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Mar 13 2007
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Get Out From Behind the Monitor

In this digital age we live in it’s entirely possible to run a business, get through a day, or complete many a project without actually interacting with human beings. While the efficiencies of this are incredible, I’m not so sure it’s always so good for the perspective.

I think it is a good practice, no matter what your business, to make it a habit to force yourself out on a real sales call, have lunch with a client, or drop in on a vendor – just to stay in touch with what your business really does.

Take it a step farther and pick out a networking type event, local lunch workshop or seminar each month and get yourself out of the office.

Finally, once or twice a year, go to a really big industry conference and meet face to face with as many industry thought leaders as you can, get fired up about what’s happening in your industry, learn a new skill and even stretch yourself a bit by attending a panel or two that covers something unrelated to your core business.

I find that these types of relationship and mind building practices can immediately add to the bottom line by opening doors to new valuable partnerships and connections, can bring you renewed perspective about your business and industry, and can aid in forming your fully developed vision for your organization.

Sometimes, you’ve got to look up from the work you do day to day and see what’s really going on in the world to better understand your place and your client’s place in it.

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Filed Under: Vision
  • http://www.pardonthedisruption.com Chip Griffin

    Ironically, I touched on this same subject in the podcast I recorded yesterday. I argued it from a broader perspective as a result of my experience at the New Communications Forum last week, but your point to tie it to understanding clients is also apt.

  • http://www.theflowingofthedao.com/wordpress/?p=1867 ben

    behind the monitor?

    You mean from in front of the monitor, aye?

    If you’re standing in front of my monitor that is behind my monitor from my perspective.

    If we take the “face” of the monitor to be the display (the bright side) then surely I am in front of the monitor.

    I get what you’re saying though …

    Healthy,
    Worldpeace,
    ben

  • John Jantsch

    Ben,

    Let’s make room for the metaphorically behind as in front or behind – using as a crutch!

  • http://synapsoftware.com/blogit/ Scott Meade

    Good topic John. Here’s some more thoughts on visiting clients’ offices.

    It’s one thing to get feedback and look at log files, and a completely different experience to see your product or service in use . Things you cannot see unless you are out visiting users at their sites include:

    - What is the mood of your customers’ offices and is your product or service improving it? This is important because you want to be cultivating raving fans. Organizations with toxic moods will never be your biggest fans – some people are just not fans of anything.

    - It is the customers with engaging, positive environments that are prime candidates for cultivating fans of your product or service. You’ll best know who’s toxic and who’s not when you get out and walk around. Get out and help them see how you are a big part of their success.

    - Are they doing stuff manually that you thought your product or service covered (e.g. do you see people printing too much stuff?).

    You can tell if your efforts met specs when the check clears. But you can only really tell what impact you are having by getting out and talking with customers.

  • http://isabont.com Simon Clay Michael

    John,
    Rather than be one of the many attending, why not organize a small event yourself. Maybe a lunch or light supper. Invite two others and you each invite one other person the others are unlikely to know.
    Now you’re reconnecting with two people and being introduced to two more.

    the serendipity that can come from these events are well worth the two or three emails it would take.

  • John Jantsch

    Simon,

    Absolutely, great idea – I’ve done this and it always produces positive results.

  • http://www.threestarleadership.com Wally Bock

    Some years ago I was talking with one of the top public housing administrators in the country. He received all kinds of reports and briefings. But he believed that “all the printouts in the world won’t tell you if the landings are being properly swept or if the residents are starting to grumble about a change in policy.” That’s why he spent some time every day wandering around the buildings he was responsible for, looking for things and talking to people.

  • http://www.fairtradesports.com Scott James

    Good reminder, thank you John.

    It’s more than a bit ironic that I run a Fair Trade sports ball company – only to find myself pulling endless hours staring at this monitor.

    Here’s the getting out and doing more product testing (e.g. booting a fairly traded soccer ball around the park)!

    -Scott James
    Founder, Fair Trade Sports
    http://www.fairtradesports.com

  • http://inspireaction.mindandmedia.com/ Jay Ferrari

    Not sure I agree across the board. In making a humble attempt at rejoinder, I offered this:

    “Is having lunch with a client that important? The increasingly global economy proves we can do business via video-conference and instant messaging with someone on the other side of the world. Is it any less effective if that person is on the other side of town?

    Getting together in person used to be the bread and butter of doing business. Today, maybe it’s just become the icing on the cake.”

    I won’t deny the benefits and outright enjoyment of good interpersonal relationships, but the productive interconnectivity I’m seeing in virtual communities seems, for lack of a better word, tangible.

  • http://www.businesssanityblog.com Susan Martin

    Great topic John, in this age of online selling, I often tell my clients that they have to reach out from behind the shell and interface with clients and prospects to find out what’s really going on out there. When they do, they find that their sales and their business grow significantly.

  • John Jantsch

    Jay,

    I don’t think we disagree at all – I’m all for asynchronous communication – I’m just saying that every time I also reach out and lift a beer with one of my strategic “around the world” partners, what we get done together virtually seems to take a big leap forward too.

  • http://www.businesssanityblog.com Susan Martin

    It maybe tangible, but is it optimal?

  • http://inspireaction.mindandmedia.com/ Jay Ferrari

    John:
    Great point of clarification! Although I wouldn’t call it asynchronous — many of my conversations are occurring in real time. It seems like we’re moving toward an “anywhere/anytime” way of thinking.

    And Susan, I guess it depends on the definition of optimal. Sure, I love having coffee with a client, anytime. And John is right that we get much more communication accomplished. However, I’m having relationships with people I would never have known in a million years thanks to technology — and we’re working together quite effectively. In the sense that we have a means of connection, and can achieve, even if we can’t slap each other on the back–considering those parameters, yeah, I’d say optimal

  • http://www.kaplancopy.com Jodi Kaplan

    Funny you should mention this, John. An online business forum I belong to just had a get-together at a local bar. We “talk” all the time online, but hadn’t had a face-to-face event in nearly a year. There were new members we’d never met, lots of lurkers coming out from behind the curtain, and people I hadn’t seen in months. Everyone agreed that it was great to actually see the faces and the people behind the posts. Besides, it’s hard to get the full impact of the story one man told about how he got the cast on his arm (something about Uma Thurman) from an online post. :)

  • http://www.umutdolu.com kaos sesi

    very good
    thanks

  • http://www.taketwoministries.com/blog/?p=573 Take T.W.O. Family Ministries » Get Out from behind the Monitor
    …Get Out from behind the Monitor Posted Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 Over at the Duct Tape Marketing blog they have posted a recent blog that is the title of this blog (I took it from them), and it shares some good stuff that I think can apply to all of …