How many times this week did you avoid calling a colleague and send them a text message? Or participate in email banter in lieu of a 30 minute coffee date? Your B2B business opportunities may be slowing due to the lack of F2F (face to face) contact.
Alan Weiss, my consulting mentor and prolific communicator, recently shared this comment in his weekly news flash:
"Influence is in inverse proportion to distance. It's easiest to influence when we're together, which is why politicians still travel the country making speeches and shaking hands. Email is one dimensional, phone two dimensional, meetings three dimensional. Yet so many in business default to email instead of personal contact. No one has ever charmed me with an email, and the last major purchase I made due to a cold phone call was in 1988. But enthusiasm is contagious when we're face-to-face."
A tweet will never replace the look on your client's face when you have helped them achieve a seemingly insurmountable goal. Think twice about your quest for short term efficiency.
Copyright 2011, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.
Photo courtesy of Lisa Nirell
