What the heck is an 80-year-old crooner like Tony Bennett doing with a top five album on Billboard's charts?

Winning through partnerships, that's what. Here's a guy who hit his peak in the Fifties and disappeared after Rock 'n Roll took over the charts in the Sixties.

Then, a few years ago, he began doing some projects with artists who could be his grandchildren, and suddenly his career turned white hot. And the odd thing is that he emerged not only with the love of his fans, but the respect of the very artists who enjoyed the limelight while he was on the shelf.

For his 80th birthday, Bennett decided to make a "Duets" album.

He brought in such artists as Paul McCartney, Bono, Sting, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Tim McGraw, the Dixie Chicks, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder.

The improbable album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and after three weeks, it's still in the top five.

Teaming with the right partner can make all the difference in the real estate markets, too.

My company, which sells high-value properties at auction, has benefited from its partnership with Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate, whose affiliates include luxury property specialists nationwide. Similarly, through our partnership with Asset Preservation Inc., which specializes in 1031 exchanges, we've been able to help people meet the strict deadlines necessary to enjoy the tax advantages the exchanges offer.

A lot of agents and brokers around the country call on us when they have a listing that they believe might benefit from an auction. Sometimes a property just isn't getting the attention it needs. Sometimes a seller is relocating and needs to sell in a specific time period.

These partnerships have produced some of the most satisfying moments of my career and resulted in substantial commissions for my firm as well as the referring agents.