Are you using social media to build your network? Do you spend more time at your keyboard than you’d like to? Are you missing the social element that face to face meetings offer? Many business owners and executives find themselves faced with the same dilemma. There are only so many hours in a day and in an effort to streamline the demands on their time they turn to the computer, but there’s more to be lost than gained here.
Social skills and the ability to read someone’s body language are key elements to building relationships. You cannot feel a good firm handshake with someone through the computer. You cannot experience the excitement in someone’s voice through an email or a text message. The ability to gauge the general feel for a room is lost in a webinar. People need to be able to experience emotion from other people in order to respond in a way that creates those connections that matter most.
Utilize social media to make connections but take it to the next step and begin inviting people to meet for coffee or lunch to get to know one another. If it is someone you think you want to work with you will get a better feel for who they are and what they do. Inviting someone to coffee conveys that you are truly interested in getting to know them on a more personal level and that will open up more opportunity for your relationship to grow as you get to know one another and work together.
If distance is an issue invite them to join you for coffee as you video conference, face to face still makes a difference especially when you can see their eyes and hear the inflections in their voice. You can really tell a lot by a person’s body language and the tone of their voice and you will come away with a better sense of who they are and if you want to develop a relationship with them. If you do, schedule your next coffee appointment.
Connecting with intent will help you get out and meet more people and build relationships that will support you in business and in life. Plan to meet with two or three people each week and make at least one of those someone new. Purpose to add inviting people to your weekly calendar and block out time in your morning or afternoon to meet. time to make those connections and regain that social element that meeting people face to face offers.
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