“Partnership” – I Do Not Think That Word Means What You Think It Means

There’s a scene in The Princess Bride that perfectly captures modern business relationships. Vizzini, the self-proclaimed genius, keeps shouting “Inconceivable!” every time something unexpected happens. Finally, Inigo Montoya has had enough: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Now replace “inconceivable” with “partnership.”

We’ve stopped demonstrating partnership in business and started just saying it. Walk into any sales pitch, read any proposal, sit through any vendor presentation, and you’ll hear it constantly. “We’re committed to being your strategic partner.” “Our partnership approach sets us apart.” “We believe in true partnership with our clients.”

Everyone’s a partner. Which means nobody is.

We’ve used the word so much it’s lost all meaning. It’s become corporate white noise—something we say because we’re supposed to, not because we actually mean it. But here’s the thing: your clients can tell the difference between hearing the word “partnership” and experiencing what it actually means.

The Empty Promise

Somewhere along the way, “partnership” became the price of entry. Every vendor, contractor, and service provider discovered they needed to use it in their marketing materials. It tested well in focus groups. It sounded collaborative and modern.

But what does the client actually experience?

In most cases, exactly what they’ve always experienced: a transaction. You ask for something, they price it, you pick the lowest number (or close to it), work gets done, invoice gets paid. The relationship is professional, efficient, and completely transactional.

There’s nothing wrong with transactions. The economy runs on them. But let’s stop calling them partnerships. That word should mean something more.

Value Without Recognition is Invisible

Here’s where it gets interesting—and frustrating. You can add tremendous value to a project and still lose the business. You can go above and beyond, bring expertise and insight, invest extra time… and the client never knows it happened.

Why? Because if the client doesn’t know you added value, did you really?

Think of it like this: Imagine you make a deposit at the bank, but you never receive a statement showing the credit to your account. You’d have no idea the money was there. You can’t spend money you don’t know you have. You can’t appreciate value you don’t know was delivered.

This is where most “partnerships” fail. Not because the work isn’t good. Not because the contractor doesn’t care. But because there’s no intent to make the value visible.

Two Electrical Contractors Walk Into an RFP…

Let me make this concrete. I’m working with an electrical contractor right now, helping them build out a real sales effort. It’s made me see the trades industry differently—specifically how much opportunity is left on the table every single day.

Here’s the typical scenario:

Contractor A receives an RFP from a general contractor:

• Reviews the plans
• Asks clarifying questions about specs
• Gathers pricing from vendors
• Runs the numbers
• Submits a bid

Efficient. Professional. Completely transactional. They’ve turned themselves into a human calculator—converting specifications into a price. The GC plugs that number into a spreadsheet alongside ten other electrical bids. Lowest number wins (or close to it). Nobody remembers Contractor A’s name.

Now, Contractor B receives the same RFP:

• Reviews the plans
• But then asks: “Why is this specced this way?”
• Analyzes the project with their expertise from wiring hundreds of buildings
• Identifies alternative approaches
• Before submitting the bid, they reach out to the GC: “I’ve identified three alternatives that could benefit the owner. One reduces upfront cost by 15%, one cuts maintenance by 30% over five years, one improves energy efficiency without compromising quality. Would any of these help you differentiate your proposal?”

See what just happened?

Contractor B isn’t just doing their job better. They’re helping the GC win business.

The Cascade Effect: Partnership Multiplies Value

This is where true partnership reveals itself—not in what you do for yourself, but in how you amplify your partner’s success.

The GC can now go to the owner and say: “We reviewed your electrical specs with our partner, and they proactively identified three ways to improve your outcome that weren’t in the original design. Here’s what each option means for your bottom line…”

Suddenly:

• The owner experiences innovation they didn’t request
• The GC looks like a proactive problem-solver, not just a builder
• The electrical sub becomes an asset, not a commodity

The sub isn’t just getting paid for this project—they’re investing in a long-term relationship. When the GC wins more work because their subs bring insights, everyone wins.

But—and this is critical—this only works if everyone recognizes what’s happening.

The sub must tell the GC: “I analyzed these alternatives specifically to give you options for your client.”

The GC must tell the owner: “Our electrical subcontractor invested time proactively analyzing your project to find opportunities you didn’t know existed.”

Without this explicit communication, the value is invisible. You’re making deposits without sending the statement.

The Uncomfortable Truth: Clients Shouldn’t Have to Beg for Partnership

Here’s what really bothers me: Clients actively PURSUE this approach because the industry doesn’t understand how to be a partner.

Think about how backwards that is.

Owners have to explicitly request in their RFPs: “Please review our specs and challenge them if you see better alternatives.” They have to ask for what should be standard practice. They have to educate contractors on how to add value.

Why does this happen?

The industry has been trained for decades in transactional bidding. Low-bid mentality rewards order-taking, not thinking. Contractors fear that questioning specs will be seen as difficult or expensive. Nobody wants to invest time in a bid they might not win.

The result? A race to the bottom where everyone just prices what’s on the page and hopes to be cheap enough to win.

The tragic irony:

• Contractors complain about being commoditized
• Yet they continue to behave like commodities
• They say “partnership” in their marketing but deliver transaction processing in their work
• Clients who actually WANT partners have to go searching for them
• And when they find one? They hold on tight

The Deposit Statement Reality Check

Remember the banking analogy? Here’s the extended reality:

Most contractors aren’t making deposits at all—they’re just fulfilling withdrawal requests. The client asks for something, they deliver it, money changes hands. That’s a transaction.

The few contractors who DO make deposits—who bring insights, challenge assumptions, invest time thinking about the client’s actual problems—often forget to send the statement. They do great work and assume the client will notice. Sometimes they do. Often they don’t.

Meanwhile, clients are desperate for contractors who understand the concept of investment in the relationship.

This is why the word “partnership” has become meaningless:

• Everyone uses it
• Almost nobody demonstrates it
• Clients have heard it so many times with no follow-through that they’re cynical
• The ones who genuinely want it have to explicitly structure their procurement to force contractors to think differently

The industry has failed so badly at partnership that clients have to teach contractors how to partner with them. That’s damning.

It’s also a massive opportunity.

Words Mean Things

Inigo Montoya was right to call out Vizzini’s meaningless repetition. Words should mean something. When we use them carelessly, we dilute them until they’re worthless.

If you’re going to use the word “partnership,” earn it.

Don’t just add value—add value WITH INTENT. Make sure your client knows what you’re doing and why it matters. Connect your work to their outcomes. Show them the deposit statement.

The difference between a vendor and a partner isn’t in the quality of work—it’s in the strategic thinking you bring and your commitment to making that thinking visible.

Think about your last ten client interactions:

• Did you just deliver what was asked, or did you challenge the ask?
• Did you bring insights before you were asked for them?
• Did you make your value explicitly clear, or did you assume they’d notice?
• Did you help your client win their battles, or just complete your tasks?

Real partnership means thinking about your client’s success as strategically as you think about your own. It means bringing solutions to problems they didn’t know they had. It means making your GC look brilliant to their owner. It means helping your clients win.

And then—critically—it means telling them that’s what you’re doing.

Let your clients actually experience the difference between a vendor and a partner.

Maybe then, that word will finally mean what we think it means.

What does partnership look like in your world? I’d love to hear about contractors, vendors, or service providers who actually demonstrated partnership with intent—not just said the word. Share your stories over on Linked In, Link HERE.