8 How to Sell Yourself
a penny apiece. What there was of an upper middle class could
buy a new car for $500. That was big bucks then. That was the
time when the voice was the critical communication tool. Radio
was the mass-communication medium. The political candidate
boomed his message from the rear observation car of the train.
Then, without warning, the industrial revolution evolved into the
technological revolution.
Today, everyone around us seems to be carrying a personal
palm-sized telephone. The laptop computer is almost a required
piece of carry-on luggage. The beeper makes civilized conversa-
tion nearly impossible. It seems that nothing is out of technologi-
cal reach.
But somehow, there has never been anything to replace the
handshake, the hug, and the “hello.” Face-to-face communication
is still, and is likely always to be, irreplaceable. Whether it’s one-
on-one or one with a group, the personal touch is a powerhouse.
The keyboard will never be a complete substitute for the hu-
man face, body, and voice. Yes, the machine can take us into new
adventures, but if it ever actually replaces our interpersonal rela-
tionships, we will have become machines ourselves. Robots. Me-
chanical replicas of human beings.
The child in school won’t become a better person because
there’s a computer at every desk in the classroom. Loving, caring,
giving, sharing parents, teachers, and administrators will always
produce a better-quality next generation. A mouse will never re-
place a mom. Not even a Disney mouse.
There was a time when I believed that teleconferencing would
put airlines and hotels out of business. I’d have bet money on it. I
wasn’t thinking straight. In fact, not even the horrendous Septem-
ber 11, 2001 disaster could stop people from wanting to “work the
crowd” at meetings, conventions, seminars, and retreats. I’m more
convinced than ever that it’s even more important that we do some
essential things together. In the same room. At the same time.
Networking in the form of personal contact will never go out of
style.
Many companies that decided to save money by selling to old
customers via phone, fax, and modem soon realized that their
sales and bottom lines were getting killed by the competitor who
kept the sales force in the field calling on the client. Whether it