so you can get more efficient over time. Weekly one-hour personal check-ins will keep you accountable and on track as you do the work to grow.

Price: 6 payments of $400/month

or 1 payment of $2000

My take on partner marketing:

There’s no shortage of advice on how to set up joint venture partnerships, create strategic alliances, and leverage influencer relationships.

But I think a lot of it is bad advice.

Here are the four main myths I see in partner marketing… 

The myth that you have to earn the right to approach.
The way many people teach to connect with influencers could take months or even years. A lot of it is founded on the idea that you need to do a lot of homework before approaching them (follow them on social media, research them and their business in depth, and generally studying them). Basically, you have to spend months “stalking” them before you earn the right to approach them.

But I believe: It’s okay to approach potential partners directly.

Networking is great, and understanding what a potential partner wants and is interested in is essential. But you don’t have to spend weeks “getting to know” someone before you earn the right to reach out to them. I believe there’s a way to connect with people to explore a partnership without needing to spend a lot of time networking first just to get on their radar.

The myth that when you ask for a partnership, you're only asking for a favor.
For many people, the act of reaching out to an influencer to ask for a partnership is essentially an act of begging. You feel like you’re asking them to do you a big favor, so you come across as desperate.

But I believe: Everyone has value to offer.

Even if you don’t have any followers or a lot of influence, your business has value to offer — or you wouldn’t be doing it. By focusing on the value you can provide, rather than on the favor of a partnership, you gain confidence to reach out to even highly influential people in a direct and honest way. 

The myth that there's one best way to structure partnerships.
Most people teach partner marketing as specific types of partnership structures (affiliate promos, blog posts, PR, etc.). But when you are only looking for a specific type of structure, you miss many opportunities both for specific potential partners and for creative ways to work together. 

I believe: There are infinite ways to partner with influencers.

Especially when you’re starting out, I think it’s essential to approach each potential partnership with a creative and open mind. When you think outside the box of specific structures and focus on the value you can offer, the possibilities for who you can connect with and how you can work with them are limitless. 

The myth that you are less important than high-level influencers.
Many entrepreneurs see their industry in a hierarchy of influence, and they view influential people through that lens. As a result, they approach either with a desperate tone (“I’m nobody and will you please help me?”) or a false attempt at looking bigger than they are (“I’m important and you’d be lucky to partner with me!”) Both are motivated by the belief that having fewer followers makes you less valuable. 

But I believe: All people are radically equal, and all entrepreneurs are equal human beings.

Even though some people are more influential and busier than others, all people have equal worth, by the sole value of being human. When you look at influencers first through the lens of human equality, you can connect with them as humans first and then form a real relationship that’s mutually beneficial. 

If those myths are untrue — what does that mean for you? 

It means you don't need to prove yourself.

You don’t have to earn the right to be heard. When you start from the understanding that we are all fundamentally equal, then you have value to offer not by being influential but by being human. Connecting with other humans is one of the core pieces of values we can offer each other.

It means you have value to offer.

When you approach potential partners with an understanding of both your own value and theirs, you an better understand what they need and clearly communicate the core business value you offer. You focus not on the relative power or influence you have but on the ways your businesses are complementary. 

It means you don't need to beg or over-explain.

You can mutually decide whether a partnership is a fit, without feeling like this one partnership is the end-all be-all for your business. When you understand how to find new potential partners and how to approach them, you don’t depend on a single partner for all your business growth.

Who am I, and what do I know about partner marketing? 

Hi, my name is Lisa Baker. I started specializing in partner marketing in 2014.

I had worked in digital marketing since 2008, but I quickly fell in love with partner marketing for two reasons: first, because it’s all about relationships; and secondly, because it yields such big results. Over the past few years,

I’ve helped clients grow their email list steadily by 900 subscribers/month, launch products that generated as much as $2.5 million in revenue, and make more sales in one day than the whole previous month.

