Coworking often brings together competing companies. As connections are built, entrepreneurs see opportunities that arise, including those of joining forces and joining forces to be more successful. Incongruous. Impossible. The idea of working with competitors raises knee-jerk reactions within companies that struggle day to day to exist in front of them. However, many people have tried the experiment one day, with more or less success. What are the reasons that can push competitors to join forces? Can this association be viable for all markets?
Why try it?
In an uncertain economic context, with inflation under control but budgets under pressure, communities, project owners and customers are becoming more and more suspicious of the guarantees offered by companies. If loyalty once rewarded the seriousness they displayed and the trust they exuded, companies are saddened to note the erosion of this relationship.
We opt for the lowest prices or optimized by artificial intelligence, sometimes to the detriment of the quality of work. In addition, we are wary of the solidity of a partner to whom we wish to entrust an important market. We think in the short term. To counter this, certain managers of VSEs and SMEs sometimes engage in “unnatural” partnerships. Clearly displaying yourself in a group with your competitor on a market means showing that together we are stronger and able to deliver.
It is more reassuring to know that one of the members will be able to compensate for any possible failure of another. On the other hand, this restricts the choice of decision-makers. In the world of design offices, for example, in recent years we have seen a rapprochement between small and large structures, despite having the same skills. The idea is that it is better to share rather than collect only crumbs. This merger also promotes less competition. After some negotiations, one partner may wish to withdraw from one deal if the other partner does the same in another.
In which market to partner?
Associated with one or more competitors cannot be systematized. The group must provide added value, and it is understandable that this can be negotiated, but the redundancy of commercial, administrative and managerial activities (not to mention the time spent approaching, discussing, negotiating with the competitor), can lead to much higher prices.
The practice is therefore not possible, except in particular areas or situations, for small markets or customers with limited means. On the other hand, in situations where the importance of price is counterbalanced by technicality, ecological transition or the quality of services, and the amounts allow everyone to do well, why hesitate?
Get started!
The contact process is not spontaneous, except during trade fairs, meetings or within shared work spaces. Yet these are appropriate times. The atmosphere is generally more relaxed, the telephone rings less, discussions of principle have their place. However, there is no point in beating around the bush more than necessary.
Everyone is able to understand the benefit of joining forces or not. It is enough to observe the health of each person to see that structures which work alone are more vulnerable and that those which have been able to override traditional policies and the (legitimate) distrust of their leaders are more easily doing well.
