Befriending The Competition

rino1494

When we see the other guys around on jobs or driving, we always wave to them and if they are working next door, we will stop and b/s for a few minutes. Sometimes we see them in the gas station or coffee shop and we'll buy them coffee. We've given them free dirt when we haul it out and they do the same.

To me it shows that you are a respectful company and are willing to work with others. You never know when you may need help someday. You may be broke down and could use one of their tools if they are nearby.


Do guys take any steps to befriend the competiton ??

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dirtdiggencat

hey rino, help me dig up this 8" and ,,,,, i'll be yo friend!!!
ROTFL!!!

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SiD
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Double-A

Absolutely. Branding your company is a never ending process of doing the right thing for the right reason whenever you can, and for whomever you can. Going out of your way to be friendly pays huge dividends most times. Sometimes it bites you, but mostly it doesn't.

We had a man call in three weeks ago he's running late, blown tire. He has a long drive in from home and I offered to bring him a spare or hire a service to come repair his tire for him. He said no, he almost had it.

Ten minutes later, the phone rings, some lady said the nicest man from our company just changed her blown tire for her and refused to take any money from us. She promised to tell everyone she knew that story.

That guy got a fat bonus in his check that week. He still isn't sure why.

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"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

dirtdiggencat

seriously tho, we dont really view them as competition. there is a ton of work around here lately, plenty to go around for everyone and we certainly cant handle more than our share. we swap machines and often sub back and forth on the bigger jobs. pretty good folks,,, most of them.

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SiD
________________ Everyone goes home, Every night. ___________________

PipeGuy

Between my partner and I we know a lot of the guys that do the kind of work we do. We'd help almost any of them in any way we could, including subbing work to or from them. We ask for, and receive, help from others and we do what we can to pay it back. Whether it's picking up an old idler from somebody just to make an undercarriage run-out go another 1000 hours or telling someone about a pipelayer you heard was looking for work. I say do unto others as....

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dayexco

gee, 2 of my old employees "still friends"....are now my competitors. that's what happens when you teach them too well LOL

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PipeGuy

I'm an 'old employee' of two companies and so is my partner. I do the same kind of work but am reluctant to consider myself one of their competitors. They have 30+ and 50+ years respectively of experience, exposure and accumulated resources that I've not much chance of competing with. They also do at least 3 - 5 times the volume of work we do. Never-the-less, both my partner and I remain in contact and relatively good standing with the former employers. Never burn bridges if you can help it.

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Fortunately I keep my feathers numbered for...for just such an emergency. -Foghorn Leghorn

Grumpy

I exercise a policy that my competitors are only competitors when we are bidding on the same job... otherwise they are colleagues. You should be friendly with these people. One day they may work for you or you for them.

ruskent

I'm friendly with everyone. I'll talk to other contractors on my own jobsites and even down the road working at other houses. I'll always talk to people in deli's, diners etc.

My proablem is that all i do is work. So its all i talk about, and the only contractors want to talk shop all day!

Matt

Teetorbilt

rino, many of us work in the same business (in my case, remodelling) and have specialties (cabinetry). Around here, it's pretty much share and share alike. I don't have a problem calling in anyone if the tile has to be spectacular.

There are many that specialise in shell work and don't want to be bothered with interiors. We work reciprocally. The more entities involved, the better for all.

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Albert Einstein

joasis

I get along great with out of town guys around here...the local pirates don't get the time of day. Kinda sad, but in the little town I live in, there used to be 3 or 4 carpenters, who worked on their own...and when someone wanted a house built, they would get together and build it...working as one. Rarely, will you find that now. What I have seen around here is guys are afraid you are looking to steal their work, or discover secrets of the universe....so except for the friends I have in the business, we generally do not go to other's job sites without an invite.

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