Maintaining a business relationship is not that much different from maintaining an affective relationship. But is it really so, the usual out of sight, far from the heart? One thing is certain: regardless of our beliefs and a digital trend without regress, the statistics ensure that “there is nothing more effective than in-person interactions.”
As the article Face squared – The numbers behind face to face networking advances and exhaustively summarizes, “face-to-face conversations tend to be more positive and perceived as more credible than online conversations.” According to data supporting this conclusion, “95% of respondents say face-to-face meetings are essential for long-term business relationships.”
Naturally, in a market environment where “83% of employees work remotely at least part of the day”, “70% of young professionals believe that ‘it is unnecessary to go to the office’” and “39% socialize more online than in person”, the written word has an essential – and growing – value in communicating with your various stakeholders. However, as always, physical and face-to-face contact continues to be predominant in establishing strong and productive business interactions and relationships. One tip: just in case, continue to act on both fronts.