As a conscientious accounts manager, I of course track my calls, e-mails, etc. I also pay special attention to how someone found out about Video Labs and me. Recently, I thought more about that, and I decided to do some research.

I looked at my contact log for a recent typical week. I average about 200 e-mails and 50 phone calls with established and prospective clients a week. Video Labs is located in Rockville, Maryland, USA which is just outside of Washington, DC. Yes, many of the people contacting me are within the Mid-Atlantic region, but my interaction with people beyond our area has been increasing — almost exponentially. In the particular week I reviewed, I heard from people as far flung as Bath, England, Boston, Chicago, Austin, Montana, Tennessee, Portland, and Lagos, Nigeria. On top of that, I contracted with a vendor in British Columbia, Canada, and after-hours one night, I joined a marketing webinar that was hosted by someone in New Zealand. I guess I qualify as a full participant in Tom Friedman’s “The World is Flat” paradigm. I find it most energizing.

Yes, many of the client inquiries from outside my region were generated by searches on Google. But then again, upon closer examination, I also saw that several of those far-away inquiries were actually generated by referrals. For example, the Austin inquiry came to me through a referral from a good friend with whom I went to graduate school. We have remained in touch over the years and continue to rely on each other for advice, etc. My guess is that 20 years ago, my friend probably would not have given my name to his colleague in Texas, because there would have been a hesitance to do business with someone located “so far away.” What’s different today . . . and more importantly, what’s the same?

Thomas Friedman answers this well in his book. The mind-boggling advances in technology have allowed my friend and his referral to feel “comfortable” now with the distance between us. But just as important was the time-honored concept of what a referral implies. In other words, the connection still depended on the mutual trust between my friend and me.

This was a reminder to me that in sales, technology can open a lot of doors, but in the end, it’s still trust and dependable customer service that gets one through the door.

Perhaps you have an example of how today’s web technology has changed – or not changed – your business. I’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail me at dryan@videolabs.net

And be sure to check out the “Ask Chris” and “Ask Leslye” tech posts here on DavidRyanMediaSolutions.com!