Without trust, little progress will be achieved in activities requiring cooperation or collaboration with others. But how do you know who to trust – in business or life in general – especially online? This article suggests steps you can take, at least at the preliminary stage, to decide whether or not to accept a partnership offer from a new acquaintance.
A Partnership Offer or Proposal for Collaboration Should Normally Be a Good Thing
The only problem is that not everyone who comes to us will be good for us.
That’s why even if such an individual fits your idea of a dream partner (e.g. rich, successful, well connected etc) my personal experiences suggest it will often be wise to proceed with caution.
Doing so will minimise your chances of hooking up with the wrong kinds of people.
We must however accept that sometimes we may make mistakes in choosing those we team up with, and get hurt. Generally, such lessons will equip us to make smarter decisions in future.
Suggestions: Two Steps You Can Take
1. “Google” him or her
Anyone can get “written” about or mentioned on a web page somewhere. Even if s/he hardly uses the Internet. That’s why today, it can be useful to Google people – and even yourself.
I Google new people I meet a lot. And it has often armed me with very useful details about the new contact, to guide my relations and decision making.
The following experience I had years ago made me form this habit:
In 2000, I ran into a Google results listing in which my name was mentioned. It was a Yahoo groups post by some individual in the Public Relations field.
S/he posted a “Press Release”-like report about certain promotions announced in Guinness Nigeria back then. At the time, I had just been elevated from Shift Brewer, to Training and Technical Development Manager in Benin Brewery.
When I absent-mindedly Googled my name on that day, I never expected anything interesting to come up in the results page. You can therefore imagine my surprise when I saw the preview with my name in it. Naturally, I clicked to read the full page!
In the same way, you never know what you’ll find when you Google the name of that new contact you’ve made, that you’re planning to team up with.
It could be something good. On the other hand, it could something that raises cause for concern!
The above works both ways too. What will that person see when s/he Googles YOU?
The bad experience I had some months ago, in which LinkedIn.com locked up my profile on their website is a case in point. I eventually decided to do a post on my blog about it. “My story” may not appease everyone who wonders why I’m not (or no longer) on Linked In, but it’s the best I can do.
If anyone chooses to let that stop him/her from doing business with me, that would be his/her loss.
That’s why we must each regularly review how we “look” on Google and other search engines online.
2. Get Website Addresses, Online Profile URLs – and Explore In Depth
In certain societies, where trust is reasonably well established as a basis for doing business, it could be safe to assume some things.
However, in other environments, failing to carefully evaluate the person you’ve met to get a more accurate impression of what s/he is about can prove costly to you later on.
Social Media today offer can prove quite useful in this regard – though it depends on whether or not the person you’re curious about uses them.
Search the more popular platforms to see if you can find her. If you do, take a look at the kinds of posts that appear on her page or profile. You can get a decent feel for the kind of thinking s/he subscribes to from the “conversations” s/he initiates or contributes to. Also, review his/her profile friends.
During your conversations, casually ask where she’s been, what she’s done, who she’s worked with etc. Use intelligent but non-intrusive questions to get the answers you need. Listen for the pauses as s/he responds and interacts with you.
Then listen to your “feelings” based on all the above.
The steps outlined above can help you determine whether or not to continue relating with a new contact who proposes a partnership.
It’s not a fool proof strategy, but it is quite likely to help you make fewer errors in choosing people to partner or collaborate with online.