If you are looking to make a sale or to hire a new recruit, you cannot beat meeting someone in person as face-to-face meetings can’t be beaten.
That’s according to the Measuring Face Value report, from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, which says that when a London-based company does business face-to-face, it stands to gain an average income boost of £248,100 a year.
Meeting prospects in person increases revenues by an average 34 per cent per year, and for every £1 spent on business travel by firms, they see a 60per cent return on investment, claims the research commissioned for Premier Inn.
Denise Taylor, chartered psychologist and career coach, suggests some of the drivers behind the effectiveness of face-to-face meetings are that on the phone, it is far too easy to zone out and become distracted. Body language plays a massive part. A subtle shrug or firm handshake can make a huge difference to the final outcome. Face-to-face meetings can’t be beaten.
Taking the time to step away from your desk and show customers, clients and other associates that you care enough about your relationship to visit them in their own environment is a great message, and says a lot about your approach to doing business. So maybe you need to get out of the office more?
From the Evening Standard
Tuesday 25 October 2016, ES Jobs Section
HERE HERE!!
Face-to-face meetings can’t be beaten!
Being in the business we are in we would naturally agree with the sentiment here, but there are a couple of subtle points we’d like to make. If you, or indeed, we (on your behalf) contact a prospect and ask them if it would be possible to meet with them and they agree, then for goodness sakes …
- Don’t then decide the agreed date is no longer convenient for you and ask them to move it.
- Don’t expect them to come to you “to show their commitment” (REALLY?? what cod psychology books have you been reading?)
- Don’t try to turn the face-to-face meeting into a “telephone meeting” – they NEVER have the same conversion rates and get cancelled 50% of the time.
