Join a five week online course providing a clear, step by step pathway to developing key business relationships. In 2022 GGA has two offers for this training opportunity delivered by Ian Dixon of Dixon Partnering Solutions, a respected leader in developing strategic business relationships.

Offer 1 – March intake is geared towards those already operating a commercial food brand or keen to transition into this type of production and want to learn the process around developing strategic business partnerships including but not limited to distributors and supplier partners as well as developing business capability by partnering with organisations that have knowledge and skills that you do not have.

Offer 2 – July 1 in a GGA cohort enrolling simultaneously. This intake and by contrast this content is not tailored to agrifood business, rather more generally about developing strategic business partnerships suitable for groups keen to develop partnerships with funders, sponsors and project collaborators.

Offer 2 – July 1 cohort

Offer 2 is about developing general strategic business partnerships suitable for grower groups keen to develop partnerships with funders, sponsors and project collaborators.

Benefits

Participants will learn valuable business relationship skills that allow them to:

• cultivate new relationships in a step by step process
• isolate partner roadblocks and learn how to overcome them
• understand importance frameworks to manage relationships
• access to resources on documenting formal relationships
• gain confidence and knowledge to move forward to initiate mutually beneficial business relationships

Content

Ten content modules are included in this offer (see details below) and benefits are the same however there is no weekly tutorial and case studies are general rather than agriculture related.

GGA has nominated a July 1 start date for those interested in studying alongside each other with other GGA Network participants so we can initiate an inhouse study group to support self paced learning, share insights and clarify how you intend to utilise the learnings to progress partnerships in your context.

Proposed online study group meetup dates:

July 1 – Meetup 1 / Launch – Meet your study buddies
July 21 – Meetup 2 / Halfway – Progress checkin / issues / insights
August 3 -Meetup 3 / Conclude – insights / finding / action plan debrief

Subsidised Cost

$387.50pp nett cost to GGA Network Member organisations. Actual cost for each participant is $775 per person and GGA is offering a 50% subsidy for 20 places to bring the cost down to $387.50 per delegate.

Course Modules

Content for both intakes includes 10 modules in Ian Dixons “Partnering by Design” course package plus a start and completion module (see below)

You will progress through two modules per week which comprise of frameworks, tools, video explanation, simulations and learning quizzes.

In Offer 1, Ian Dixon will deliver a weekly live interactive tutorial to consolidate learning with peer discussion. Offer 2, is completely independent study.

Instructor

Offer 1 – March 15 (concluded)

Hosted by DPIRD, this is a online study program in a blended learning format of independent study combined with live interactive online tutorials.

You will progress through 10 modules of content over five weeks combined with an interactive live online weekly tutorial facilitated by instructor Ian Dixon.

Studying alongside around 15 other WA delegates the course requires a total commitment of around 25 hours over the five weeks comprising around 5 hours per week (1.5 hours in the tutorial, approximately 3.5 hours for the course reading material).

Benefits

Participants will learn practical business development skills that allow them to:

• sidestep price-based competition
• access to new capabilities
• build strategic customer relationships
• select amongst business partnering options
• build and sustain business relationships

Course features

• 10 Modules of content in Ian Dixons “Partnering by Design” course package (see screen shot below)
• tailored learning materials
• agrifood case studies
• extensive real-world business examples and
• peer-to-peer learning in a small group setting.

In the March 15 intake course, case studies in the learning material will be taken from WA agriculture examples tapping into DPIRD resources from their Partnering for Customer Value – case study program based on business examples with food producers. Find out more about this valuable DPIRD content here.

Places

Ideally farmers will participate in this course. An intention to grow into international export is a bonus but not essential. It is also open to grower group committee and staff that can learn the principles and become a reference point in their community to identify and initially champion growers in their group with commercial potential.

Subsidised Cost

$575pp nett cost. GGA has held five places within the DPIRD course. Actual cost for each participant is $1175 per person and GGA is offering five $600 subsidised places to bring the cost down to $575 per delegate.

EOI Subsidy Enquiries

Subsidised places for both intake offers are exclusive to GGA Network members and must be approved by GGA.

In the first instance please contact GGA’s Kallista Bolton to discuss your eligibility via kbolton@gga.org.au | 0421 623 406

Partnering Resources

Free eBook by Ian Dixon – The 7 Questions Every Partner Should Ask