Face-time or Online
Founder of the Coffee Republic empire offers insight on the lost art of talking
We now have so many electronic ways to communicate with clients and colleagues in business that we are losing the art of actually talking to our clients! So close your Facebook, shut down the email, and get out there, look the client in the eye and remember how to do business the old fashioned way.
Who says?
Sahar Hashemi is one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs. She built the Coffee Republic empire from scratch with her brother, and is now setting out on a totally new venture to experience the thrill of building a business all over again.
She supports a recent groundbreaking research project conducted by Vodafone, which shows that younger businessmen and women are too reliant on electronic tools to communicate with potential clients and partners. She believes that although modern day communication tools have an invaluable role to play in business, you can’t replace the trust and understanding that comes from a face-to-face meeting.
The research shows the telephone is still the most dominant networking tool. This said, phone usage in UK businesses has dropped by almost a third in the space of a generation setting off alarm bells for British business in the future. In fact, the thought of dealing with clients over the phone is so daunting that almost half of entrepreneurs in their 20’s prefer to network purely online.
The research further uncovered that the anonymous, ‘cowardly’ approach to client communication is not good news for new business. 1 in 5 MD’s would not do business with anyone they hadn’t met face to face, over a quarter would refuse business to anyone they hadn’t at least spoken to over the phone and only a third have successfully managed to secure business using email alone. These findings suggest that embracing all the various networking options may strike a better balance for business success.
For more information on networking with other small businesses go to www.vodafone.co.uk/business
Vodafone, helping small businesses network
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