Face to Face, Web-conferencing or Tele-conferencing

You work in Toronto, your client works in Vancouver and your partner works out of Chicago. So how can you meet to discuss important business strategies and tactics without dropping your budget on flight and hotel?

In the past business meetings happened face to face or on the phone. In the last few years there has been an explosion of a third medium – web-conferencing. Companies like Webex and GoToMeeting offer sophisticated conferencing options allowing you and your clients, vendors or suppliers to meet in real time.

Here are some things to consider when booking your meetings

1. There are 39 versions of 12pm:
   1. a. I was invited for a web-conference recently that started at 12pm and yet the invitation was for 3pm (EST). The day before the conference the host emailed me to confirm it was at 12pm, so I moved the meeting in my calendar and accepted a another meeting in the original 3pm time slot. The day of the meeting, noon came and went without activity, but 3pm rolled around and the host called me to ask why I hadn’t joined the conference. Moral of the story: it may be 12 where you are, but it may be 3pm somewhere else. Always book meetings using your client’s time zone.
   2. Depends on your audience
      1. If you have a client that is very hands on, and prefers a face to face meeting you should always try for that regardless of subject matter. If you’re meeting with someone of the Facebook era, face to face may not be necessary.
      2. Subject matter matters
         1. If you need visual aids to explain your product, service or point, tele-conferencing is not the way to go.

One thing remains constant – communicate with your clients and vendors often. As with so many other facets in life, communication is key.