In my career, I have interviewed dozens of people. Most of have been for roles that are customer facing to some extent, ranging from customer service representatives to general managers. One of the hardest things to assess, especially in a short interview, is cultural fit. My colleague and friend, Jill, went through an extensive management training program at a hotel chain and ran resorts earlier in her career. To do this job well you interview hundreds of people. One of the things that she taught me was to note the pace of the candidates walk. If they kept a brisk pace, this may be an indication that they are high energy enough to thrive in the quick pace of the business and to show an adequate “sense of urgency” to guests. In my experience, this is a good indicator. Sure there are fast talking, fast walking charlatans which are excellent interviewers and poor performers, but the walk test is a good one.
So, what if you are a new business looking for partners and contributors? I can’t always meet the people I am working with and must make assessments about fit from afar. So, what is the virtual equivalent of watching the walk? Seth Godin suggests trial runs. The folks at 37Signals say kick the tires of a development partner by assessing their open source contributions. Jerry Dawson suggests hiring sales people for a short contract before committing. All of these are summed up in the advice, “Look at what they have done.”
As I have been searching for business partners, here are a few tips I can add to this list:
- Look for responsiveness. Do you get replies to your emails in a timely manner? Do they keep their commitments?
- Look for expertise.I got this one from my father-in-law who spent his career in pharmaceutical sales calling on M.D.s. He said that when he first met a doctor, they would test you out by asking you questions that you should know about your drug and the condition it is intended to treat. If you pass the test, they know they can trust you. If not, they take your freebies and never see you again. You can do the same by asking a question for which you know the answer, to see if you like their answer.
- Look for an over-and-above attitude. Are they making suggestions based on their experience that will save you time or money? Do they “get” your business? Are they offering something more? Do they ask good questions?
- Look for hunger. You want partners who want partnership. If you are too small for them to worry about, they won’t. If you are too significant a portion of their business (oh, what a problem to have someday), then they my actively look for new accounts and say “no” to new projects to lessen their dependence on you. At this stage in my business, I need someone wanting to partner with a small company and grow together. And remember, you are not asking favors as it can pay off for both of you. Weiden + Kennedy started famously with a borrowed typewriter putting out copy for Nike. GolinHarris started doing PR for a then fledgling hamburger chain called McDonald’s for a retainer of $500 a month.
