"If you cannot articulate the synergy, you are not ready for the meeting."

I Think We Have Synergies..... There are few phrases in business that I hear more often than: "I think we have synergies." At face value, it sounds exciting, it sounds collaborative, it sounds strategic, and it sounds like the beginning of a potentially great partnership.

But after years of sitting across boardroom tables, in coffee shop meetings, Zoom calls, at networking events, and through countless introductions, I have learned that the phrase often means very different things to different people, and therein lies the problem. Often, the person requesting the meeting hasn't fully considered what the synergy is.

They have identified that we operate in similar spaces. They have identified that we know some of the same people. They have identified that our businesses appear to have something in common. And then they stop there........

The rest of the thinking is expected to happen during the meeting. My friend, that is not how this works. If you are requesting 45 minutes or an hour of someone's time because you believe there is a partnership opportunity, you owe it to that person to arrive with more than a feeling.

• You need to arrive with a thought.

• You need to arrive with a point of view.

• You need to arrive with a hypothesis.

• You need to arrive with something that moves the conversation beyond: "I think we should work together."

One of my biggest frustrations in business is when people speak in code. They tell you:

• "Let's collaborate." Collaborate on what?

• "Let's partner." Partner how?

• "Let's explore opportunities." Which opportunities?

• "Let's see what comes out of the discussion." What exactly are we discussing?

The conversation becomes a game of business charades where everyone is speaking in broad corporate language, but nobody is saying anything meaningful. I often find myself sitting in meetings trying to unpack what the person actually wants.

• Do they want access to my network?

• Do they want access to my clients?

• Do they want me to refer work to them?

• Do they want a supplier relationship?

• Do they want a joint venture?

• Do they want sponsorship?

• Do they want mentorship?

• Do they want introductions?

• Do they want me to buy something?

Because all of those are very different conversations. And all of those require different levels of commitment, investment, resources, risk, and decision-making. Yet people often arrive having done none of that thinking.

Instead, they arrive with a vague expectation that the two of us will somehow discover the opportunity together. Imagine if entrepreneurs approached funding in the same way. Imagine walking into a bank and saying, "I think there are funding synergies between us." The banker would immediately ask: "What amount?", "What purpose?", "What will the money be used for?", "How will it be repaid?" or "What is the expected return?"

Nobody would accept a vague answer. Yet somehow, we accept vague answers in partnership discussions every day. The reality is that identifying synergies is work. It requires thought. It requires research. It requires understanding the other organisation. It requires understanding what they do, who they serve, what problems they solve, and where they create value.

Before I approach someone about a partnership, I ask myself a few simple questions:

• What problem am I trying to solve?

• Why is this organisation specifically relevant to that problem?

• What value do they bring?

• What value do we bring?

• What would success look like if we worked together?

• What would each party gain?

• What would each party contribute?

• What would be different twelve months from now if this partnership worked?

If I cannot answer those questions, I am probably not ready for the meeting.

One of the greatest misconceptions in business is that partnerships are formed because people like each other. That is rarely the reason. The strongest partnerships are formed because there is a clear exchange of value. Both parties understand what they bring. Both parties understand what they need. Both parties understand the opportunity. Both parties understand the outcome. The relationship may strengthen over time, but the partnership begins with clarity. Not chemistry - clarity.

Another reality nobody likes talking about is that not every business should partner. Sometimes there is no synergy. Sometimes there is overlap, but no opportunity. Sometimes there is admiration but no commercial value. Sometimes there is mutual respect but no strategic fit. And that's okay.

Not every conversation needs to become a partnership. Not every introduction needs to become a project. Not every coffee meeting needs to become a joint venture. Sometimes the answer is simply:

"I think you're doing great work, but I don't see a practical way for us to work together right now." That level of honesty saves everyone time. The older I get, the more I appreciate people who arrive prepared. The people who say:

• "Here's what I noticed."

• "Here's the gap I see."

• "Here's the opportunity."

• "Here's how I think we can create value together."

Those conversations are productive, they move quickly, they lead to decisions and lead to action. Because ultimately, business is not about collecting meetings but about creating value. And value starts with clarity.

So the next time you tell someone, "I think we have synergies," pause for a moment and ask yourself: "What exactly is the synergy?"

If you can articulate it clearly, book the meeting. If you cannot articulate it clearly, spend a little more time thinking. You might discover that what you really need is not a meeting but a strategy.

In a world full of people speaking in codes, clarity remains one of the most underrated business skills of all.

Yours in clarity,

The Business Doctor Keitumetse Lekaba