As a partner marketing manager, I’ve run affiliate launches, influencer campaigns, PR programs, and social media strategies. I’ve worked with clients in a lot of different industries, and I’ve developed a whole lot of systems and methods for connecting with influencers in an authentic, honest way and arranging partnerships that give a lot of value to both sides.

But my perspective on partner marketing has been shaped by my work outside of the industry. A few years ago, I began volunteering regularly with programs serving the homeless. I would spend my work hours on phone calls with the top online influencers in the industry – people who have hundreds of thousands of followers and make millions of dollars in one product launch – and then spend my evening volunteering at an herbal foot clinic for people experiencing homelessness.

In the course of an afternoon, I would go from talking with an A-list blogger about how many sales he had made for my client’s promotion, to treating a homeless person’s infected toenail and talking about his children whom he hadn’t seen since he’d been on the streets.

In the first situation, I often felt inferior: I was just the promotions manager for my clients, providing information and service to the partner who seemed to be much more important than me. In the second situation, I felt superior: I was helping those “less fortunate” than I.

But through the experience of switching back and forth between those two worlds, I came to realize that building a true connection with anyone relies on the foundation that despite our differences in privilege and power, all humans are fundamentally equal. And until I could sit down and talk with both the A-list blogger and the person experiencing homelessness with the deep certainty that we are equally human beings, with equal inner value, I could never build a relationship with either.

It’s this core belief, that real relationships can only grow on a foundation of radical human equality, that led me to question the way partner marketing is usually done, and that inspired me to create the Partner Marketing Mentorship Program.

Sounds awesome!

I’m ready to sign up: 
Lisa rocks. I’ve been doing this for more than a decade, and she is at the top of the list of awesome people.  Matt McWilliams

Founder, The Affiliate Guy

Is this a fit?

The Partner Marketing Mentorship might be perfect for you if… 

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You have a clear niche.

You know how to describe what you do and who it’s for.
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Your core offer is compelling.

When you tell other people what you do, they’re impressed. Sometimes it might take you a while to explain it, but when you do, their reaction is always, “WOW,” never “Oh.”
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You have a reasonably strong business model.

You know most of what people need to understand and experience before they buy your product or service. Your challenge is not that you don’t know how to make sales, but that too few of the right people have heard about what you do. You have some of the structure in place to grow a lot more, but you aren’t sure how to get in front of more of the right kinds of people.
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Your business is ready to scale.

You could double your sales tomorrow, and it wouldn’t break you. You could quickly build a waiting list or expand your offerings to meet the demand. 
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You can sell your product or service online.

Your customers don’t have to be local. Partner marketing works for local businesses, but it’s even more ideal for growing your online reach. For this beta offer of the program, I’m only accepting entrepreneurs who can sell online. 
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You're creative and you love trying new things.

You like experimenting and testing new strategies for your business. You get a kick out of diving into data and analyzing what’s working and what isn’t, and you’d love to learn more techniques and tactics to do that more.
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You've got the time.

You’re willing and able to invest five hours a week for six months. You’ll often be able to do it in less time, but it might take this much.

This program is NOT right for you if…

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Your highest priced product costs less than $200.

Although partner marketing is effective for any price product, a higher price point gives you more options for partnership structures. A higher price also means that you only need a few sales to increase your revenue significantly. So for this one-on-one beta program, I am working exclusively with entrepreneurs who have higher-priced products. In the future I will develop a group program that will be a better fit for lower-priced products.
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You can't quite articulate what you do.

You have a really hard time describing what you do in a way that people really “get it.” When you explain what you do, people tend to say “huh?” or “eh.” They’re neither interested nor intrigued. At best, they’re confused; at worst, they’re bored. (If this is you, I highly recommend Tad Hargrave’s Niching Spiral program.)
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You can't yet consistently turn leads into customers.

Even when new potential customers hear about you, you don’t really know what it takes to get them to the point where they’re ready to buy your offer. When you make a sale, it feels a bit like luck. If your sales page went viral overnight, you don’t know how many people would buy. You haven’t mapped out your buyer journey or sales funnel (and maybe you have no idea what those are).
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When you talk about your business, it sounds a little generic, even though you know it's not.

