Building good relationships with your potential competitors could lead to your phone ringing.

Sevans Strategy, a public relations company based in Chicago, has decided to create a page on the owner’s blog, PRSarahEvans.com, recommending other public relations companies.

Their reasoning is simple; Sevans Stategy cannot work with every potential client that comes to it because of a heavy workload or lack of expertise required to work with certain clients. Therefore, it is recommending other public relations companies who may be able to take on the job.

Sevans Strategy is just one of the many companies willing to send business to other, trusted companies. It is a prime example of how building relationships with other companies in your industry, or in any industry for that matter, can be a benefit.

Being listed on a blog like PR Sarah Evans may not necessarily lead to new business, but it does help you build your company’s presence. It’s free advertising and in a different outlet, which means that you could reach someone you normally wouldn’t. Also, relationships with one company may lead to relationships with others. The more people who know about your business, the greater the chances of someone throwing out your name for a job. And remember, people are more likely to look into companies that have been recommended by someone they trust.

Being recommended helps establish your company’s credibility. After all, no one is going to suggest a company who will do bad work at the risk of tarnishing his or her personal reputation.

The next time you meet someone new, hand him or her two of your business cards and let him or her know what you do. Although that person may not be looking for your company’s services, he or she might know someone who is and you’ll be fresh in his or her mind. Plus, that new contact will have an extra business card to give to another.

(Thanks to Sarah Evans for the photo.)

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