The Digital Disconnect

Many of us are guilty of it in business at one time or another….some of us more than others. The indiscretion? Relying on technology to take the place of human interactions, which ultimately result in the loss of valuable people skills and opportunities to really get to know others. Thanks to the power of digital media and every means of electronic communicating imaginable… incredible as it may seem; it is very possible to do business with a “connection” you have never met in person nor ever spoken to on the telephone directly. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this…and yes, it can turn out just fine…there is something to be said for developing a real human relationship with a connection/client.

As we all count our numbers…from our followers, friends and connections to our likes and shares and retweets can we honestly say that we “know” or even “desire to get to know” everyone or even a good percentage of everyone we are connected to? I am willing to bet that the majority of you are nodding “no” right now. Not for lack of interest, often for lack of time…sometimes for lack of not knowing how to open those doors that we hide behind on our electronic devices.

With the likely assumption that most people don’t know the majority of their social media connections, especially when our collection begins to grow by leaps and bounds as is the nature of the beast…let us think about how this translates into those of us who utilize these resources to glean new customers for our own businesses.

Are we shy? Are we trying to respect other busy people’s time? Are we assuming that no one wants to answer the phone directly and actually talk …or make plans for an in-person meeting… due to costs or time constraints. The bottom line is very often we do actually do business with those who reach out to us via this method…and as they become our customer or client…it should be a given that a major effort to connect on a more personal level is instituted. Even if it feasible that we can electronically share work samples and a variety of other material, send price quotes and be reimbursed, without ever meeting or speaking to the client other than via the keystrokes on our device…wouldn’t it add another level of value if we went “old school” a bit and actually met in person, or spoke on the phone and truly got to know one another. How much more business might come from this? Think of how being face to face with someone and becoming a real person instead of just a “service provider” could make your business stand out.

The only exception to that is to use video chatting services like Skype or FaceTime…which certainly can enhance a long-distance business relationship without question. But their downside is that for those that live and work in different time zones…that face-to-face video meeting is still tied to availability of both parties at the same time.

With our reliance on our computers, smart phones and devices to relay important information; sometimes the only missing ingredient is the personal connection.

So the real questions here are:

• Is that still important and was it ever as important as we thought it was? And why?
• Is that in-person meeting, that telephone call that didn’t go to voice mail…or that video chat the gateway to a much deeper connection…that could lead to a more meaningful revenue generating business relationship?
• Does it lead to a trust factor that no amount of digital dialogue can provide? And will it lead to a friendship between colleagues that can provide referrals and recommendations, because now the person is no longer invisible…but actually a real living, breathing person that we “know.”
• Can it direct us to a more relaxed relationship that is the catalyst to sharing ideas and leads amongst true friends in business?
• Do the casual conversations that turn a client or customer into a real person instead of just another number in our sales report or bottom line really have more value than that digital relationship that is rather cold?

A bit of food for thought…as even though we can absolutely grow our businesses in the digital age without the “human connection”…who amongst us really wants to be that disconnected? I for one really do not…and although I absolutely rely on all the latest tools of the trade…I still welcome face-to-face meetings and consulting sessions…detailed telephone conversations and video chats where we can be “face-to-face” no matter where we are. I is very nice to get to know colleagues in the industry…and not consider them an invisible asset to our business. People are what it is all about…not just numbers and statistics. I recommend taking every opportunity not to fall victim to the “digital disconnect” wherever possible and reach out and go the extra mile to really get to know who you are connected to or doing business with when it really counts. That is the value that can take your business relationships to the next level…it may be “old school” but machines talking to machines…lack that most important unique quality…YOU.