As a leader, we try our best to prioritize dozens of things that need to get done each day. This includes seeing our customers, ideally outside of our office/home, or in my case, the local warehouse. I can not stress the importance of building and cultivating relationships. Whether it’s sales, partnerships, or working with your staff, I subscribe to spending as much time as possible face-to-face or in person.

We live in a world where nearly everything can be done digitally. We can hold meetings on various video conferencing platforms, we exchange hundreds of emails, send text messages throughout the day, and communicate through countless technology platforms. Technology has undoubtedly made us more efficient, but I’ve also noticed something since remote work became the norm, efficiency and connection are not the same thing.

There is simply no substitute for sitting across the table from someone and having a real conversation.

My most meaningful customer interactions have rarely happened online. They’ve happened while walking through a warehouse, sitting in a customer’s office discussing their business challenges, grabbing lunch at “T Woods”, attending a company BBQ, sharing a coffee, watching a live sporting event, and even an ad hoc evening around my backyard fire pit. These moments may not always have a direct agenda attached to them, but they often create the foundation for a long-term relationship.

When you’re physically present with someone, you gain a level of understanding that technology simply cannot provide. You can observe body language, hear subtle changes in tone, see excitement, frustration, concern, or optimism in real time. You can ask a question and immediately recognize whether the answer is genuine confidence or uncertainty. You can better understand not only what a customer is saying, but what they may not be saying. Those insights are incredibly difficult to capture through a screen.  These in-person moments create familiarity, which creates trust. Trust creates partnerships, and this is what creates long-term business partnerships.

Business may begin with a contract, a rate sheet, or a proposal. Long-term success, however, is still built the old-fashioned way — by showing up, being present, and investing in people.