With the pandemic disrupting our way of life and the way we do business for close to a year now, many of us are really missing face-to-face interactions with others in the industry. With most live events and conferences planned since last spring cancelled, postponed or converted to virtual formats, the opportunities to speak to friends and other business owners in the industry in person have dwindled or disappeared. While this makes it a lot more challenging to keep up with what’s going on in the industry, especially in other parts of the country or world, it certainly doesn’t make it impossible.
Why is it important to stay in touch? Informal, casual conversations are often where we learn the most about what’s really going on in the industry, where we notice trends, and where we get ideas that we might want to try ourselves. Staying in touch with others facing similar challenges also reinforces that we are not alone and that we all are facing many of the same obstacles.
Here are some tips for maintaining valuable connections and even strengthening bonds with others in the pallet and lumber industries in 2021.
1 – Leverage Connections from Past Conferences/Events – A good place to start your quest to connect to other business leaders in the industry is to look at business cards, pamphlets, and handouts you may have saved from the last business conference, event or tradeshow you attended. Think about other businesspersons you may have spoken to or clicked with over a conversation. Then reach out to them with a quick email to gauge their interest in having a conversation over the phone. Remind them where you met and then let them know whether you’re interested in talking about a specific topic, such as a piece of equipment, or just want to catch up and gauge how business is going in their area. Also, consider connecting with persons who you might have heard speak or who gave demonstrations that you found interesting.
2 – Leverage LinkedIn Connections – If you’re on LinkedIn, this social platform can be an easy, non-intimidating way to reach out to others. For anyone who’s already one of your LinkedIn connections, you can easily message them through the platform. If you don’t have an extensive list of connections, now is a great time to start building one. Start by searching through your existing contacts’ connection lists and find others in the industry that you might want to add to your own connections. The Pallet Enterprise LinkedIn Discussion Group is a great place to network with others in the industry by posting a question, responding to questions, posting news and information, etc. Join today for FREE and see how you can leverage this resource. Visit https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8133689/.
3 – Pick Up the Phone – If you have friends in the industry that you haven’t seen in a while due to COVID restrictions or cancellations, why not pick up the phone and just give them a call. Tell them you were thinking about them and how they’ve been weathering the storm. If you’ve caught them at a busy time, ask them when it might be convenient to set aside some time so the two of you can catch up.
4 – Hold a Virtual Happy Hour – If you’re part of a group of individuals who all typically hang out together at industry conferences and tradeshows, why not set up a virtual happy hour and invite them all to join in? Virtual happy hours have become quite popular during the pandemic as a substitute for in-person social gatherings, and free meeting software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams make holding them easy. To make your virtual event more fun, ask everyone to have their favorite drink on hand, wear a favorite cap or t-shirt, or think of some other way to break the ice and make the virtual get-together fun. If everyone enjoys it and wants to do it again, consider making it a regular event, at least until things get back to normal.
5 – Attend Virtual Events / Forums – Many organizations that might typically hold live, in-person industry events are now scheduling conferences, panel discussions, and training sessions in virtual formats. Don’t discredit these as not being real events just because they lack in-person interaction. They can still be great opportunities for learning and collaborating with others in the industry.
6 –Stay Well-Read – Check websites of industry organizations and read trade publications, such as the Pallet Enterprise. Every issue provides great examples of how others in the industry are weathering the storm, and even thriving and growing their businesses during the pandemic. Chances are you’ll come across stories about other business leaders who are facing the same challenges you’re experiencing and also gain new ideas on how to overcome them.
