October 31st, 2007
What To Look For In Competitor Collaboration
I suppose I should start with explaining what I mean by competitor collaboration. You have competitors. There are other people out there offering goods and services that are similar to what you do. That’s your competition. As I’ve discussed before, though, the more you focus on a specific niche, the more your “competitors” become complementary service providers. If you are a programmer, you can work with designers, and vice versa.
Once you’ve digested this concept, the next realization is that it takes more then a complementary set of technical skills, such as design and programming, for two people work well together. Like any type of relationship, there is no single key that works for everybody. Based on both the mediocre and excellent working relationships I’ve had in the last year, here are some keys for me.
Personality
If you’re going to be working with this person on an ongoing basis, you have to like them. I’m not saying you have to hang out on the weekends, but it’s a bad sign if you are gritting your teeth when you see their number come up on the caller id.
Professionalism
A good collaborator is going to put you in a position to succeed (which you will reciprocate.) They are going to make sure that they give you the resources and information about the project you need to put out quality work.
Competency
Don’t forget that anyone you work with needs to be good at what they do. A designer needs to crank out aesthetic, intuitive designs; while a programmer’s code needs to be elegant and robust.
Customer Management
There are several approaches to customer service that make for effective business. When a client wants to change things part way into a project, you can take a firm approach and stick to the original project specs. Alternatively you can do whatever it takes to make sure the customer is happy and singing your praises at the end fo the project. Both approaches have merit, but it is crucial that you and your collaborators adopt the same approach (at least on the projects you are doing together.)
