Something old something new
Published January 18, 2008 at 2:21 pm · Filed under Comms / IT
Social networking sites may be gaining importance as a business tool, but according to new research from Vodafone, face-to-face meetings are still the preferred method of business communication, especially if they include something to eat or drink.
A survey of 1,100 business people conducted by Opinion Matters found that business is more likely to be won from a face-to-face meeting (57%) than any other form of contact.
Popular meeting places include top restaurants where clients would expect to be treated to lunch (47%); private members clubs for drinks (26%); and pubs for networking sessions. More than one in ten still prefer to tee off a relationship on the golf course.
The telephone remains the dominant networking tool (cited by 59% of respondents), but its popularity is declining especially amongst younger business people, with almost half of entrepreneurs in their twenties preferring to network online only.
Overall, just one in ten business people use networking websites to do business and less than a quarter are aware of a networking community specific to their industry.
Although face-to-face meetings and telephone contact is still valued, old-fashioned communication methods are not a requirement for a successful business relationship. One third of respondents said that they had secured business by email alone and just one in five managing directors said that they would not do business with anyone they hadn’t met face to face. Only about a quarter said they would refuse business to anyone they hadn’t at least spoken to over the phone.