You can’t really say in a sentence or two how your business is different from similar businesses in your industry. You haven’t analyzed your competition enough to understand exactly what makes your business special. You know it’s unique, but you aren’t yet able to say exactly how or why. If that’s you, you’re not ready for this program. 
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Your business is currently earning less than $400/month in "extra" revenue (after essential bills are paid).

This program can help you get more sales and revenue quickly, but it’s not instantaneous. Please do not invest in this if you can’t afford to pay $400/month out of your existing revenue (or other income such as a day job) for the first few months. Although this program is intended to increase your revenue by much more than that (and to do so on a continual basis), it will take a few months to get there, so the cost of the program needs to come out of your existing budget at first. 

Are we a perfect match?

This is a one-on-one mentoring program, so it’ll work best if we get along. These final criteria aren’t essential, but you and I will definitely get along if…

You care about social justice:

You support #BlackLivesMatter, you were inspired by Standing Rock, and you want to see more done to end homelessness.

You're a social entrepreneur:

Your business has an intrinsic and intentional connection to making the world a better place.  

You're a mom:

You’re a “mompreneur” building your business while raising your kids and kicking ass at both. 

You say fuck a lot.

And you’re not offended that I do. 

You talk fast:

You enjoy fast-paced, engaged conversations, and you don’t mind occasionally interrupting or being interrupted.

You love community:

Your dream weekend involves something like a bonfire, a case of local craft beer, and a guitar being passed around all evening.
When I started One Stone Creative, I knew that I had something valuable to offer that people wanted and needed. What I didn’t have was a way to approach people without a prior relationship that felt… good. So I stated working with Lisa Baker to develop a plan for approaching people with ideas for services and partnerships that felt GOOD for everyone involved. After a few months of working with her, my fear is gone – and my client roster is full. Megan Dougherty

Founder, One Stone Creative

What’s in this program?

This program is about six months long. You can stop at any time with 30 days’ notice, and you can continue indefinitely as long as you’d like. 

Here’s the outline of what you’ll learn in six months: 

Month One: Marketing Foundations

In the first month, we’ll do a deep dive into your marketing foundations. We’ll use what you already know about your ideal customer to identify clear, specific categories you’ll use to look for partners, and we’ll narrow down your one-sentence messaging to identify the best way to describe your business to potential partners.

We’ll also analyze your metrics from marketing you’ve done in the past to identify the best sales path to use for partner promotions.

Month Two: Find Partners

In the second month, you’ll start identifying ways to look for the best partners for your business. You’ll interview your existing customers, further analyze your metrics, and set criteria for what types of partners you should look for. You’ll learn how to use social media, google, and other software to find influencers online.

You’ll also set up your systems to prepare for promotions, and you’ll start to set goals for your partner promotions.

Month Three: Connect With Partners

In the third month, you’ll start building your list of influencers you want to connect with, and you’ll learn how to find the right contact person and email address. You’ll learn exactly what to say to each potential partner, how to follow up the conversation, and how to go from initial contact to a partner promotion. You’ll plan how to structure partnerships with a variety of different partners.

Month Four: Grow Your Business

In the fourth month, you’ll learn how to grow and scale your outreach, how to set up systems to help you keep track and follow up with multiple ongoing conversations, and how to get creative with your partnership structures. You’ll learn how to negotiate “ideal to real” partnerships that feel good for both sides.

Month Five: Launch Partner Promotions

In the fifth month, you’ll learn systems for tracking and evaluating promotions. You’ll learn exactly how to best empower your partners and make sure they follow through on their part of the promotion. You’ll learn how to give partners everything they need to best share about your products, and how to adjust your messaging during a promotion to better fit a particular partner.

