Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Having been faced with this problem MANY a time, the one sure way to get a quality person with special skills is to offer them a % share.

For a maketeer, I wouldn''''t offer more than 1-3%. Now if he is some sort of phenomenon with multiple "high level contacts" and has a lot of relative experience, then and ONLY then should you condier offering a higher %.

I would caution you about using the term "partner". No matter if he turns out to be a ding-dong or a hero, you don''''t want to have him arguing with your requests and going around telling people it is "HIS COMPANY" since he owns stock!

Instead, I would use a high profile TITLE such as "Executive Marketing Director" or "VP of Marketing". Doing so will establish a perceived chain of command.

When I bring "partners" on board in this manner I am VERY careful to relay the parameters and the extent of their executive privilege. Most of the time, I make the employ/percent offer contingent on performance within a 30-90 window, depending on how much time we have to start developing a sales revenue, which usually depends on current company strategy and available capital.

Although this approach makes choosing a marketer much more complicated, at a start-up phase, it is an excellent incentive and a "cheap" way to aquire a quality person.

Good Luck!