Thanks Karen!
Hi Christina - starting in Canada often makes sense and I know that Icelandair provides you with great connections to Canada! But Canada is big so I suggest that you take it bit by bit (like initially Toronto).
In order to 'win' partners abroad it is often crucial to meet them in person so I suggest that you narrow down your list of desired partners and then contact them via phone and schedule a meeting in their city (send an email before a day or so before you phone them. You can also try to set up meetings if there is a relevant trade show coming up. Less is more and I suggest that you start small and invest the time needed in each contact - think quality instead of quantity. Please make sure that the person reaching out has a high rank so that the partner you are trying to recruit sees that he/she is meeting with a person with relevant authority and knowledge. And remember that local, or at least North American, references are key.
I also suggest that you revisit your value prop and make sure that it resonates well with partners - you need to show them why you are relevant to them and considering that North America is a VERY competitive marketplace you can never invest to much in crafting and fine tuning your value prop.
I strongly suggest that you hook up with IAMCP in Canada and make sure that you become a member and that you attend every activity that they arrange - and be patient because it takes a few meetings before you start to see tangible traction. IAMCP is a brilliant way for a newbie to make friends and to find partners. Sign up on www.iamcp.ca.
IAMCP are spread across the USA (www.iamcp-us.org) so you can leverage this great association also for other locations - but remember that you need to visit the meetings in person in order to find success thruogh the IAMCP - emails will never be enough.
Hope this helps!
Regards, Per
