Old fashioned or simply smart business?

16 May Old fashioned or simply smart business?

I was reading the website on another company’s website the other day and saw a phrase that struck me initially as a really telling reminder of the world we live in today, as well as how times have changed in regards to business. (Paraphrasing) “In today’s environment, distance is of no consequence as technology makes it possible to conduct business at the speed of light to nearly every corner of the globe“. It went on to talk about the various tools and methods they used to connect themselves to their clients and how they could now consider the entire world to be “in their territory”. I found myself nodding in agreement as I remembered the “old” ways of doing business where a fax machine almost seemed like magic compared to snail mail (which we simply called “mail”). With these new technologies, we didn’t even need to meet directly with our clients anymore because we could video chat, share computer screens, and even run meetings between participants in several different countries simultaneously. The entire world could now indeed be considered to be part of our “territory”.

I stopped myself however as I thought back on our own company history and core values while wondering what this said about us. I reflected on the past 7 years and realized that every single successful project we’ve been a part of started with an actual handshake. It may seem quaint and old-fashioned to talk about these type of values today, but I feel that something has been lost along the way. Video chatting and the other modern tools mentioned previously are wonderful and we use them all them to support our efforts and clients – but they are not a replacement for actual personal relationships and contact.

What do you think?