How To Meet People in My Industry

This article is going to be a little more practical. We are going to look at specific ways you can meet people in your industry. These tips come from my experience.

I started my career about the time that the internet was introduced to the public. This was also before cell phones. Lucky for you it is much easier now.

If you are looking to meet more people in person, it helps to pick your spot. Borrowing a military term we are looking for a "target-rich environment"—a place where you are likely to encounter a lot of people in your industry.

When I first started in business you would see me attending nearly every local event where I could meet people. These were not "target-rich environments" but I didn’t know any better back then. Often none of the people at the event were in my industry, but occasionally I would talk to someone who knew someone… This is inefficient but I did meet interesting people that I added to my people network.

The best online tool we have now is probably LinkedIn. I can search for people in my industry by title and even city, although some of these features require a paid version.

When I found someone, I would often send them a SHORT inquiry telling them why I was approaching them. Sometimes it was simply, "I am trying to meet more people in my industry." The response rate to these inquiries was about 1 out of 8.

You can also find people you want to meet and see what groups they belong to. I noticed that people in my profession locally attended a robotics club meeting. I had some interest in robots anyway, so I joined the group.

On LinkedIn, connecting with people who are connected to the people you want to meet also gives you a potential path to an introduction.

Another approach is to attend conferences, conventions and seminars where you would expect people in your industry to be. Think about what you are going to say beforehand and approach people. One thing I learned is that you usually will want to meet the attendees more than the speakers or vendors. If you are on a budget, sometimes you can request a list of attendees.

If you attended a college or university, attend their events. Think of the people you went to school with. Obviously, work would be another place.

You might not be great at "working a room" at events. I found it easier to introduce myself and ask what a person does.

It depends on what industry you are in, but there might be published experts or professors to connect with. I have approached a couple of authors who wrote business books I enjoyed and received a response.

You can:

<w:t xml:space="preserve">Ask people you already know who they know.

<w:t xml:space="preserve">Join a professional association.

<w:t xml:space="preserve">Volunteer for a professional organization or event.

<w:t xml:space="preserve">Participate in social media discussions about your industry.

<w:t>Take a class or continuing education course.

Meeting someone is only the beginning. If you have a good conversation, follow up. Send a short note and mention something you discussed.

We sometimes forget that while we are working to meet more people professionally, most professionals are doing the same.

Don't assume people won't want to talk with you. They are looking to meet new people too.