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Call on your competitors and tell them you want to work for them. If they regard you as a competitor, they will hesitate until you tell them how different you are from them and how little your markets are related. Tell them your capabilities in order to define your differentiation and which of their current types of jobs you are not interested.
You may be surprised; some competitors do not know they are such. Many firms that you feel are your competitors do not view your company in the same context. Companies vary in assets, manpower and capabilities so approach those you have avoided until now. Just because you think they are a competitor, they most likely have a different concept about it.
Give them great billing rates to get their attention. Offer them extra low rates and explain that you want to work for them, you can complement their work portfolio, no two companies are the same and offer to take farmed out work whenever they are backlogged or too busy. Tell them yes, you might occasionally bid against each other, but most of the time, you are two different companies with different capabilities.
Start this relationship by hiring your competitor first. You are shaking your head in disbelief at this suggestion but you can start this ball yourself. Call them and ask them to provide a quote to do some work for your firm. Once they see you are serious, barriers will start to erode.