Month Six: Track Your Results

In the sixth month, you’ll learn what to do during a promotion, and how to solve if a promotion isn’t going well. You’ll learn how to track your results and analyze what worked and what didn’t so you can improve as you continue to reach out to new partners in the future. You’ll also learn what to say to a partner after a promotion, how to continue to follow up, and how to building the relationship going forward.

Yes, I want to learn partner marketing for my business!

A few years ago when I got an email from Lisa Baker in my inbox inviting the possibility of my supporting the launch of a colleague of mine, it was one of the best invitations I’ve ever gotten. The magic of it was her directness, sincerity and how utterly ‘for me’ this email was written. I replied. Her follow up continued to impress. And well… we’ve been colleagues ever since. If you are looking for help in crafting an approach to marketing that will feel good to you and to the ones you’re approaching, that will redeem trust in the marketplace and, importantly, will work to get you clients now and long into the future, I can’t commend any strategy but partner marketing. And, if you’re looking for help on translating that into your business, I can’t recommend anyone more highly than Lisa Baker.

Tad Hargrave

Founder, Marketing for Hippies

What else is involved?

Here's what you'll gain in this program:

  • You’ll grow your business at a steady pace by spending just 3-5 hours a week on your marketing. We’ll set goals together that make sense for your business and your industry, and I’ll help you find the right people to reach out to that will enable you to meet your growth goals.
  • You’ll gain the confidence and tools to reach out and connect with the top influencers in your industry and get their support and promotion for your business — without needing to network, schmooze, or jump through hoops to prove your worth.
  • You’ll get quick results: you’ll start running promotions with influencers by month 4 or 5. Your audience will start growing with your first promotion.
  • You’ll get my analysis of what’s working and what isn’t, so you can do more of what works. The follow up will ensure that it will get easier and easier.
  • You’ll become an influencer in your industry. You don’t even need to make that a goal — if you keep implementing these methods, that’s the eventual result. 

Here's what I promise:

  • If you make the effort to connect with influencers, your business WILL grow. I can’t guarantee how fast or how much, since that’s individual to your business and industry, but if you follow this process, you will inevitably get more customers.
  • If your efforts aren’t working at the rate you want, I will help you figure out why. I know a lot of business teachers guarantee results, and the truth is you can never guarantee instant results in marketing, because marketing is a test and a process and sometimes it takes a few tries before it succeeds. But what I can guarantee is that if your first attempts don’t give you big results, I will do everything in my power to identify why and help you change that. I will reach out to my own considerable network of expert marketers and pull out every stop to identify what’s not working and how to fix it. I know a lot of people guarantee this kind of thing, but the truth is I’m motivated by results. I’m not interested in getting on the phone with you and taking your money; I’m really interested in growing your business. I don’t get excited just because you sign up for my program; I get most excited when you get results. And since this is a beta program, I’m especially motivated to do what it takes to help you succeed.
  • You can end the montly program at any time with 30 days’ notice.

Here's what you promise:

  • You will schedule our calls. At the beginning of the program, we’ll agree on a weekly time which we’ll both commit to. Most of our calls, except for special circumstances, will be at the same time every week.
  • You will do your homework. This is not a done-for-you service. It’s also not coaching. It’s on-on-one teaching and strategy setting, and it won’t work if you don’t do your homework and implement. You’ll need 3-5 hours a week for your homework and our calls, so I recommend planning for one hour a day. Please block out time in your schedule to do this, ideally at the beginning of the program.
  • You’ll talk to me if you feel like something isn’t working. This is a new program, which means I’m happy to go above and beyond to help you get results. At this stage, I’m honestly more interested in helping you succeed than in getting a lot of people in this program. If you succeed, I get a great testimonial I can use to fill up my next program faster. If this doesn’t work for you, I won’t. So, I have a vested self interest in this working for you. If you’re struggling, I expect that you will reach out as soon as possible and express what you’re needing or what isn’t working. 
  • If you want to end the program, you’ll give me at least 30 days’ notice. 

I'm ready - let's get started!