"Collaborate Your Way to Success"

The best way to market - or accomplish anything - on the Internet
is to be helpful. Netizens appreciate it and try to be helpful
in return. As I indicated before, the 3 ways of being helpful
are by enabling people to learn, by cooperating with them in
their projects, and by building a community where they may help
each other.

There is a 4th way: collaboration. Instead of merely discussing
problems, you may work together with others for your mutual advantage.
You help your partner. Your partner helps you.

Try Collaboration

Collaboration is used by BIG companies when they form joint ventures.
But collaboration truly is a means for the SMALL outfit to spread
its wings. Instead of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades - there
is no such thing these days - work on what you do best and enjoy,
and partner with an expert or experts in fields you are not so
good at and don't enjoy.

Collaboration enables you to strengthen you strengths while working
on projects you ordinarily would not get. Someone else, who enjoys
it, does what you can't or don't want to do. She strengthens
her strengths. As partners, you may reach great heights.

> If you are a good writer and you love to write, but you can't
draw a straight line, COLLABORATE with someone who is an accomplished
artist, but can't write a complete sentence. The 2 of you may
be able to design outstanding websites.

> If you are a hotshot programmer, but don't know how to sell
your exquisite software packages, COLLABORATE with a super-salesman,
who though he may not understand the details of your work, appreciates
the results you produce. Though the 2 of you may be independent
performers, working together you may achieve a great deal more
than working individually.

> If you are an inventor who loves conceiving all sorts of
gadgets but has no idea how to manufacture them, COLLABORATE
with a manufacturing expert who appreciates what you do. Why
not include a venture capitalist and make it a 3-way collaboration?

Finding a Collaborator

If you are typical, you are good at some things and not good
doing other things. To be productively effective, all you need
do is find experts at things you must get done but are not so
good at. This sounds simple and easy. But it is not. People come
in all shapes and varieties. Some you can work with; others you
can not. The trick is to locate an expert that is suitable for
you.

Among the factors to consider are the following:

> DOES THE PERSON COMPLEMENT YOU? - Compare skills, experiences,
perspectives, and working styles. Though your abilities are different,
can you discuss these things with understanding? Can you mesh
your working styles?

> DO YOU RESPECT YOUR PARTNER'S CAPABILITIES? - Do you have
a healthy regard for what she can do? You have seen results previously
achieved and you like them. At the same time, does your partner
respect your work? Without this respect you will not be able
to collaborate.

> DO YOU HAVE A SHARED VISION AND COMMON VALUES? - Do you share
the same or similar goals? Do you agree on what needs to be done?
Do you visualize the results to be achieved in similar ways?
And your values about work, selling, profit and human relations
are similar?

> DO YOU TRUST YOUR PARTNER? - Without trust you will achieve
nothing. You will spend more time in arguments than necessary.
Trust is a must!

> CAN YOU STAND TO BE CRITIQUED? - Do you get hot under the
collar when your work is critiqued? Your partner must be able
to critique your work just as you should be able to critique
your partner's work. Good, honest give-and-take is necessary
for a fruitful collaboration.

> CAN YOU SHARE THE LIMELIGHT? - Must you be the top guy, or
can you share credits with others? Is your ego strong enough
to do this?

If both you and your partner meet these requirements, try a collaboration.
Begin with something small, just to test yourselves. If you meet
the test, go for it.

A successful collaboration may lead to greater accomplishments
and greater business success. Each of you learns and improves,
and so does the final product or service. Collaboration lifts
all to a higher plane.

Collaboration is the Wave of the Future

The Internet lends itself to successful collaboration. When wireless
equipment becomes more sophisticated - in a year or 2 - collaboration
will be more frequent. In addition to the usual voice messages,
individuals will be able to use cellphones to exchange diagrams,
pictures and other data they may be working on together.

In Western countries, we have been trained to be individualistic.
Self-reliance is a major virtue. But in this complex world, which
daily becomes more complex, there is no way any individual can
be totally self-reliant as in the past.

Individualism is great. But to be more productive and successful,
we may need to cede a small amount of ego, so we may be able
to collaborate effectively with others. Collaboration will become
more and more the conventional way of doing things.