How do you communicate with industry experts?

1 Identify your goals

Before you reach out to an industry expert, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve from the interaction. Do you want to learn from their experience, ask for their opinion, seek their guidance, or request their collaboration? Depending on your goals, you will need to tailor your message, tone, and expectations accordingly. For example, if you want to learn from their experience, you might ask them to share their best practices, challenges, and lessons learned. If you want to seek their guidance, you might ask them to review your proposal, strategy, or portfolio and give you constructive feedback.

2 Do your research

Once you have identified your goals, you need to do some research on the industry expert you want to communicate with. Find out their background, expertise, achievements, interests, and current projects. This will help you to craft a personalized and relevant message that shows your respect and appreciation for their work. It will also help you to avoid asking questions that are too basic, too vague, or too intrusive. For example, if you want to ask for their opinion on a market trend, you might mention how you came across their analysis, report, or article on the topic and what you found interesting or useful.

3 Be polite and concise

When you contact an industry expert, you need to be polite and concise. Remember that they are busy and have many demands on their time and attention. Therefore, you need to be respectful of their availability and preferences. Use a professional and courteous tone, introduce yourself and your purpose, and get to the point quickly. Avoid sending long, rambling, or irrelevant messages that waste their time or annoy them. For example, if you want to request their collaboration on a project, you might briefly explain the scope, benefits, and expectations of the project and ask them if they are interested and available to discuss it further.

4 Follow up and follow through

After you communicate with an industry expert, you need to follow up and follow through. This means that you need to thank them for their time, attention, and input, and show them that you value their contribution. You also need to keep them updated on the progress, outcomes, and results of your communication. For example, if they gave you some advice, feedback, or referrals, you might let them know how you implemented, applied, or contacted them and what impact they had on your business or project. This will help you to build trust, rapport, and credibility with them and encourage future communication.

5 Join industry associations and resources

One of the best ways to communicate with industry experts is to join industry associations and resources that cater to commercial real estate professionals. These can include trade groups, networks, forums, newsletters, podcasts, webinars, events, and publications. By joining these associations and resources, you can access a wealth of information, knowledge, and opportunities that can help you learn, grow, and connect with industry experts. You can also participate in discussions, debates, and Q&A sessions that can showcase your expertise, curiosity, and enthusiasm. For example, if you join a trade group, you might attend their meetings, workshops, and conferences and network with other members, speakers, and guests.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?