How Clients Buy Quotes

“Face Time Human beings are animals that drink in their surroundings by hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, and seeing what is around them. They take each's other measure by being with each other; indeed, there is a growing body of research that suggests that they “thin slice” judgments of each other using information gathered from all the senses simultaneously. We are fans of the phone and video conferencing, and they work to build trust as well, but building trust over phone and video takes more time than face-to-face. Sitting down and sharing a meal with a potential client is one of the oldest and most reliable ways to build trust with them. That said, don't rush things. Trust cannot be expedited. Talk on the phone once or twice, then ping them with “I'm going to be in San Diego. I'd love to put a face to a name. Are you open for lunch?”
― Tom McMakin, How Clients Buy: A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting and Professional Services