November 9, 2012
In the WordPress community, Face to Face Meetings are Critical
There's nothing wrong with virtual relationships, but trust is developed when you meet face to face.
As I flew away from the Pressnomics conference today, I was struck by the obvious. But to tell you the whole story, let me back up a bit.
I wanted Something & Didn't Get It
Months ago I was looking for the perfect membership plugin. You can read all about my findings, or even look for an upcoming post where I review two more (Groups for WooCommerce and Premise). I came upon Paid Memberships Pro and was delighted. But I really wanted some additional features. So I wrote the developer, Jason Coleman - of Stranger Studios (the folks behind the plugin). He mentioned it would be something they were tackling later. Then after a few months I asked again and it sounded like it had fallen off the priority list.
I Could've Bought It...but didn't
I really didn't have a problem with that at all, but I was interested in knowing what he might charge me to build in the feature. So he gave me a quote. But I didn't pull the trigger. You know why? Because I didn't know him. I liked his code. I liked his site. But I didn't know him, and therefore, I didn't have trust built up with him. So I passed.
And Now I Will
This past week I spent Wednesday evening and all of Thursday in Phoenix at a WordPress business conference called Pressnomics. I met Jason in person. We spent no more than an hour or two hanging out. But that face to face meeting was all I needed. As I flew away to my next conference, I thought to myself - I'm going to send that guy money and get my feature built.
And that's when the realization hit me - nothing builds trust more than a face to face meeting.
Like I said, I was going to share the obvious. But it was worth stating - if only to remind you to jump on a plane, get in a car, or just get up from your chair and make your way to see someone in person. The trust comes quickly when you can connect in person.
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About the Author
Chris Lema has spent twenty-five years in tech leadership, product development, and coaching. He builds AI-powered tools that help experts package what they know, build authority, and create programs people pay for. He writes about AI, leadership, and motivation.
