I met a fellow technology PR professional at a local Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) event here in Denver a few weeks ago, and after swapping backgrounds and stories, she setup a networking meeting for me with one of her colleagues who manages similar types of PR and social media programs. Working from an independent office, I am equally comfortable with phone and in-person meetings, but the in-person exchanges are less frequent.
Anyway, I met my networking contact’s colleague for coffee downtown and we instantly hit it off. We pow-wowed in the middle of Starbuck’s and the conversation flowed through our professional backgrounds, industry best practices, and anecdotes of what has worked well for our respective companies. But, what really struck me was how the “face-to-face” element made it easier for us to be more forthcoming. Being in person facilitated a real positive vibe – seemingly more so than a phone conversation may have generated – as we fed off each other’s excitement and body language. In today’s “virtual” environment, being able to develop a relationship over the phone and email is still key (we have clients we’ve never met in person) but the face-to-face benefit is huge – perhaps that is why so many deals are forged from introductions at trade shows and conferences.
Of course, this is just my personal anecdote, and some of this depends on individuals’ preferences for how they communicate best, but I’d be interested in others’ experiences—do phone or in-person meetings forge stronger relationships or partnerships for you?