Someone will talk with you. Even if you end up talking to someone in personnel, you will begin to find out valuable information. Reading trade magazines and newspapers is another source of potential contacts. Authors of articles and those featured in articles are potential contacts. If you have done a thorough analysis of an article or profile and convey that knowledge in a letter, you might be surprised by the kind of positive response you get.
Every industry has one or a number of professional associations or clubs.
Membership in these clubs or participation in meetings is often open. Go to these meetings and talk to the people there. They will be impressed by your interest and dedication. You will add their names to your contact list. Trade shows and conventions can be fertile contact-making territory.