Regardless of the product or service, people buy from people they know, like and trust. There’s no faster way to trust than your face.

More here on my blog about the power of face-to-face:

I agree that business travel has become challenging (middle seat, delays, security lines, and cost etc.). I also agree that tools such as web conferencing, video conferencing etc. have made it easier to connect virtually. However, there is a need for face-to-face meetings. Some of the solutions are:
- hire in locations close to customers to reduce air travel
- reduce travel but do not eliminate travel (i.e., instead of traveling to the customer site multiple times, make fewer trips)
- ensure fewer people travel (e.g., instead of the sales manager flying with the sales rep, let the rep travel alone).

In business-to-business situations there is always value in face-to-face meetings.