I have for years argued that one should befriend clients and contacts for the purpose of developing long term client relationships. To be honest, I haven’t given much thought to befriending competitors until I read an article on Inc.com’s blog referencing an earlier post entitled “Let’s Be Friends” which states “It seems nuts. But new research says that CEOs who become pals with their rivals do better than those who don’t.” Who’da thunk it?
Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that law firm competitors can and are sources of work for one another. It may come about as a result of conflicts, or not wanting a certain type of work, or being too busy or whatever. So, my new marketing suggestion: befriend everyone, including the competition.