Combining efforts with your business partner may be a wise, win-win decision. However, both sides must be aware of the qualities they are seeking in a business partner before taking that action.

Therefore, taking the time to make sure the connection is successful lowers the possibility of future misunderstandings with your business partner.

Moreover, if you are in a role where you are in charge of interacting with other departments, this post is definitely for you.

What Should You Ask Your Business Partner?

Here are 15 questions you can ask to unleash value from your future working relationship!

Bring More Value

1. What is their main priority at the moment?

2. How can you help them achieve it?

3. What can you change that will bring value to them?

4. Which process can you improve to make their life easier?

5. Which business events have they seen recently which require Finance analysis?

To Improve Your Reporting

6. Are they using the report you send them?

7. What are they reading inside it? Maybe they only use a tiny fraction of it.

8. Is there anything to improve in the reports you send to them?

Better Understanding of Your Business Partner

9. How did they get to where they are today?

10. How do they want to communicate?

11. What is important for them in the collaboration? In addition, how can you interact with their direct lines (N-1 and N+1)?

Understanding their environment:

12. Which tools do they use?

13. What is their own reporting?

14. Do they need any help with tools where you have expertise? (Excel, PowerPoint, ERP…)?

15. Who is on their team? And what are their responsibilities?

Moreover, which other questions would you ask your operational business partner?

Finally, click here to access the questions immediately and use them easily.

The Final Verdict

You must always be truthful, open, and clear in your communications in any business partnership. Additionally, partnerships that last require time and effort from the both sides.

Above all, review the questions above and also make sure to have your own replies ready as well. What you want at the end is a win-win situation where you both help each other reach the company’s objectives as well as each of your own goals.

If you want to get better at finance business partnering, I have a specific module in my course. Click here to learn more.