Business Word

Schmoozing for Profit
Choose Your Event Carefully, then Start Working the Room

by Peter Zvalo

In the fall 2000 issue of this column, we examined the importance of keeping an eye out for leads with existing clients. In the good ol’ days of seemingly limitless corporate spending where one project often led to multiple projects with the same client, this was a cheap and effective way of securing a steady income. In two short years, however, the fortunes of many high-tech companies have all but dried up, making the job of marketing technical documentation services more challenging than ever. If your current clients no longer have any requirements for you, your only option is to look to greener pastures. But where do you start?

One way to expand your existing client base is to network. Schmoozing may not be for everyone, but for extroverts who like to meet new people in a variety of social situations, it can be both lucrative and fun. The key is to know with whom to schmooze, that is, people and organizations that might need your services and have the money to pay for them. Otherwise, you might as well be partying with your high school pals at your parents’ cottage.

Technical writers who want to expand their horizons can become members of various organizations that cater to other professional communicators or professions that rely on documentation (which can encompass a broad spectrum of specialties ranging from health sciences to emergency preparedness). Most technical writers, for instance, are familiar with the Society for Technical Communication (STC). Joining this group entitles you to attend their annual national conference (usually in the United States), as well as smaller meetings and courses offered by local chapters. STC membership is valuable not only because of the knowledge that you can acquire from other writers and editors, but because it shows potential clients that you are serious about what you do. This image can be enhanced if you can actually teach something to other writers by being a speaker at an STC conference.

Beyond the STC, every major city has a myriad of professional and trade associations that hold conferences, workshops, trade shows, and other networking venues that might be a source of potential clients. The challenge is to narrow the scope of your participation at such events to those that are most likely to want to hear what a technical communicator has to offer.

In Ottawa, for example, there are numerous possibilities for a technical writer to promote one’s skills and expertise, and meet potential clients. In this market, a smart consultant focuses on the public sector, in particular the federal government. This is especially true during the post-high-tech boom, for the simple reason that public sector spending is largely unaffected by economic bad times.

Among the biggest trade events in Ottawa is the annual Government Technology Exhibition, known as GTEC. This event features exhibits of information technology (IT) products and services, and brings together program managers and top technical minds from all levels of government and the private sector. The aim is to share knowledge and discuss strategies for harnessing the power of IT to improve government operations and service delivery in the public sector. When you consider that the public sector in Canada spends about $5 billion annually on IT products and services, and the current focus on offering government services online (GOL), it would be foolhardy for a technical writer to not want to get in on some of the action.

Other potential networking opportunities include the following:

• Canadian Information Professionals Society (CIPS) holds periodic events aimed at federal government IT professionals.
• Society for Computer Office Automation Professionals (SCOAP) holds events monthly for knowledge management professionals.
• Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario (HRPAO) holds periodic events aimed at human resources managers.
• Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) holds monthly events aimed at high-tech professionals, as well as an annual trade show.
• Ottawa Life Sciences Council (OLSC) holds informal events periodically for biotechnology and health science professionals.

To attend many of these events, a membership with the sponsoring organization is often required. However, the typically nominal membership fees can more than pay for themselves if they result in winning a prize contract.

The key to networking is to find the right venues to attend, and then put your best foot forward while there. Be prepared to talk about your services from a "benefits-based" perspective; prospective clients want to know how you can help them and how you’ve helped others with similar needs in the same or related fields in the past. Listen for clues about who is spending and in what areas. By focusing your marketing efforts in the right directions, your time spent schmoozing will, with a bit of luck, pay off. At the very least you might spot yourself some free coffee and doughnuts.

Peter Zvalo is a Contributing Editor for Writer’s Block.