Fresh

“I think that we’re in this world to connect. Because that’s what you’re left with. You’re not left with your houses or awards or money, you’re left with the people that you built relationships with.” – Nicole Kidman

In our line of work, where everyone is connected through Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook (except for me — I’m holding out on that one), you’d think that it’d be pretty easy to forge a strong connection amongst our contacts and friends.

When I say strong connection, I’m thinking of the movie Avatar and how deeply the tribe connects with each other (think “I see you“). Imagine how the quality of our relationships and connections could be improved with that greater sense of compassion and understanding.

It can be pretty easy to overlook something as simple as making a personal connection with your clients for those of us who work in Accounts. Deadlines, budgets, timesheets, and other time-sensitive issues seem to take priority, and other fluffier tasks, like client development and connection, tend to take a backseat. I have found that the most satisfying client relationships are those where my clients and I connect on a deeper, more personal, human level. Being able to connect about life outside the office makes it easier to connect about what happening at the office.

People in general, whether they’re clients or not, simply want to feel appreciated, respected, and heard. These three things are achieved differently depending on the person, so there’s not a universal formula for how to make these things happen. It would be nice if A plus B always equaled C, but that’s simply not how it works. For some of my clients, connecting with them over the phone instead of via email makes a world of difference in terms of them feeling valued and important. For other clients, making the time to talk over coffee or cocktails is more significant and impactful than a phone call. I enjoy the face-to-face experiences over any other kind, and find these a refreshing change of pace from the day-to-day work that’s done on my laptop.

New media channels, like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are a conduit to creating better connections with people, but they’re not the means in which this happens. I think there’s a place for these types of services, and enjoy catching up with folks based on what I read and hear about through them. As long as our connections and intentions to become closer are genuine and authentic, quality relationships should ensue.

If you’re looking to develop stronger relationships, here are my top three ways to make that desire a reality.

1. When you see something that makes you think of a client, let them know about it.
   Either send them an email with the information or give them a call. You simply letting them know that you’re thinking about them is über-flattering and meaningful to a lot of people. Who doesn’t like hearing from a friend, “Hey, I was thinking about you…”
2. Invite a client to coffee, your treat.
   This is a great way to start getting to know a client better; it’s non-threatening, and the most natural topic of conversation will be the project at hand (something you have in common).
3. Invite a client to happy hour, your treat.
   This is a favorite of mine, partly because I love Portland’s happy hour scene, but also because I find folks to me more laid back and less intimidated to chat over wine or Mai-tais.

So, without devaluing technology’s place in our world, I stand firm in saying that until we turn into hi-tech robots there will always be a need for deep, human connections and technology will never trump the human touch.

Marina & The Diamonds, “I Am Not A Robot” from Neon Gold Records on Vimeo.

Illustrations by Jill.