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Meeting the right people in your industry is a key to any business' success, especially if your business is focused on expanding. The right relationship can open new networks and channels that may be great opportunities for your business. But how do you meet the right people? Below are 5 tips to help you to get started meeting the right people for your business.
How to find the right people:
1. Networking Events - Networking events are still a great way to meet people in your region and in your industry. If you are going to a trade show, try to review the people who will be attending the trade show before you go. If you know who will be in attendance, you have a better chance of meeting the people you want to meet and of making the most of the trip. Additionally, remember to network intelligently. Distribute your business cards, and if you think the person may be able to help your business, make a genuine connection with that person. 
2. Personal Recommendations - If you know that someone in your network knows someone that you are interested in talking with, ask your contact to introduce you, and possibly help to set up a meeting. Again, focus on making a genuine connection with each party you talk with.
3. Industry Associations - Look into associations within your industry to connect with people. The people you are looking for may work with or are very involved with the association, or they may simply belong to the association. If you are not already a part of an industry association, you may want to join one. Not only will they help you to network, but they will also keep you up to date on your industry, including what your competitors are doing.
4. Social Networking - You have probably heard much about social networking sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. One of the surprising things is that sites like these can help you to build a virtual network of people in your industry. Join LinkedIn and start connecting to people you already know. You may connect with other people through these connections. Join Twitter and start Tweeting about things that you think are interesting to the people you want to connect with. Start a blog and do the same thing. Try to sort through the people who are just looking to boost their follower count, and instead are actually looking to connect. Additionally, if you are going to pursue a social networking strategy, you will want to make sure that your website is easy to use - that is where contacts and consumers will go after they make the initial contact with you to learn more about you and your company.
5. Use Your Website - What results pop up when you type the name of your most popular product into a search engine like Google or Yahoo? If it is not your website, but a competitor's website, or simply a review of your product, you might want to put some attention to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This will help to bring your website to the top of the searches. If necessary, redesign your website to make it easier for contacts and customers to understand your company and its products. If people can find your website, and can learn about your company on the website, you may not have to search for the "right people." The right people may come to you.
One important thing to remember: once you have the relationship, keep building the relationship by staying in contact. Additionally, if you do decide to develop a social networking strategy, remember that it will take a firm commitment to continue to update the Twitter stream and blogs. This content generation does not require much of your time, but it will need to be present in your mind.
Should you wait until your sales drop? When a competitor enters your region? When a supplier goes out of business? When you are ready to export? Or do you think you need to talk to someone when your revenue and profit are the highest in the last several years? Or is it when you have full market potential?
We have found that it is always a good time to talk to someone. However, that person does not need to be a high paid professional who will charge you for his or her time. There are groups of people who will listen to your concerns and may give you advice on your particular situation. Some of the most successful people are the ones who are not afraid to ask for help on issues or problems they are having.
A good place to start is with your local chamber of commerce, if you belong to one. The president usually has a fair amount of business experience. He or she may or may not have an answer to your specific problem, but he or she can point you towards someone who will help you. Also within your chamber of commerce, there may be other companies who are experiencing similar problems. If it is a local or regional issue that business owner could discuss his or her challenges with you, and may even team up with you to solve the issue or problem.
There are also government agencies and non-profits that may help you too. State and federal agencies, like The United States Department of Commerce and U.S. Commerce Services may be able to discuss the challenges with you. SCORE is a nonprofit that teams business owners with retired executives. The retired executives can work with you to help you solve veracity of problems. The Small Business Administration also offers help to small businesses.
Another place you can turn to are trade associations. There are thousands of them and they work with businesses within a particular industry. If you do not belong to one, you may want to look into joining one. They solve problems for the common good of their members. Some trade associations have conferences each year where members can network with others within their industry. These members may be your competitors, but they will talk with you. Your competitors may be having a problem that is affecting them and they want to learn from you how you handle the situation or what they are doing about it.
As an example of competitors working together to reach a common goal, we only have to think a few weeks back. When GM was eliminating dealerships, the closing dealerships came together to fight the process. While they were unsuccessful, they had a better chance of fighting GM together than they did by themselves. Some dealerships even combined their locations so they could stay open. These dealers combined staff, inventory, and sales. Competitors became allies and the businesses were stronger as a result.
You might even be able to talk with a friend or mentor. The person does not necessarily have to be in the same line of business as you. In fact, it may be good to talk to someone who knows nothing about your industry. They may see the situation in a different way, and help you find the solution you need.
Many of these resources are free, so you can get helpful advice without much of an investment. On the downside, because these resources have no cost associated with them, they may take up a great deal of your time. If you need immediate solutions, you might want to think about talking to a paid consultant.
There are few things to remember when asking for paid consultants help. Always ask for their fees are up front. Ask them what industries they have experience in, and always ask for references . Always read the fine print before you sign anything, and have some one else review the contract too. The consultants should be honest with you and if they can’t help you they need to tell you that. If you are talking to a consultant and they are selling you a product or service before they hear your problem, hang up the phone and look for some one else.
Now that you understand that your business competes not just domestically, but internationally, virtually, and environmentally, how can you use it to your advantage? You can take this knowledge to make decisions and take action to make your business more competitive in the global, Internet economy.
We have laid out a few strategies you can easily take action on to become more competitive. These strategies are fairly easy to initiate, and they can help you to reduce costs, innovate, become environmentally sustainable, empower your company and yourself, and build your network.
Reduce Costs:
This is something every business constantly tries to achieve. But are you focused on reducing the right costs? You might want to think about looking into your supply chain management options. You could work on collaborating with your suppliers to consolidate goods into fewer shipments, reduce packaging costs, and work on simplifying your process, among other strategies.
You could also cut costs by looking at the technology you use every day. Are there any programs with monthly subscription fees that you don't really use? Are there other programs that you use, and you know there are less expensive versions available? Do you have the right collaboration tools for your workforce?
Innovate:
In stiff competition, the companies that can innovate and adapt to the ever changing business environment are the ones that succeed. One way that companies innovate is through research and development. This could be as simple as surveying your customers to understand what your company could be doing better. You may spend a bit more money in the short term, but the results will pay off well into the long-term. If you focus on improving your products and services to a point where you are better than your competitors, customers will notice.
Become Environmentally Sustainable:
Environmental sustainability is not just another buzzword. In fact, the idea will grow in importance as we realize that the world's non-renewable resources are becoming scarce. Improvements that you can undertake in your own business include starting a recycling program, and building improvements that help to cut down on your use of electricity. You can also reduce your travel by taking advantage of Internet and Communication Technology to collaborate with employees and clients.
Empower Your Company and Yourself:
Gathering market intelligence on domestic, international, virtual, and environmental markets is one of the most important things you can do to empower your business. If you know what is going on in all of the various markets you compete in, and the ones you do not compete in, you can clearly define your challenges, and devise strategies to overcome those challenges.
Additionally, you can take the time to improve yourself. No one is perfect. Attend a seminar, join a professional organization, or even take some time to read case studies pertaining to your industry. Whether you are in management, sales, or HR, there are always chances to develop professionally.
Network:
How many times have you heard that "It’s not what you know, it's who you know?" Well, that model of thinking is somewhat true, especially now. Your company does not need to own manufacturing plants or distribution centers to get products to customers. You can develop a global and virtual business network to orchestrate a network of suppliers, manufacturers, and buyers. On a smaller scale, who do you know, and how can they help you to make your network more powerful?
You can even use social media like Twitter, blogs, and LinkedIn to expand your virtual network, and make your company active in the global, internet economy. Sign up for an account, build your profile, and watch how your network grows.
