The number
one reason many people attend a tradeshow or conference is for
the opportunity to network with other professionals in their industry.
This is true for the simple reason that people love to get together
and discuss the latest developments, either learning something
that they can put to use or sharing information with someone else.
Of course
going to these events can cost a considerable amount of money,
especially if a company is sending a number of people. But, the
Internet has provided all of us with a creative (and virtually
free) way to get around the cost of networking-forums.
Forums, which
are usually devoted to a specific topic (for instance, powder
coating), are places where people can network on the Internet.
Forum users can discuss anything related to the forum's topic.
In a powder coating forum, users could ask a question about the
best powder for use in an outdoor environment or talk about industry
trends and new products being developed. Just like networking
at industry tradeshows and conferences, forums put you in touch
with people from the industry, allowing you to gain valuable insights
that you would have not discovered on your own.
I am big
fan of the Grateful Dead. In college I began collecting bootleg
CDs of the band's live performances. However, there were only
four people I knew in school that also collected these CDs. In
a short time, all of us had the same CDs and could no longer trade
with each other. Then I found several forums that centered around
the trading of Grateful Dead CDs. These forums put me into contact
with people I would never have met otherwise. And, the other forum
users taught me a lot about what shows to trade for and general
trading protocol. While I never met any of the users face to face,
I got to know them quite well.
While the
example is not business related, it gets my point across. Forums
put you in contact with people that you might not otherwise meet.
These people can expand the knowledge base you work from. Instead
of dealing with just your traditional business contacts, you can
interact with hundreds or thousands of people that have similar
interests.
So, finishers
and suppliers check out the forums
at www.pfonline.com. Answer a question or ask one of your own.
Make it a requirement that your technical people and sales people
check out the forums and answer questions. Be of service to the
industry. You might even generate new business.
