Meetings: efficient or a waste of time?

Probably one of the biggest changes to the meeting experience has been the advent of online meetings and teleconferences – followed up by videoconferencing. This means that the meetings are held online, and there isn’t any cost for travel/flights, etc.

The video experience is a money saving experience, and the cost of the devices is well and truly absorbed by a larger business in a couple of years. Not so good for the SME market, but it is coming.

Meetings that can be face-to-face enable the people meeting to remember the attendees when talking about particular offerings. For example, my meetings will jog my client’s memory about my product set – usually leading to a few quote requests.

My business is driven by personal contact. It is also a useful tool to allow my partners to network and grow together through common projects. When I set up a meeting, there must be a reason to meet, be it a new technology, promotion or information that is pertinent to the client. I don’t meet for the sake of the meeting.