We hear so much about social media today, some are questioning whether common business courtesies have gone the way of the landline phone.

Not that many years ago, business was conducted in office buildings, where the prospect sat behind a desk, and you made your pitch. Business was often concluded with a handshake. Thank you notes were sent by mail, sometimes with a business card tucked inside. Contracts and other documents were sent by mail, or perhaps courier in some industries. You waited nervously for the phone to ring to find out if you got the job. In the meantime, you continued to “stuff the pipeline”, making follow-up calls and, on slow days, those dreaded cold calls. Occasionally, the boss gave you a break and sprung for tickets to a convention in another city. When the facsimile machine was first introduced, it was truly revolutionary.