Networking Online: How To Set Up Virtual Meetings

The year is 2019, and you’ve just returned from INTA in Boston in May with contacts of attorneys around the world. A few of these contacts have brought you a case for your firm, and for the rest that haven’t, you’ve still managed to forge great friendships and memories. You can’t contain your excitement for INTA next year - the one great opportunity to build your network and cultivate your international client base - until you’re told that the pandemic will put a pause on all physical conferences.

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Fear not! The alternative of setting up virtual meetings is quite straightforward and to be candid, much more efficient in terms of cost and energy. So how would you go about setting up a virtual conference? We suggest the following general outline.

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1. Identify firms you want to network with through online directories.
   

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If you are unsure of which firms you should contact, online directories give you the contact information of all participants, so you already have the means to reach the recipients of your email! However, contacting every single person seems a bit of an overkill. Perhaps a good start to narrowing down your target firms would be to target countries that receive the most work from your jurisdiction, or even better, specific firms that receive the most work from your jurisdiction and are eager for reciprocity. IP business development tools like WeCrest can easily help you identify your target audience.

Another way to find email addresses online would be to download and use the free Google Chrome extension hunter.io, which helps you find email addresses on any website in a matter of seconds. Simply go to your target firm’s website and click on their little orange wolf icon on the top right corner of your browser.

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2. Craft a few “get to know you” email templates that you can customize for specific firms. A few tips on how to write a good email:

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It seems utterly unfair that some people possess the gift of crafting great professional emails, while others require years of excruciating email-writing experience to finally understand the gist. Thankfully, we’ve put together some best practices.

• If you want to quickly contact multiple IP firms at once and track email open or click rates, you can use email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or ConvertKit. Generally, you can use placeholders to personalize multiple emails at once. Another option is the WeCrest email platform, which comes equipped with multiple customizable email templates for your perusal.

• Be transparent and personal. Keep the email short and sweet. Introduce yourself and your firm, and let them know your intentions of networking with them since conferences and business trips are not possible. If you need some help getting started, get access to 3 complimentary sample templates here.

• The importance of having a clear call to action (CTA) is often overlooked. By including clear and powerful CTAs, you will be able to lead your contact into your desired response. Use powerful, emotionally charged words to accentuate how your proposal brings THEM benefit. Read more about crafting CTAs here.

• If you want to set up your calls with your contact, you may want to consider using scheduling platforms or video conference tools. Some popular platforms include:

1. Zoom
2. Google Meet
3. Microsoft Teams
4. Skype
5. Calendly is a calendar tool that easily identifies available slots amid time differences and conflicting work commitments. Calendly is extremely useful in that it is synced with your work / personal calendar schedule.

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3. Send your email and await the response!
   

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Of course, it would be ideal if your contacts responded to you right away. In the case you feel that your email has been accidentally buried in their inbox, send them a gentle reminder to follow-up reaffirming your intentions to connect. This article provides a helpful understanding of crafting your follow-up emails.

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Need a sample email template to help you get started?

Contact us and we’ll send you 3 free email templates to your inbox! (Please specify this in your message)