We live in the internet age and it is all about e-mail, chats, and instant messaging. Between the computer, the fax and the telephone, it is possible to do business without ever having to meet in person. I do not think all this technology is without a downside, however, and I still maintain that nothing beats face-to-face for efficiency and good communication.
I think that face-to-face meetings and sales pitches can be much more time efficient (once you actually get the meeting arranged) because you can have a full conversation. With e-mail, we send one, wait for a reply, and then have to answer back again. Even an on-line chat can have interruptions and we cannot actually see the body language of the person we are talking to or negotiating with.
A face-to-face meeting allows us to make an overall impression and often come to an agreement or conclusion in a short amount of time. Additionally, if we have actual products to sell, we can show them to people and they can feel, smell, and examine the product instead of just looking at a one-dimensional picture. Plus, there is the possibility that the customer or client could actually walk away with marketing materials or the product instead of waiting for it to be sent to them.
Of course, face-to-face meetings are not always possible and they are certainly not logistical in international businesses or those where we depend on the mail or internet to share information. Whenever we can arrange for a face-to-face meeting, however, it may be well worth the extra coordination so that we have a real, personal, interaction with the other person in real time. We may be able to walk away with a sale or negotiate a contract much more efficiently than we would via phone, mail or internet AND we will probably experience a much more personal connection in the process.