“If you can’t change the status quo, make the status quo, change.” – Royce White

Expenses are a part of every business and will be as long as products and services are being sold. You can do all the forecasting, modeling and predicting you want, but unforeseen situations will arise.

And no one wants to hear about those.

No one wants to hear about the problem, just about the solution. But when it comes to unforeseen problems, the solution is rarely found quickly or easily.

Finding unique solutions to unforeseen problems is a bit of an art but we’ll lay out some examples.

Another way to think about it:

What is the value of the new expense and might there be someone willing to help pay for it?

Here are a couple of examples to get the brainstorming started.

Example #1: Vehicle 

One of your company vehicles has decided it no longer wants to work properly and the budget for a new one is not able to become available for another couple of years.

Instead of just bearing the cost, how about you pitch your customers or providers if they would like to wrap your vehicle with their logo and image for advertising?

It provides additional exposure, especially if the car visits places where their customers are located.

While this might not be able to cover the entire expense, if it provides some relief, it is worth the ask.

Example #2: Packaging

If the main way your item is received by the end customer is through mail, boxes and shipping will be a significant size of your overhead.

Reaching out to companies with similar ICPs about potential cross-sell partnerships, covering the costs of your shipping methods in exchange for their branding on the exterior of boxes or including marketing material inside, could mark the beginnings of a glorious partnership.

Example #3: Social Media

Social media can be utilized in many different ways. Partnering with your customers or clients in giveaways or challenges can be a great source of additional advertising and brand awareness at the expense of others.

Proposing the idea of giving away a client’s products or services while leveraging your audience can be a win-win for both parties.

Example #4: Affiliates

We’re not reinventing the wheel with any of these, and most certainly not with affiliate programs.

But any place of business that could possibly have your product or service come up in conversation, offers a simple way for the individual to receive compensation if they refer a new customer your way.

Whether that be a code, link, or scannable QR code, if you incentivize the right individuals, it’ll pay down the line.

I’ve never heard anyone complain about adding commission-only additional people to their salesforce.

We’ve offered a few examples above, but ultimately what you are looking for is when incentives align between multiple parties in a marketplace, you should seize the opportunity.

Doesn’t matter the medium, cost, or any other variable in the equation. Find a way to get it done. In other words…

Let’s get to work.