As I write this, I’m waiting to hear from one of my favorite clients, an entrepreneur who lives and works in the Washington DC area. We’ve been meeting weekly by Skype, and though we’ve never sat around the (same) table munching and drinking coffee while we work, I feel as well-connected to Steve as I do to the clients I meet with “in person.”
This wouldn’t be news to Gen Yers who watch movies or do homework together on Skype; but Boomer businesspeople have been slow to pick up on the possibilities. The bottom line is that doing business “in person” is always better (unless it’s a dreary conference call that you’ve put on mute while you catch up on your grunt work), and with a good Internet connection, Skype is almost like being there.
If you’re a Mac user (with a camera built into your computer), Skype is almost literally a no-brainer; just sign up, pick a name, and go for it. If you’re a PC user, you’ll also have to spring for a small computer camera, but either way, it’s worth the effort.
