Technology has changed the world of marketing and advertising—from how we create it, to how we communicate it. I am sure that if I asked around, I could get a bunch of different stories of how things used to get done back in the "old days."
Much of this technology has made our jobs so much "easier," but I think it may be time that we renew a lost art. I know that many of us spend hours a day in front of a computer, Blackberry, smart phone, etc., firing messages to clients, vendors or agency people. Sometimes we're providing direction, sometimes we're providing answers, sometimes we're looking
for approvals and sometimes we're trying to make something happen. We've also probably been on the receiving end of those emails as well, trying to figure out the person's tone, not having all of the information we need or in general, just getting frustrated and costing ourselves time.
So, how do you potentially alleviate this? Well, I've been trying something lately and have found that it's actually pretty easy. You push your chair back from your desk and go see the person face-to-face. You might be surprised how much time you actually save by doing so.
What's been the feedback when I’ve tried it? One word—positive. People seem to appreciate that you took the time. As for me, I've found that I can stop guessing about the person's tone and actually see it. I can ask follow-up questions rather than sending another email. And many times, I even get what I was looking for the first time.
Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.