Using Professional Associations to meet people

Ask Cath aims to answer your Business Networking questions.

Dear Cath

In July, I will be presenting a paper at an international conference in San Diego, California, USA. How can I use my Professional Association to connect with people in the local area?

Kind regards

Name withheld

Aerospace Engineer, Germany

Dear Aerospace Engineer

One of the great benefits of Professional Associations is their ability to connect you with like-minded and relevant people in other geographic areas. Contact the membership director of relevant associations and ask for an introduction to the type of members that you want to meet. Be specific with your needs, e.g. you are hoping to meet other aerospace engineers in Southern California, or you want to meet members that are attending the same conference, etc. If you are a member of the same association, they may let you post an announcement of your talk on their LinkedIn or Facebook page.

Remember to be gracious and polite, as it is you that is asking a favour, give them enough time to act, and send an email thanking them afterwards.

It is also a good opportunity to find a new association to join! And don't be surprised if they try to recruit you to their club.

If you like, I can arrange an introduction to Women in Aerospace in the USA on your behalf. They have always been very helpful.

Kind regards

Cath

Send your networking questions to Ask Cath at connecting@networkingfor.com

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What is the best way to manage business cards after a conference?

Ask Cath aims to answer your Business Networking questions.

Dear Cath

What is the best way to manage the business cards and contact information that I receive at a conference?

Kind regards

Stephanie Bednarek

Vice President for Programs

Women in Aerospace

Dear Stephanie

It is very difficult to manage all of the business cards and follow up that is required after a conference. Most people that I know, especially those that attend a lot of conferences and networking functions, have little piles of business cards on their desks that began with good intentions, but are now ignored – or they get filed without action. Over the years, I have tried different methods of managing business cards, with varied amounts of success and have finally found a method that works well – I find it liberating!

I followed these steps:

1. Invested in a card-scanning app for my mobile phone.  I choose WorldCard Mobile because it had good reviews. I am not endorsing the product and it works with varying degrees of accuracy.

2. Scanned my cards before I got home from the conference. During this trip, I received 110 new cards and was able to scan them all during breaks at the conference, at the airport lounge, and on the airplane. It was a bit of an effort and required some discipline.

3. Was selective about the information collected: Name, Position, Company, and email address only. All other information I ignored because I hardly ever use it. Also, the scanning software was more accurate with this information because it is usually prominently displayed on the cards. If I had corrected addresses, etc, I would not have finished before I got home and I probably would have given up.

4. The first business day back, I sync’d the phone with the computer and sorted the physical cards by priority. I do not have any actions for people that do not give me a business card unless they email their details afterwards.

5. Sent thank you notes/emails to the people that attended my seminar, to the panel from my talk at the conference, and to the organisers.

6. Sent quasi-generic emails to all of the contacts that I do not intend on contacting regularly. The email was easily customized with a few words and personally addressed. Then I filed the cards. First 100 done! 

7. Worked through the 10-15 high priority contacts. These take more time and I am adding their full contact details to the database. They get my full attention and follow-up.

I feel liberated because there is no pile of cards sitting on my desk awaiting my attention. Because all of the email addresses were waiting in my address book, I have followed up all my new contacts within two days. The best part is that I was able to spend my first days back sending follow-up emails, not trying to enter contact data. 

Now I am busy following-up and turning the best new contacts into relationships.

I hope you can make use of these tips and adapt them to your own system.

Kind regards

Cath

Send your networking questions to Ask Cath at connecting@networkingfor.com

Editor's note: letters will be edited for length and content before posting.

Do I really need business cards?

Ask Cath aims to answer your Business Networking questions.

Dear Cath

After 25 years as a scientist, I am wondering if I really need business cards. The people who know me already have my details and it feels like the only new people I meet are sales people and pharmaceutical reps who want my details so they can pester me later.

What do you think?

Warm regards

Senior Scientist, Erasmus University

Dear Senior Scientist

It is customary to have business cards to hand out in meetings and at conferences. In some countries, especially in Asia, it is essential because your business card is seen as an extension of yourself. If you do not have a card, people could be offended and may think that you do not want to know them. Your business cards should be crisp and clean, accurate, and up-to-date.

In business networking, business cards do more than impart contact details. They make it easier for people to learn your name, especially if they are from a different culture, give people clues about you that they can use as conversation openers, and provide a physical reminder of meeting you. Some people manage physical information better than electronic data, so a card helps them remember you better than receiving an email with your details.

It is entirely up to you who gets to have your business cards so if you don’t want sales people to contact you later, don’t give them your card (although, if they are good sales people, they will not need a business card to find your details).

Why don’t you use the printing of your next batch of business cards as a catalyst refresh your network? Try to meet the next generation of scientists that are making their mark on your field of research, find new students, or try to find new companies interested in funding your projects. Make it an experiment. Maybe the next person you give your card to will give you the inspiration for a breakthrough!

Thanks for your email.

Cath

Dear Readers

What do you think? Should Senior Scientist continue using business cards?

Cath

Send your networking questions to Ask Cath at connecting@networkingfor.com

Editor's note: letters will be edited for length and content before posting.

"Ask Cath" will answer your Business Networking questions

Just like an ‘Agony Aunt’ in a newspaper, Ask Cath aims to answer your Business Networking questions.

Here we post networking questions from our readers and Cath does her best to answer them. Read the letters, read Cath's advice, and post your own tips and advice. Together we can solve our networking dilemmas.

Send your networking questions to Ask Cath at connecting@networkingfor.com.

Editor's note: letters will be edited for length and content before posting.