The ridiculous nature of spam has gotten a bit out of control and has, in some ways destroyed any honest efforts we attempt in sending our own form of it in order to promote goods and/or services. We have our spam filers set pretty tight and yet, we still see emails come through the system advertising services or attempting to catch our attention in order to gain business. Then, if we dare to venture into the dreaded “spam box” what we see can shock and amaze us. It has almost become laughable at some of the subject lines and phrases that seek to capture our attention and even deceive us.
I am in no way abdicating using virtual forms of media to advertise and promote but the case I am building is to really analyze how much we take the time to utilize good old fashioned face to face encounters. Below is a bar graph based on solid statistics of what is lost when face to face encounters are not practiced consistently. This statistic and many more clearly validate that personal meetings are critical to our success and should be a part of all marketing practices regardless of industry.
What if the growing popularity of Texting, SMS, Emails, Virtual Communications and Social Media became the primary means of business building/transactions? The first concern is whether it would even be effective since so much “SPAM” is filtered or immediately discarded without even reading.
But, regardless of the effectiveness and time saving it may allow, it can never replace the relationship of trust that is built when two are in the same place. Ask yourself, who in your network do you trust the most? Who stands out as a great connection, friend or someone you would recommend? I can almost guarantee you, it is not likely to be someone whom you have never spent time with in person.
Popularity and fame may be a factor at times, but I have had personal encounters with those who consider themselves famous or highly successful and have been sadly disappointed in their character or integrity.
With all of these facts, we can surmise that the time spent investing in personal encounters is not only conducive to building a solid client base and a higher profitability, but they are irreplaceable in a media saturated world.
Blog Post by Michelle Steffes, President of IPV Consulting
Very insightful article, and reinforces one of the first secrets to sales success, courtesy of Tom Hopkins. STP – BTB. See Twenty People – Belly to Belly. True then, true now.