Let’s face it, a little healthy competition here and there can be fun and beneficial, especially if it results in innovation which ultimately leads to happier customers. Also, without a competitive spirit, we wouldn’t have the likes of Mohamad Ali or Michael Jordan and remember everybody wants to be like Mike. However, when competition looks like the desire to win at all costs and everyone else be damned then we have a small problem. This problem looks a little like the predicament(s) we currently find ourselves facing as a species right now.
And guess what – It’s bad for business!
As a first-generation Australian from two uneducated immigrants, I was trained ahem, taught to fight tooth and nail to survive. During my 20s where I spent the majority of my time building Niika I was uncomfortably assertive and dominant at times. It served me well...kind of. During this time I lived in a world where agencies cooly considered each other with contempt and collaboration was the exception, not the rule. It usually looked like a creative agency handing over less than pixel perfect design work to a development team and then whipping said development team for any misplaced pixels.
Consider the following three challenges that many service providers across all industries are facing:
This lethal cocktail, which in fact represents an opportunity for adaptive providers, is causing many to tighten their belts and attempt to complete all work in house...even if they’re not specialists at said work. Time to test just how strong that personal connection with the client is!
Let’s take the example of a Melbourne-based creative agency who specialises in beautiful bespoke brands and websites. These days any given client will also require social media, content, advertising, sales funnels, emails, perhaps an app, maybe printing. If the agency says “yes, we can handle all of this” then they have three options:
If you were the client, which would fill you with the most confidence?
Now I’m not suggesting that we throw the baby out with the bathwater, there are large providers out there that are genuinely good at a lot of things but this is the exception, not the norm. For the vast majority of agencies, however, it makes much more sense to focus on a few areas of competency instead of going wide and this makes for a happier experience for all involved – particularly the client.
Of course, there is the obvious challenge of quality control and the potential of collaboration partners running off with clients. However, when you really think about it these things are not difficult to navigate with contracts and ensuring there is trust and rapport before working together – usually a coffee or two would suffice. Surely we’re all mature enough to play nice.
The customer is king (and if they weren’t before they certainly are now) and a king deserves to be surrounded by only the finest. Sharing is caring and caring is reciprocal, collaboration breeds trust, credibility and true connectivity which makes for a happier, more joyful experience and if we’re doing this thing right more profit!
We take this stuff kinda seriously and actively look for agencies to partner with. If you like our vibe and our work check out agencies.niika.com.au and drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!