Comments on: How to create 1 ton of C02 in a week http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/ Just another WordPress.com weblog Fri, 02 May 2008 13:57:35 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Nick Bowles http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-30 Nick Bowles Fri, 02 May 2008 12:04:21 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-30 A webcam works very well inside the likes of webex for customer support etc but as everyone seems to agree there is no substitute for face to face when it comes to sales and relationship building. There is much research on the fact that people buy from someone they like and feel they can trust; not always from the person selling the best product. Personally I never drive anywhere. Main reason is the lost productivity. I get solid work done on trains travelling up and down the country and yes it can be a pain but I leave plenty of time and havent really been troubled by train delays; except for a very close call at our first Armstrong seminar! Nick. http://financialforecasting.wordpress.com A webcam works very well inside the likes of webex for customer support etc but as everyone seems to agree there is no substitute for face to face when it comes to sales and relationship building. There is much research on the fact that people buy from someone they like and feel they can trust; not always from the person selling the best product.
Personally I never drive anywhere. Main reason is the lost productivity. I get solid work done on trains travelling up and down the country and yes it can be a pain but I leave plenty of time and havent really been troubled by train delays; except for a very close call at our first Armstrong seminar!

Nick.
http://financialforecasting.wordpress.com

]]> By: Steve Berridge http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-26 Steve Berridge Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:09:35 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-26 Wednesday was a trip to Manchester – Centre. I drove 360 miles. The meeting was a strategic meeting with and existing customer and had to be face to face. The clients head office is actually in Welwyn which is 10 miles from me, so I could have asked them to do the meeting in WGC when they were at head office, due to my 2.5ltr gas guzzler! The train trip to Manc is a good call. Its Watford to Manchester and pretty quick (quicker than driving). It also means I can work on the train. The cost of my petrol was under £70, a last minute train ticket would be at least double. Wednesday was a trip to Manchester – Centre. I drove 360 miles.

The meeting was a strategic meeting with and existing customer and had to be face to face. The clients head office is actually in Welwyn which is 10 miles from me, so I could have asked them to do the meeting in WGC when they were at head office, due to my 2.5ltr gas guzzler!

The train trip to Manc is a good call. Its Watford to Manchester and pretty quick (quicker than driving). It also means I can work on the train. The cost of my petrol was under £70, a last minute train ticket would be at least double.

]]> By: alexreeves http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-25 alexreeves Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:30:52 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-25 If we are talking about an existing customer relationship, do you think the standard for meetings should be conference call or web demo? Could we give our customers an Armstrong branded camera, so for software updates and demos we could do over the web with integrated video conferencing? You can get a camera for £15. Could we also then use something like this for support? If we are talking about an existing customer relationship, do you think the standard for meetings should be conference call or web demo?

Could we give our customers an Armstrong branded camera, so for software updates and demos we could do over the web with integrated video conferencing? You can get a camera for £15.

Could we also then use something like this for support?

]]> By: Steve Thomas http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-24 Steve Thomas Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:20:20 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-24 Last week I had 3 appointments and I 'let the train take the strain' on each one, which is unusual. Two were in central London and the third was in Brighton - which I could have driven to but wanted to take the M25 out of the equation, making travel time reliable. Web demos / conference calls are fine for some meetings, for short meetings or to address a particular query, but no replacement for visiting a prospect / client when pitching for business. Personalities and rapport are just as important as technical speak and know how which is very difficult to create unless you are face to face. It also demonstrates your willingness and desire for the business by taking part in person - so there is no real alternative. Public transport - namely trains and then taxis from stations to site costs more than the cost to drive. Sometimes trains are quicker for longer journeys but the worry is reliability and restriction of the 'timetable'. Once getting to the station destination the clients site could still be many more miles and so a taxi is required. The other consideration is carrying kit: computer, brochures, contracts, proposals, projector etc - this is much easier with the car. Whats the likelihood of getting a seat during rush hour on the train - slim. But getting a train into London and then out to swap lines is a major inconvenience and waste of the working day. We could all use Public Transport more and will work where the destination is not far off the route. But it should be cheaper, trains should be longer with more carriages, cleaner, have free WI FI and be more regular for it to work... Last week I had 3 appointments and I ‘let the train take the strain’ on each one, which is unusual. Two were in central London and the third was in Brighton – which I could have driven to but wanted to take the M25 out of the equation, making travel time reliable.

Web demos / conference calls are fine for some meetings, for short meetings or to address a particular query, but no replacement for visiting a prospect / client when pitching for business. Personalities and rapport are just as important as technical speak and know how which is very difficult to create unless you are face to face. It also demonstrates your willingness and desire for the business by taking part in person – so there is no real alternative.

Public transport – namely trains and then taxis from stations to site costs more than the cost to drive. Sometimes trains are quicker for longer journeys but the worry is reliability and restriction of the ‘timetable’. Once getting to the station destination the clients site could still be many more miles and so a taxi is required. The other consideration is carrying kit: computer, brochures, contracts, proposals, projector etc – this is much easier with the car. Whats the likelihood of getting a seat during rush hour on the train – slim. But getting a train into London and then out to swap lines is a major inconvenience and waste of the working day.

