Making Genuine Friends

Qualities to Look for in “Friends”

Do you remember your best friend in high school that swore they would never tell your deepest secret, only to turn around and tell someone else five minutes later?  Not only did they tell one person, but by the end of the day, the whole school knew about it.  In business development, finding the right “friends” that have a genuine interest in helping your company can be a frustrating process.

Here are a few things to think about when analyzing the relationships you have and factors to look for when making new friends:

Capabilities that either further enhance current offerings you already have or supplement capabilities that you lack:

• Not direct competitors
• Have an equal understanding of the customers’ current issues and future goals
• Maintain a reputation for accuracy, honesty and ethics
• Committed to leveraging your unique capabilities into their solution
• They have a reliable team who communicates openly with your team and is accountable for their promises
• Focus on the overall relationship, not just project specifics
• Help you shape/create work, not chase work