5 Ways to Improve Your Networking Skills
Networking can be important for fleet managers. Connecting with peers provides you with people to reach out to for feedback on new ideas, a means to learn about equipment or techniques another fleet is using, and to provide a resource to go to who understands your job and the struggles you face.
A great way to network is by attending industry conferences – like RTA Connect 2020 – and other events. To make the most out of these situations, use these tips to improve your networking skills.
Set Goals
When attending a conference, set a goal for networking. This can include determining how many business cards you want to collect, how many peers you want to exchange contact information with, or how many vendors you want to gather information from.
Make Meaningful Connections
While setting a goal is helpful to motivate you to meet people, try to prioritize making meaningful connections. Collecting a stack of business cards can feel good but making genuine connections can be more helpful long-term. Inc.com recommends having three or four deep conversations. This will allow both you and the other person to remember each other and possibly even set up follow-up meetings or communications in the future.
Know Who Will Be There
To assist with your networking, look to see which peers, vendors and experts will be attending the event. According to Inc.com, this information is typically available by searching for the conference hashtag on social media sites. You can also use the conference app, if one is available, to look at the list of fellow attendees.
Take Advantage of Social Situations
Most conferences and events have networking opportunities built into the schedule. At RTA Connect, for example, there are networking opportunities during an extended lunch and breaks. Attendees can use these opportunities to engage in casual conversation with those at their table. You can also use these times to seek out peers or vendors you wanted to talk to. These situations allow for no-pressure networking as they are meant for socializing and you don’t have to worry about taking a person away from classes or sessions to have a conversation.
Follow Up on Social Media
After meeting someone face-to-face, you can encourage further communication by connecting with the person via social media. Since you’ve already met in-person, it can motivate the person to accept your request and to feel more comfortable communicating with you over that platform.
To learn more about RTA Connect 2020, get information here. We will be in Las Vegas March 2-6 to mark our 30th annual users’ conference.