PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Although technology has enabled people to communicate faster than ever before, Enta vice president Jon Atherton argues that face-to-face communication is as valuable as ever.
The world of communication has changed, we all know it has and we all know it will continue to do so. With the ever increasing use of LinkedIn, Twitter, IM, Facebook and so on, I find the business world further removed from face-to-face interaction. I am not suggesting these new methods are not of value, because I think they are fantastic, but I do believe there is some demand to get back to good old face-to-face communication.
I am frequently asked by distributors and manufacturers to develop seminars, road shows and exhibitions. Our resellers would like to be able to discuss things face-to-face, not only with us as their distributor but with vendors too, instead of only liaising with us via email or telephone. Although this request has been a constant consideration, it was only after I visited a seminar in July that I gave it some serious thought. I was overwhelmed with the number of communications I received in the week that followed from both current and potentially new customers who contacted me on the back of an informal chat.
This got me thinking about what we potentially miss out on in our online comms world. It’s not just the industry discussions and debates that we have on shared experiences, or new business opportunities, it is much more than that. We miss out on the personal opinions and insights, the banter, the facial expressions and passion derived from face-to-face dialogue and the introductions that we inevitably generate when mingling with colleagues and contacts.
It’s not that I don’t see the value in social media; I think it is extremely effective in aiding communication, but I think it should act as a complementary tool to real life interaction, not a stand-alone activity.
So I decided to add face-to-face events to my priority list, starting with this year, which will see the return of our Enta Live events where we will exhibit new and exciting products and new technologies. This will give our vendors an opportunity to share experiences and opinions, brainstorm news ideas, develop partnerships and ultimately help increase sales for all parties.
Our industry events are fantastic platforms for all of us; for example PCR Boot Camp earlier this year was fantastic for Entatech. Synaxon and NG have also organised outstanding forums for us all to be part of that have helped us to develop lucrative business opportunities together. So, let’s all make an effort and get back to basics.
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