Turning Freight Network Meetings into Gold for Your Company

Gary Dale Cearley Explains how to get the Most out of International Meetings

[ClickPress, Tue Nov 08 2005] Hong Kong – It seems that every time you turn around these days there is a new freight forwarders network pumping for membership. There are more networks for independent freight forwarding companies now than ever before and the trend does not seem to stop. At the end of the day the greatest value of a network is found in the individual members of the group, but most of the time this cannot be tapped until the members have met face-to-face. This is where the great importance of attending the international network meetings is derived.

Gary Dale Cearley, executive director of Aeroceanetwork, a well known non-exclusive network for independent professional freight forwarders around the world offers good advice for making the most of network meetings.

Think Strategically from the Start

“Getting the most out of the network meeting starts even well before the meeting does,� says Gary Dale, “First of all you should have a look at the attendee list and think strategically about who you want to meet.� This could range from new companies who you would like to form new relationships with to companies you already know and would like to discuss on going business. Cearley also advises companies that are bringing more than one attendee to these meetings to work together to decide which companies they will be meeting with so they maximize the amount of people they see and minimize any potential overlap.

Come Prepared!

When going to network meetings it is always important to bring company brochures, whether in physical form or by cd, as well as any power point presentations and standard marketing materials that might be of interest to potential partners. But is this enough? Gary Dale says that companies that come with more than just their standard brochures get far more out of the meetings. “Forwarders should bring their tariffs and rates and write ups on any important services that might not be covered in a general brochure,� says Cearley, “This will help potential partners see right away new business possibilities with you and also will give them a feeling that you are organized and want their business and sometimes business can be done right then and there at the meeting.�

Also extremely important in preparation is having sales leads in hand. “I cannot overestimate the value of coming to these meetings with highly qualified and complete sales leads,� says Cearley, “I would advise having a meeting with sales and customer service staff in advance to glean as many of these as possible. Qualified sales leads bring quality business.�

Take Notes

During speaker presentations and during one-to-one meetings make sure to take plenty of meaningful notes. This will help in the evaluation of the meeting later, will be a record for later reference and also helps attendees to focus their thinking.

Get to Know the New Contacts Socially

Gary Dale notes that this is a very important point. If the meetings are well organized there will be several opportunities to socialized with the other attendees. Take every opportunity! Most meetings will have cocktail mixers, sit down dinners, and coffee breaks which will give chances to mingle. “Even if you are naturally an introvert, put that past you for network meetings,� says Gary Dale. He also recommends staying at the same hotel as the conferences when possible. “This provides more time to bump into one another informally,� adds Cearley.

The Follow Up

After the meetings are done and you have gone home the work doesn’t stop there. “Successful networkers always follow up on the sales leads they have passed along, they chase up on the sales leads they have received and they keep potential members updated in any changes to information they may have handed over during the meeting, such as changes in cargo rates or services,� says Cearley, “Veterans know that if you don’t do this you are wasting your time.� Gary Dale also notes that it is easy to weed out good potential partners right after the network meetings by putting the people they met into two broad categories: Those who followed up and those who didn’t.

“Companies who take the network meetings seriously through their attendance, preparation, socialization and follow up will always do well from the meetings,� remarked Cearley, “They will come back home with solid business in hand every time and they will grow good long-term business.�

Related Websites:
http://www.aeroceanetwork.com

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