When I first entered the business world years ago, I continually heard the phrase, “It’s a numbers game.”  Dan Smith, my boss at the time, was primarily referring to sales and how many phone calls we should make each day --that the more calls we made, the greater the chances of selling our products and services.

When I did an informal analysis of how many calls I made in a month, I determined that my success rate was less than 2 percent. It didn’t compute with me. I have since learned that relationship development is the key.  By creating “value-exchange” relationships with a relatively small number of influential people, your success rate increases by 10 times or more. It’s also a much more pleasant experience.

With the advent of social media, some say it’s still a numbers game -- that the more tweets and posts and reach-outs you do each day, the more likely you are to be successful in developing your business and personal brand recognition. This may be true, although I don’t know that we have enough data yet to substantiate that thinking. Mind you, I do think social media is the future of communication.

But I do get how it can build your firm’s reputation and street-buzz over time.  It’s about letting people know more about you and your firm, especially when you talk about the passion you have for the work you do or for your community activities. It makes a lot more sense than smiling and dialing. Sorry, Dan.