Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header about About Home Profiles articles Tools forums inspirational quotes About facebook Twitter YouTube Blog
Share for a Cause











We’re Not Virtual, We’re Human. Today, Act Like It.

Guest post by: Keith Ferrazzi

Article Overview: How many of you have a working relationship with someone who lives in your city that’s nevertheless been purely virtual – conducted only over email, phone, and IM?

Free Download - What I’ve Learned from Dumpster Kids, a Buddhist Monk, and Other Wise Teachers By Keith Ferrazzi
Name: Email:

We’re Not Virtual, We’re Human. Today, Act Like It.

How many of you have a working relationship with someone who lives in your city that’s nevertheless been purely virtual – conducted only over email, phone, and IM?

Your mission: Ask someone you know only virtually to meet you in person for coffee or a meal. Or do the virtual version: Have a video call on skype.com. (Skype is incredible, and one-on-one video conferencing is completely free. If you haven’t used it yet, give it a try.)

Need a script? You could say, “We’re wasting an opportunity by not sitting down for a real conversation – I want to hear more about you and your business. I bet there are ways we could be helping each other.”

Here are two reasons why I want you to do this:

  1. Information share: I guarantee you each have info valuable to each other’s business that you just haven’t thought to share. You’ll benefit from their knowledge, their perspective, and perhaps, their network. Who knows what new opportunities you’ll spin up for each other.
  2. Getting Personal Feels Good: It’ll take an hour to have this meeting. But it will have a profoundly positive effect on what it feels like to interact with them from here on in. That’s a great investment of your time.
So fess up on the blog: How many local-but-virtual-only biz relationships like this do you you have? Ever thought about making the leap?

Warmest,

Keith

Related Articles
  What Is A Virtual Assistant Business
  A Virtual Switchboard
  Want to Start a Virtual World? Be Sure to Play Hockey
  The Need for a Virtual Assistant Association
  What to Give the Exec Who Has Everything
  Virtual Requirements Meetings - Your Time Is Now!
  Outsource your marketing to a “Virtual Marketing Department” and set your mind at ease
  A Virtual Human Resources Assistant Can Save You Money and Get the Job Done!
  7 Steps to Improve Your Virtual Leadership and Virtual Team Effectiveness
  Virtual Call center and its all round benefits
  Could you work without a staff?
  Advantages of a Virtual Office for Entrepreneurs
  How To Hire A Virtual Assistant
  4 Helpful Guides in Leading a Virtual Working Environment
  Virtual Staffing - Get Expert Help on a Tight Budget
  Virtual Collaboration is Not For Everyone: The Characteristics of Top Performing Virtual Leaders and Team Members
  The Benefits of Working with a Virtual Assistant over a Temp
  Need To Cut Costs by 50% - Use a Virtual Assistant
  Virtual Assistants - Getting Started
  Who and What is a Virtual Assistant?

Home > Entrepreneur-Advice > Keith Ferrazzi > Were Not Virtual Were Human Today Act Like It >
Article Tags: relationship

About the Author: Keith Ferrazzi
RSS for Keith's articles - Visit Keith's website

Widely hailed as one of the world’s most “connected” people, Keith Ferrazzi is the author of Never Eat Alone, the international bestselling book about building relationships for success. Ferrazzi is also an acclaimed speaker and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a consulting and professional development firm that helps organizations drive growth through relationships. Earlier in his career, he was chief marketing officer at Deloitte Consulting and the youngest to be tapped for partner in the firm's history. Then, upon joining Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Ferrazzi was the youngest CMO in the Fortune 500. He also served as CEO of YaYa Media before founding Ferrazzi Greenlight.

Click here to visit Keith's website
Dashed Line

Keith Ferrazzi
More from Keith Ferrazzi
QA Dealing with an antiNeverEatAlone workplace
Four Surprising Things That Will Grow Your Network and NetWorth Now from Tahl Raz
An Accountability Secret Proven to Produce RESULTS
10 Tips to Banish Your Public Speaking Fear for Good
Three Steps to Getting Your Goals Back on Target


Related Forum Posts
HRPreneur HRPreneur - Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and I recently started my own Human Capital (HR) consulting firm called HRPreneur Inc. HRP focuses on making human capital a strategic differentiator for SME's. Below is a summary about HRP; Who We Are: HRP is a Human Capital consulting firm with 30 years of experience that becomes an extension of your company by providing a full array of services to help you create a highly engaged workforce focused on achieving strategic results in order to build a long lasting great company! Mission: HRP provides small and medium sized businesses a Strategic HR Business Partner to increase employee engagement, resulting in cost savings, increased productivity and results at an affordable rate! Vision: To inspire and warrant SME's reach their full competency! Cost Effectiveness: We provide over 30 years of experience at a fraction of the cost at a strategic executive HR business level You will save between 50% to 60% in costs per year on salary, bonus, benefits, training, office space alone We will provide you additional cost efficiencies through our services Services: • Strategic Human Resources Planning • Organizational Redesign • Change Management • Organizational Culture Development • Employee Engagement Programs • Leadership Assessment and Development • Compensation Design • Talent Acquisition • Assimilation and On-Boarding • Performance Management • Talent Management & Succession Planning • Human Resources Due Diligence • Human Resources Audit • Full Service HR Outsourcing
Kathie from Melbourne, Australia Kathie from Melbourne, Australia - Hello everyone, I've been a contributing author for quite sometime with Evan Carmichael but only recently became aware of this forum - I didn't know it existed. I'm a mother of 5 daughters and wife of Graham. We live in Melbourne, Australia. My business was begun early 1994 fulltime from home so I could be here with our girls as they were growing up. I began a homebased secretarial business which became a Virtual Assistant business and network as the internet took hold in the business world. Today I manage a network of VAs in 15 countries. Blogging became the perfect outlet for me as I'm an avid writer so I write several blogs, have authored some books as well and periodically do articles for printed publications and online ezines and newsletters. Finally I've recently entered the speaking 'circuit' speaking at conferences, seminars and teleseminars, mainly in Australia but have begun to do a few teleseminars and radio shows for the US. I've just been asked to do my first 'physical presence' conference in Canada in 2009 which I am quite excited about.
Re: Traditonal Demographics Do NOT Work with Generation V Re: Traditonal Demographics Do NOT Work with Generation V - That article is the first time I ever heard the term. I found this definition - [i:189o61sy]The term Generation V (for Virtual) is used to describe the online culture in which relationships, services and communication are carried primarily and preferably through electronic media. Generation Virtual is made up of people from multiple demographic age groups who make their social connections primarily online - through virtual worlds in online games, in social networks, as bloggers, or through posting and reading user-generated content.[/i:189o61sy] I like the targeting options the internet offers much better than the typical demographics. Age is particular is not nearly as effective in finding a target market unless you want to target kids. Too many of the typical demographics rely on stereotypes and just seems outdated for many types of promotion. That's one of the reasons this article title caught my eye. Shri
Re: Make Friends...Literally BUILD them! Re: Make Friends...Literally BUILD them! - It's the "prequel " to the Battlestar Galactica TV show. It's how Robots became "Human" and took over the world. Great Show
New topics New topics - Thanks Evan. A Human Resources section would be great. Information and templates for hiring the right people, training, retention ( always an interesting an useful topic), conducting performance appraisals, information on discipline and documentation, conflict resolution, exit interview information, etc. This would be really useful because most small companies don't have set HR guidelines/policies. Thanks!


Recommended Article for You close

  What Is A Virtual Assistant Business

Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article

Bottom Footer



Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

The Future of Online Marketing

Work at Home Moms and Their Bad Rap?

Five Ways to Show Honest Appreciation

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.