Old School Business Relations: Putting a Face to the Email

There are more ways than ever to communicate, and as technology evolves, our communication channels only become more and more numerous. With email, phone, text messages, LinkedIn, this blog, and so on, it is more feasible than ever before to maintain business relationships without ever actually meeting your business partners. Given the cost effectiveness of these electronic communication channels, it’s no surprise to see them being embraced by businesses in nearly every industry all around the globe, and the way I conduct my business is no exception.

I find myself relying on electronic communications nearly every day to keep in touch with clients as well as my team. But I spent the better part of last week in Tampa, Florida at the American Trucking Association’s Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting and Technology Expo. It gave me the opportunity to attach a face to an email, rather than just a Word document or Excel spreadsheet. And it reminded me of the value of shaking hands and breaking bread with business partners.