In today’s digital age, marketers have become reliant on evaluating the exact return on investment of all of their marketing, including partnerships. Too much of modern business is defined by the transaction. In this same context, partnerships are too often structured and evaluated based on the transactional cost and the anticipated return on investment. The problem is, in this mind-frame marketers are building walls instead of bridges.

  The true key to a successful in a partnership is to invest in building a relationship. Partnerships are not based on a return on investment, they are built around relationships. The return takes place ultimately in the context of the relationship.

  Business partnerships are a lot like any relationship. There are those that work really well, those that don’t work so well, and those that just fall somewhere in the middle. Relationships that work well are generally based on more than objective similarities, they are based on passion. And, in business, as in love it is almost impossible to fake passion.