Do you hate your competitors? Do you try to get in their way? Bring them misfortune? Our premise is that, if you cooperate with your competitors (co-petitors), you will all gain..  Brian Scudamore relates a story from his early business experience, when he tried to destroy a competitor (to his own eventual demise), and explains further how the concept of cooperation works in this article. In most industries there is enough business for everyone. Each supplier has his or her own unique selling proposition and good ideas help each one refine theirs. Ideas flow most freely when they're bounced back and forth among interested people. If you make the effort to find camaraderie with the other providers in your line of business, two things will happen:

• You will all enjoy the experience of positive interaction with each other, and avoid the negativity that comes with selfishly trying to have it all and block others' progress. (Just watch young children be miserable when each one grabs and protects every toy in sight vs. all having great fun when they share amicably!)
• Each of you will benefit from the good ideas that are generated in the conversation. Since each of you will apply them uniquely, you will each generate more business without "stealing" business from each other. Plus you'll likely find ways to co-venture or refer work when one is overloaded and another has spare capacity.

Your comments are of great importance to me - please let me know what thoughts or questions these ideas trigger for you. In particular, this week I'd love to hear how your business has improved as a result of making a competitor a "co-petitor"  On the other hand, if you're not finding the answers you want, perhaps I can help you get to where you'd like to be. I'd love to hear about what's happening in your organization - again with no charge for us to discuss your situation and find a way to help YOU improve things. If you email a question or comment, please give me a phone number or a Skype address, or send me (see my Skype address below) a Skype contact request referencing my weekly emails (this reference is important - I'm fussy about my connections on networking services and, if your name doesn't ring a bell with me, I'll accept your contact request only if you tell me why you want to connect with me). Discussions of complex questions often require a conversation, and conversations occur either face to face or on the telephone, rather than by email (email exchanges data - very useful for some purposes; however the give-and-take that characterizes a conversation can't occur through email.).

 

If you find a topic here you think will be interesting to a friend or colleague, you're welcome to pass it along to as many people as you care to. If someone forwarded this to you, and you'd like to hear more, please send me an email and I'll be glad to add you to my mailing list, which I never sell or rent. On the other hand, if you find these messages irrelevant, or they clutter your inbox in an unwelcome way, please click the "unsubscribe" link below - I promise you won't hurt my feelings. My desire is to send these ideas only to people who find them interesting and helpful.

 

So...consider building "co-opetition" your industry, and contact us to learn how we can help you add value to what you do. Remember, the initial strategy conversation is without charge or obligation. And join us again right here next week for more unique ideas on how to get more done in your life and business, while enjoying it more. 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

John Stevens