Good morning, Social Rabbit here with your guide to social media
Today I am at the Flying Solo Independents day where later I will be chatting about Facebook giving people 10 tips to improve their pages. While I was waiting in the green room (posh name for a room where the speakers wait and prepare, or in this case blog) I met a guy who I have known for a few years – his business is speed thinking. He has some fantastic techniques for getting new ideas.
Anyway getting to the point of this post…. Networking and building relationships online is great, but nothing beats the old face-to-face meeting. Here’s why..
Nothing beats IRW (in real world)
- It cements the relationship when you actually meet someone in person
- You are more memorable in person as opposed to one of the 100s who you tweeted that day
- You spend longer chatting, as opposed to a few 140 character tweets
- You can build rapport much more quickly with someone in person than over a few tweets/LinkedIn messages etc.
- Often you get too busy to get around to making the time to connect with people, mostly because you aren’t really sure what to say
- Conversation flows much more easily in person
- It’s harder for people to lie in person, I know this sounds dodgy as, and people shouldn’t lie, but it’s so true
- You learn a lot more from them in person as one topic leads to another
- The conversation usually leads to you both realizing that you know the same people which makes the connection stronger and often reinforces their credibility with you
- Hitting them up for advice in person is easier
- You can get your photo with them, if that’s what you like to do, I have to say I don’t see the attraction, but some people are really into it
- They could be much more sexy in real life which might lead to a date if you are single!
Have I persuaded you to go for coffee with someone?
Have you got any other reasons to meet people? Tell me in the comments….
Couldn’t agree with you more on this SR – I just emailed my boss about this very topic, then saw your article. We do a lot of our business via telephone and email, so we don’t always get to meet everyone we deal with, but when we do organise or attend a face-to-face meeting, even if it involves travel (which I did yesterday), I always notice a ‘warmer’ relationsip develop over the phone and emails when both parties have had a chance to “put a face to the name/voice”. Because I’m a trainer/assessor, my relationships with my students and potential students are critical to a successful outcome.
I really enjoy your blog and articles – very informative! I learn something every day
Thanks for the comment, yes I think sometimes we forget how important it is to meet face to face.
SR