EP 65: Stop Wasting Time at Events and Get Real Leads from the Rooms You're In
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Hey everybody, welcome back to the Acquire podcast. I'm Jenny Wright and today on the podcast we're going to get real about these in-person events that we're all attending and that you're not getting much out of. You know the ones, the conferences, the workshops, the networking mixers, the ones that you love going to but you're not leaving with any real true leads and not a plan to actually follow up. So I don't know about you, I'm not getting a

business cards from these things anymore. I'm getting LinkedIn connections. One of my friends actually has this like badge she wears around her neck and it's like a little LinkedIn. I mean, you just hold it up against a phone and it pulls up the person's LinkedIn connection. It's the coolest thing ever. And then other people use the QR code, but

Let's be honest, okay? These things are going nowhere unless you have a plan. And today we are going to make that plan so that every event you go to is something that's going to be something like it's, I'm giving you a blueprint basically that's going to turn these potentially wasted opportunities into solid leads, real connections, and something that can help you grow your business. Because honestly, I am not going to anything unless I can have a strategic plan behind it

And also something that makes me a little uncomfortable because that's where the magic happens. Okay. I went to a conference at the time that I'm recording this about a week ago and I was incredibly uncomfortable. I knew maybe, I don't know. I knew the presenter, like the person who was running it and maybe a handful of other people in the room. But for the majority, I did not know anybody else. Okay.

Okay. And, um, as an Amber verb, my battery, my people battery depletes pretty quickly. This was a full day event. It started at, uh, basically 10 o'clock and it weighed, you know, it was supposed to go until five. And so I knew that I had a whole day ahead of me and, uh, that was kind of freaking me out a little bit, but all good. I knew I was going to make the most of it and I'm going to show you how to do that. Right? So imagine that you are at a networking event or you're at a little mini conference or workshop and

it's easy to fall into that trap of that polite chat right like so what do you do or nice weather or I love what you're wearing and that's wonderful there's nothing wrong with polite chatter and and learning about people and all that but it's not memorable and you're going to just blend into everybody else you're not going to stand out if you do that and so you've got to work at being sticky you've got to work at standing out and that all comes from the introduction of

And it's something that I've had to work really hard at, but I love it. And, uh, and I like getting people's eye. If I can make somebody's eyebrows raise when I tell them what I do and have a follow-up question come at me, then great. If it's just like, oh, that's nice. Then I haven't done my job. Okay. So, and I'm, I'm talking about making yourself feel a little bit uncomfortable as well so that you stand out in a sea of completely bland introductions and

So instead of, "Hi, I'm Jenny and I'm a list build and lead generation strategist. I want you to hit them with something that makes them pause. Get their eyebrows to shoot." Okay. Try something like, "I'm Jenny and I help people stop wasting their time on social media and start building lists that actually convert." Wow. Boom. Okay. Suddenly people are interested. They want to know more. How do you do it? What does that look like? Right?

And that opens up a whole conversation. I actually, the event that I was at last week, I had that, I used that exact line. Okay. And from that, I ended up speaking to this woman who was like, can we, can we get together next week? Can we have like a virtual coffee or an in-person lunch? Because I want to talk about it. Cause I'm, I'm not doing my lead gen properly, obviously. And I think you have, um, what I need. So I've got a sales lunch.

Pretty darn cool. I'm excited. All right. You have to also engage with purpose. Okay. Once you've grabbed the attention of people, I want you to look at digging deeper. This is how you're going to create more intentional connections and conversations. I want you to ask real questions, not fluffy questions. So, you know, like what's the biggest challenge that you're facing right now in your business?

That's not nosy. It's just about showing that you actually care about the pain points that they might be experiencing. And it's how you form connections that move beyond the standard event pleasantries. Okay. Nice food, great menu, blah, blah, blah. And then make sure you take action right away.

I, I like, Oh, let's connect on LinkedIn or like, where do you like to play? Are you on LinkedIn or Instagram? Right. Uh, I'd love to connect. So yes, that's like standard. Everybody does that, but suggest maybe something a little bit further. Like I absolutely have something that I think could help with the problem that you just told me you had. Um, how about I send that to you?

