San Frantastic

Since I moved to the East Coast nearly 3 years ago, I’ve spent a large amount of time onsite with clients on the West Coast. There was a point where I spent more time in California that I did in New Jersey. Much of that time with clients was really just me, solo, no team, that’s it. Things have balanced out a bit this past year, so I haven’t been in California as much.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend time with some very special clients and realized just how important that face time is with clients. Beyond the Zoom video calls, the personal connection, over coffee, lunch, dinner or drinks, is really valuable. Not only do you learn through the conversations you have, but you learn through the experiences you share, and the relationships you solidify. Prior to this recent trip, I hadn’t met one person IRL with this particular client. I had only spent countless hours on the phone, slack or Zoom with them.

I can’t tell you how amazing it was to meet every single hire I made for them, and now every single hire my team has made for them. It’s an amazing feeling, recanting the journey you took with the candidates before they become new hires. An even more amazing feeling was hearing from my clients how they felt about the DotConnect team I assembled to support their growth. I went into the meetings feeling overall positive but unsure of what to expect or how to react if things weren’t going well. I was blown away when I heard nothing but praise for the DotConnect team, and the value they’ve brought in such a short time with this client. We are trusted Talent Advisors with strong partnerships with this client, so much so, that it felt like we are all on the same team. Seamlessly integrated with the client and operating as a cohesive unit. I mean, we even got to sing Karaoke with them. I am beaming with pride and can’t even put into words how this feels inside.

This is the magic.