💡 Pursue Harmonious Partnerships (Issue #88)
How to get more clients
The people most like you are the least likely to partner with you.
I learned that lesson after I launched my first consulting business. I was a designer, and many of the people in my professional network were also designers from IBM and Apple.
Big surprise! That tends to happen.
However, a homogenous network isn’t a very robust one. I discovered that the people pulling me into consulting gigs and hiring me were rarely other designers. Instead, it was the engineers, product managers, salespeople, marketing folks, executives, etc., who were reaching out to me about opportunities.
Of course, it’s great to have people in your network who do what you do. That support system is invaluable. But it’s the people who don’t do what you do that will want what you do more often.
An engineering consultant wants to partner with a design consultant to provide more value for a client (e.g., being able to design and code that new app).
Your friend in marketing understands the power of design and wants your help with a campaign at their company.
A product leader enjoyed working with you in a past company and wants that collaborative magic at their new company.
These harmonious partnerships are natural and valuable, so you should nurture those relationships and reconnect with people from other professions in your network. Make an effort to go beyond the people who do what you do.
Think about it. How often does a client need or want to hire another design agency if they’re already working with one? Hardly ever.
That’s why it makes more sense to seek harmonious partnerships with complementary business owners. Your skill sets and the value provided don’t overlap. Instead, they combine to bring even more desirable outcomes to a client. That combo is a more powerful and attractive offer!
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.
