Why I'm coming to SEPG 2012 this year - Reason #9

The #9 Reason to Attend SEPGNA: To Form Strategic Partnerships

Howdy, Partners!  My name is Jeff, but most people call me … Jeff.

Now, I know some of y’all cow-punchers saw my last hitchn’ post – I mean blog post – about the Top Ten Reasons for coming to the SEI's big shindig "SEPG 2012" on March 12-15, and are already on that dusty trail down to Albuquerque to pick up your badges.  But I reckon some are saying, “Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!”  And so it’s time once again for me to drop my phony cowpoke accent and give you Reason #9.

Whew, it almost hurts my jaw to talk like that!  So now, in plain English, allow me to continue present my list of Top 10 Reasons to attend SEPGNA 2012.

Drum roll, please!  Reason #9 is …

It’s a great place to form successful business partnerships.

Let’s face it, we’ve all got one thing in common.  We’re all trying to make our companies as successful as possible.  That’s why it’s good to have strategic relationships with compatible companies when you need them.  And there’s no better place to form these relationships than at SEPGNA!

You want proof?  At last year’s SEPG conference in Portland, I had a discussion with another SEI Partner about his service offerings and our service offerings.

This Partner runs a very successful and innovative training business and we run a CMMI consulting firm.  We discovered our offerings were complimentary, so we struck an informal agreement to refer some business to each other when it made sense for our clients.  Nothing fancy, just a handshake.

Since then, I’ve referred him a number of class participants.  And, just recently, he referred us to a great new client, an information technology company.  Although we were already in discussions with this company his referral helped them make a decision that was right for them – and we earned their business.

That, my friend, is a first-hand account of the type of relationships and partnerships that are formed at every SEPGNA conference.  That alone is a good enough reason to go, isn’t it?

Need more?  Check back soon for Reason #8.

Jeff Dalton is President of Broadsword Solutions Corporation and the incoming Chairman of the SEI’s Partner Advisory Board.  He is a CMMI SCAMPI Lead Appraiser and CMMI Instructor and  can be reached at appraiser@broadswordsolutions.com.