This is an excerpt from our e-guide, CONNECT BETTER – Open doors to amazing opportunities, produced in partnership with BT
In today’s world we communicate and connect in ways we once only dreamed of. But while new technology is helping us make connections all around the world, there’s one thing it hasn’t changed at all: the incredible power that connecting yields.
That’s connecting with trusted suppliers, new audiences, likeminded businesses and customers. It’s simple; the more you connect with people, the more you achieve. Or as the late Steve Jobs once put it: “Creativity is just connecting things”.
And this philosophy lies at the heart of BT Business’s ‘see what happens’ campaign.
Because whether it’s a fleeting encounter or a long-lasting relationship, every connection you make opens a door to the possibility of something amazing. It gives you the chance to share skills, tap into knowledge banks, and turn your exciting ideas into reality.
Of course, we used to make these connections via networking evenings, meet-ups, trade fairs, show rooms and exhibitions – events and activities that still count for a lot in today’s digitised world. But now our connections are increasingly virtual too.
To find just how virtual, BT Business commissioned research and strategy consultants Populus to produce a special report called ‘The changing face of business relationships’. Populus interviewed 1,001 decision makers at businesses with 500 employees or less from a cross-section of industries. The insights they reveal are fascinating.
For the younger managers in the Generation Y group (that’s those born between 1980 and 1992, so-called ‘digital natives’) virtual is the new normal. For them, the distinction between a contact they’ve made virtually and one they’ve made face-to-face is far less pronounced than for somebody aged over 35.
So much so that 97% of managers aged under 35 will accept a social media contact they’ve never met in person, compared with 72% of those aged over 35.
And when it comes to daily work life, the report discovered that face-to-face interaction remains an essential part of doing business. For many businesspeople there simply is no other substitute, with 29% of managers saying they prefer meeting face-to-face with clients, suppliers and other businesses.
In addition to the report, BT Business interviewed a selection of BT Business customers, for which staying connected lies at the centre of what they do. From a rucksack producer based in the Lake District 13%of managers use face-to-face meetings as the most common way of communicating. Instead they’re turning to email, tele conferencing, social media and, of course, the telephone to a pet food supplier in Warwickshire, these businesses demonstrate the breadth of opportunity that occurs when you connect.
This is an excerpt from our e-guide, CONNECT BETTER – Open doors to amazing opportunities, produced in partnership with BT
Click the cover below to get our free e-guide, or click here if you’re viewing on mobile:
This e-guide is brought to you in partnership with BT
Leave a Comment