We could all use Public Transport more and will work where the destination is not far off the route. But it should be cheaper, trains should be longer with more carriages, cleaner, have free WI FI and be more regular for it to work…

]]> By: Dom Thomas http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-23 Dom Thomas Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:18:27 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-23 I think the only option going in to London is to take the train however I think it would be difficult and some times very time consuming to take public transport to the large majority of sites out side of London. The train however works very well for long distance journeys. The impact this may have is that trains are sometimes not on time (and cancel) and so may not go down well with customers. I don't feel any use would of come out of a web demo as there is no alternative to visiting people face to face when pitching for business. However I have started to increasingly use more and more web demos to address specific areas or queries in the software. I think the only option going in to London is to take the train however I think it would be difficult and some times very time consuming to take public transport to the large majority of sites out side of London. The train however works very well for long distance journeys. The impact this may have is that trains are sometimes not on time (and cancel) and so may not go down well with customers.

I don’t feel any use would of come out of a web demo as there is no alternative to visiting people face to face when pitching for business.

However I have started to increasingly use more and more web demos to address specific areas or queries in the software.

]]> By: Jessica Perry http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-22 Jessica Perry Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:15:38 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-22 On Monday I had a meeting, but the customer came to the office. I think this did need to be a face to face meeting, as it also involved one of our consultants. We had to work through in some detail where they are in their project, which involved looking at some detail into their current set up. I guess they could have used public transport, but given where they are this would have involved a trip into London and then out again. Therefore, the travel time would probably have doubled. On Monday I had a meeting, but the customer came to the office. I think this did need to be a face to face meeting, as it also involved one of our consultants. We had to work through in some detail where they are in their project, which involved looking at some detail into their current set up. I guess they could have used public transport, but given where they are this would have involved a trip into London and then out again. Therefore, the travel time would probably have doubled.

]]> By: Tom Farrell http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-21 Tom Farrell Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:13:53 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-21 Alternative forms of transport as follows: Northern Office – push bike or combination of trains followed by walking / taxi. Result = increased travel time & inconvenience Client Site – combination of trains and taxi / buses / walking. Result = increased travel time & inconvenience Harpenden Office – trains, plus taxi / walk to and form stations. Using a taxi / train combination the travel time may be similar – but inconvenient. Use of conference calls / remote demos – yes definitely an alternative, but ‘face to face’ is an absolute requirement at some point to clinch most business deals. Alternative forms of transport as follows:

Northern Office – push bike or combination of trains followed by walking / taxi. Result = increased travel time & inconvenience

Client Site – combination of trains and taxi / buses / walking. Result = increased travel time & inconvenience

Harpenden Office – trains, plus taxi / walk to and form stations. Using a taxi / train combination the travel time may be similar – but inconvenient.

Use of conference calls / remote demos – yes definitely an alternative, but ‘face to face’ is an absolute requirement at some point to clinch most business deals.

]]> By: Simon Black http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-20 Simon Black Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:12:03 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-20 Public transport involves lots of waiting around & outside of London means taxis for the last bit anyway. I always use public transport for meetings in London - congestion & high parking costs being the main drivers for this decision. And to be fair a regular train service to Harpenden from London. Personally I'm not a fan of web demos as people still buy people & nothing beats face to face where that is concerned. However if I knew the person that might be different. Having said that they are a good way of doing a demo of a low value sale at low cost to ACL, my time being the biggest cost. I'm not sure our customers are ready for web demos; it would be better if there was teleconference where we could see each other as well as hear and see the screen. There just too much non verbal communication going on! Public transport involves lots of waiting around & outside of London means taxis for the last bit anyway. I always use public transport for meetings in London – congestion & high parking costs being the main drivers for this decision. And to be fair a regular train service to Harpenden from London.

Personally I’m not a fan of web demos as people still buy people & nothing beats face to face where that is concerned. However if I knew the person that might be different. Having said that they are a good way of doing a demo of a low value sale at low cost to ACL, my time being the biggest cost.

I’m not sure our customers are ready for web demos; it would be better if there was teleconference where we could see each other as well as hear and see the screen. There just too much non verbal communication going on!

]]> By: Grania Duffy http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/how-to-create-1-ton-of-c02-in-a-week/#comment-19 Grania Duffy Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:45:05 +0000 http://carbonexperiment.wordpress.com/?p=20#comment-19 I have no problem using Conf calls etc when appropriate but I think some customers may view this as them not being important enough to come and physically see them. We could potentially use web cam so at least you can get visuals in the meeting but again not many companies would have these facilities on site I don’t think. I have no problem using Conf calls etc when appropriate but I think some customers may view this as them not being important enough to come and physically see them. We could potentially use web cam so at least you can get visuals in the meeting but again not many companies would have these facilities on site I don’t think.

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