We are rapidly being seduced by an insidious force. It robs us of a bit of our humanity and its increasing like a tsunami. It goes by a number of names, but it is most commonly referred to as . . . . . . BIG DATA. Big data is creating a rabbit hole of desire. We believe that the more data we have about something the easier it is to make a decision. This premise is driving leadership towards a quicksand of paralysis where just a little more info is all we need. This storm keeps us anchored to our office chair and our various mobile devices.
In 2012 we, as a species, created 1.8 zettabytes of data. What the hell is a zettabyte? It’s one sextillion. What the hell is a sextillion? When faced with large things like numbers it is often easier to get our heads around the vast idea of size by connecting them to some nonsensical measuring tool, so here you go. 1.8 zettabytes is the equivalent of 57.8 billion 32 gig iPads or think about the Great Wall of China twice as long and twice as high. By 202o it is estimated it will be 40 zettabytes. By the way, an iPad is not a standard measuring tool. No one ever tells you, “the hotel is about 1,100 iPads away”.
To further understand the alluring nature of this electronic Pandora’s Box, we are generating 204 million emails, 2 million Google searches, posting 48 hours of YouTube video, taking a peek at Facebook 684,000 times and sending about 100,000 tweets PER MINUTE!
What all this amounts to is the subtraction of a human element from our days. The incredible power of face to face, eye to eye contact that is still the foundation of relationships is slipping away from our daily lives.
In our sales platform Repeatable Successful Acts, we define 28 shared patterns by top producers from seven different industries and one key behavioral pattern is that top producers recognize the critical nature of the human element in building sales so they GET OUT OF THE OFFICE!
Despite the electronic convenience of email, the phone and text messages, great sales professionals go and visit their clients. They abandon the cocoon of their electronic kingdom and shake a few hands. They buy a few lunches. They smile and are smiled back at. They connect.
Success in any field requires a physical YOU. To create well connected and nurtured relationships you have to make contact in a manner in which you notice the hair color of your client.
It is tempting and alluring to sit at your desk and push the send key and like magic (Arthur C Clarke – “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”)your idea of contact is traveling a microsecond highway to your client. BUT, despite all the stuff you have, YOU are the ultimate sales tool. YOU are the magnet that attracts business. YOU are your brand and if your brand is to create a part of your success, GET OUT OF THE OFFICE and tell someone!
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