Business is hard enough when everyone has a shared vision and is working toward a set of common goals. Good teams make it easier. Great teams make the work feel effortless and perhaps even fun. Layer in personalities that inspire and work styles that perpetuate growth, and success is all but guaranteed.
The opposite is also true – when there are personality clashes, differences in style, or significant variances in approach, every task becomes more difficult. Time is spent ineffectively, and an inordinate amount of effort is expended resolving communication gaffs, interpersonal conflicts, or strategy incompatibility. All of that takes time and attention away from the organization’s primary mission and goals.
At R2R Marketing, we refer to this as “fit,” and it’s a vital element to having an effective partnership with clients. We believe that fit is so critical to delivering value that we won’t take on a client if there isn’t a good fit. It’s not fair to the client, and it’s not fair to the R2R team to try and force a relationship when the fit isn’t there.
Ideally, a good partnership with a customer or vendor enhances fit over time as the teams learn to work together even more effectively. But sometimes, what starts as a good fit changes, and that’s okay. If everyone agrees that fit is important, it’s easier to recognize when it is no longer there, and both parties can agree to go their separate ways in a healthy and productive manner.
Here are some signs you may not be a fit with a customer, client or vendor:
- You dread phone calls or emails from the other party.
- You feel relief when a meeting or appointment gets canceled.
- Either party feels or gets defensive.
- Conversations feel antagonistic instead of collaborative.
- Conversations happen via email instead of in person, by phone, or by video conference.
And the most clear – you feel relief when you agree to part ways.
There is power in knowing when your company is and is not a good fit for someone else. More importantly, a good fit leads to great results!
