Do you need to have face-to-face time to do meaningful business?The definitive answer is... sometimes.
Certainly not always. The demand for face-to-face meetings has not disappeared, but a number of factors have challenged the need for frequent in-person discussions. Among these...
• The economy: Always a handy scapegoat, the economy nonetheless has quashed some business travel during and since the recession that began in 2008.
• Time pressure: These days, staffing tends to be thinner, ongoing demands higher and competition fiercer. (And you spent how many days in airports?)
• Tech options: Web conferencing, mobile technology, social media, and email all bring immediacy and a certain amount of ease to non-traditional meetings.
• Global business: It is one thing to meet with the customer two towns or two hours away, another to travel to China or Brazil.
• Changing business culture: You have certainly heard the truism "People do business with people they like." This phrase should (and often does) begin with, "All things being equal". Because often all things are NOT equal. People also do business with the most highly skilled, the least expensive, the fastest, or the most technologically advanced person or company... even if they do not especially like them. This is especially true in today's fast-paced business culture. We don't always spend much time together, so the importance of "liking" may in some cases be reduced. And hence the demand for face time is reduced as well.
Genuine face time is still important. A smart executive makes the effort to build relationships and, when appropriate, to meet with the people with whom he or she will transact business. However, this same smart executive will find fresh ways to build business relationships using tools ranging from calls and emails to LinkedIn and business social media. He or she will build a reputation that can be tracked online, will strategically attend events and trade shows at which to hold several meetings during one trip and will keep in touch using faster, easier methods than physically "being there".
And, when all is said and done, it will at some point be time for that quarterly or annual face-to-face, so the executive will don comfortable slip-on shoes, charge up the tablet or laptop and head for the airport. We're only human, and once in a while, we need to sit down, play golf, enjoy a meal, or share an experience with our associates... in person. Even if they work on the other side of the planet.
