Looking for Leads?
Try the Portland Chamber of Commerce

By Kate O'Neill

Generating new leads on a regular basis is critical, particularly when the job market is tight. Cold calling can be quite useful, but many technical communicators dread the process of making 10 to 20 such phone calls each day, and the ratio of calls to leads can be disheartening. Besides, you make the best progress when you actually stand in front of someone and connect with them in conversation. But how can you meet the people you'd otherwise be cold calling?

One obvious approach is to attend STC meetings, but many of the people you'll want to make contact with aren't technical communicators-maybe they're VPs of Engineering, or maybe you need to get to know marketing executives. Whatever your target audience, there's a good chance they'll be attending meetings with the Portland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

While the Portland Chamber may not be an obvious resource for technical communicators, they have a Technology Program committee and sponsor several events each month with themes relevant to our profession. For example, each month, the TechConnect program deals with technology solutions, and the Tech2Tech event allows high-tech professionals the chance to network with each other. Many of these programs are free or very inexpensive, and you can register for them online at the Chamber's Web site: www.pdxchamber.org/.

From my own experience, I can tell you that, at a recent Chamber event, I met and developed a good rapport with a business leader who was on my list of cold calls for the very next day. At the same event, I met someone who runs a business leads exchange group, and he invited me to the group's holiday lunch the next day. That lunch proved to be another terrific source of new leads.

Networking in person just seems to have this domino effect, and the advantage of networking at Portland Chamber events is that they really draw local business leaders. You may find yourself chatting with the CEO of the company where you just sent a resume.

Naturally, if you find that the Chamber generates income for you, you should consider joining. Information on Portland Chamber membership is on their Web site, or you can discuss membership with a Chamber representative at one of their events.

Kate O'Neill is a freelance technical and commercial writer who recently left the Portland area and is now living in Chicago. She can be reached at kate@kathleen.net.