Do you ever get that weird feeling when you finally meet a client in person? It’s like a blind date with someone you’ve been emailing and Zooming with for years. I had my first in-person client meeting since COVID last week, and it was strange but kind of refreshing. It made me realize how different rapport feels face-to-face. For those of you doing more in-person meetings again, how do you build or rebuild that connection differently than you would online?

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In-person meetings are overrated. Most clients just want things done, not coffee chats and small talk—Zoom is more efficient and less awkward.

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I don’t agree with this at all. Most of my clients LOVE a coffee or lunch date. It is also when they are most willing to slip information that is extremely helpful to your job. (Office politics, upcoming marketing objectives, etc…)

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Don’t make it all about work. Face to face interactions allows for more down time. Get them to talk about their weekend, hobbies, family. Bond on a human level…THEN…talk business.

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Yep, finally met one in person last year that I'd worked with for 4 years prior and it threw me for a loop. He acted the exact same in person as on Zoom, but I had no idea he was like 6'8".

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Who would wait around for someone who does email or Zoom with a blind date for years?

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I met vendors/clients offline and honestly it wasn’t all that different than having a discussion online

Nope. Don't feel differently about it, but that's because I've been doing this for 30+ years.

Yes, in-person meetings do deliver additional communication cues that you often don't get completely on video calls - namely body language. Yes on a video call you might see their facial expressions, maybe some hand gestures, but in-person is much more.

I generally did a lot of face to face meetings before the pandemic, so it wasn't too weird to get back to it after the all-Zoom era. It's different, though. In person it's more relaxed, it seems, the conversation just doesn't need to seem so focused. That seems counterintuitive, but maybe it's just that having the technology in the way seems to make things a little more formal.

Honestly half the time I forget I haven’t met them in person! With some clients it just feels so natural. But I will admit I thrive on in person.

hahah yes I know exactly what you mean. It honestly is kind of weird meeting someone face to face even after you have seen them on Zoom or vidoe chat. I get nervous every single time and I have no idea why

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