Love Thy Enemy: Keep Competitors Close to Create a Global Advantage

For many years, my firm didn't have competitors. In 1987 we were one of the only agencies in the world that specialized in presentations. Because there weren't actual competitors for decades, when I did the business planning, I would close my eyes and pretend that I had hordes of them nipping at my heels. That’s how we'd stay sharp.

Then, in 2008 I published my first book, Slide:ology. Hundreds of firms saw an opportunity in presentation design. Was I freaked out? No. Remember, in 2008 the economy took an incredible hit. Publishing my book that year helped my organization stay flat while many agencies failed (flat was the new grow back then). It was an honor to write a book that launched a new niche service industry during a season of incredible economic hardship. Creating jobs in a downturn is amazing—even if the jobs created work for competitors.

As new firms sprung up, I felt a sense of responsibility to mentor them. I’d hop on calls and let them ask me anything for an hour. They got insights into how to create, build, and grow their businesses and I got insights into their positions in the industry. This might seem odd to you, but most presentation agency owners are very friendly sorts. I haven't found any diva competitors, probably because it takes a humble soul to work with demanding executives under unrealistic deadlines.

I met Emma of Presentation Studio at a small conference, and I liked her straight away. She was whip-smart, bright-eyed, and she wanted to take the world by storm. Well, at least the other half of the world from her shop in Australia. As we hopped on Skype over the years, I began to like her. Like, really like her. 

In business, it’s easier to dehumanize our competitors and consider them heartless, so we can focus on taking them down. But if entrepreneurs put too much energy into crushing their competitors, they’re likely to overlook potential strategic partnerships. And in reality, when you get to know your competitors they usually just want a fair crack at an opportunity that comes with hard work and commitment to quality service.

Emma and I had already combined forces to bid together on large projects and shared clients. So, when it came time to expand our training organization into Asia Pacific, Emma was at the top of our list and we have just licensed Duarte's VisualStory? training for Presentation Studios to deliver. Seems crazy, eh? But there are advantages to partnering with your “enemy”:

• Benchmark your practice: Insights help me benchmark my firm in the context of a global practice. We compare notes on sales, industries, and operational practices.
• Expand the market: Coverage for workshops in Asia Pacific helps Duarte expand more quickly into markets in which we had a smaller presence.
• Work out kinks with a low-risk partner: Since we have strong, open communication channels, working through the growth of this complex geography becomes more seamless.

Remember Jake Sully in the movie Avatar? He went into Pandora to fight, but once he became a Na’vi and looked at the world through their eyes, he realized he wanted to advocate and even fight FOR them, instead of against them. That’s what it’s like when you have empathy for your competitors. You want to help make a way for them. There are still so many bad presentations out there, I’m not worried about how many firms the market can bear. I want to help feed a healthy industry and, in this case, partnering with the competition makes us both stronger.

Our VisualStory? workshops help professionals improve storytelling and design in their presentations. Learn more about Duarte's VisualStory? programs offered in North America, and Presentation Studio's delivery of this workshop in the Asia Pacific.

Nancy Duarte is a best-selling author with 30 years of CEO-ing under her belt. She’s driven her firm, Duarte, Inc., to be the global leader behind some of the most influential messages and visuals in business and culture. Duarte, Inc., is the largest design firm in Silicon Valley, as well as one of the top woman-owned businesses in the area. Nancy has written six best-selling books, four of which have won awards. Her newest book, DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story, is available now, and is also a workshop. Follow Duarte on Twitter: @nancyduarte.