I'll do it over LinkedIn or Instagram, wherever you like to play, and I'll send it to you after the event. Make it clear that you're not just about collecting people's info, but you're actually going to add value. And then because I take transit to most of these events on purpose, as opposed to driving,

On my way home on the subway and the bus, I usually have anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. I do all of my follow-up then. I don't, uh, cause if I drive, I can't do it. And as soon as they get home, I'm too tired. Okay. And it's dinner and all that kind of stuff. So on my transit ride on the way home, and that might not be feasible for everybody, but

you might have to drive and that's totally okay, but make sure that you take the time to connect. So I've actually, uh, and don't do during the lunch breaks or don't do it during the networking opportunities, because then you look like you're just sitting at your desk working or on your phone and you look like you're pulling away from people instead of connecting with people. So find a dedicated time to do it. Okay. But take action right away. Uh,

Make sure it's the same day or early the next day and connect with those people because everybody's just going to, you know, forget going forward. Right. And then again, I mean, this seems totally normal to say, but the fortune is in the follow up, but you got to do it right. So forget generic follow ups. You need to personalize to create connection and also to be sticky again.

99% of everybody who goes to conferences fails at this. Okay. They don't follow up if worse. And they do follow up. It's the nice to meet you email, which is so bland. Okay. And it's not going to cut it.

So make sure you create personalized connection. Again, the event that I went to last week, the keynote speaker was amazing. Okay. She was absolutely amazing. And I'm actually pulling up her Instagram as I'm talking because she was that cool. And I want to talk about her. And I'm just pulling her up.

So let me just grab her and be able to talk about it. Okay. So the keynote speaker at the event last week was Yvette Raposo. She was the first female boxing ring announcer in Canada.

She's very cool. Okay. And so after the conference was over, um, I made sure to go and say, hi, tell her how amazing her presentation was, but everybody was telling her how her presentation was. How am I going to stand out to this person? Because honestly, I just, I just want to connect with her because I think she's cool, but she might know people. She might know, you know,

Who knows? Right. I just don't know yet. And so in a personalized connection with her, I obviously got her LinkedIn and everything. I also got her Instagram and I was like, you know, it was really cool. Like in person, I was like, it's really cool talking to you. I relate to a lot of the story that you were telling, uh, you know, and I related that to the fact that I used to be competitive in horseback riding, right. And eventing and jumping. Yeah.

And how I used to get like, you know, I've had broken ribs and I've broken my toes and my fingers and I've fractured this, that and the other. Right. So and there's a lot of like injuries and bruising and boxing. So it caught a retention. And then what I made sure to do is, again, this was on my way home, but you could do it at a different time is I actually followed up.

And I followed up with, you know, it was really amazing chatting with you, talking about, you know, getting you in front of different audiences because she was looking to speak more in the States, make some more money that way. And I've been thinking about what we talked about and, you know, I've got some potential support or resources coming that way. Right. I've got a couple ideas.

Uh, and then I made sure to create some really good value with that person when I was talking to them. And also in my followup, I still have to deliver a bit more on my followup with that person. So Yvette, if you're listening, it's coming. Uh, it should have come in the past at this point, but it'll be there. Um, and if you promise to send them resources, make sure you do it, make them personalized, make sure it's relevant. Don't sound something generic, um,

Right. Uh, obviously, you know, somebody like, um, that doesn't need to build up her list. She wants to speak. So what resources do I have? I have my guest speaker advantage course. I also know people that are always looking for speakers so I can, I can pull on that.

And then make sure that you have an invitation to continue the conversation. So it's not just a one-off. So I'd love to catch up and hear how things went. Um, I'd love to, you know, catch up and hear how things are progressing. Would you like to grab a virtual coffee? Or in my case, you know, do you want to go grab some lunch? Right. The goal is to keep the momentum going, keep that conversation going, stay front of mind. Right. And then the other thing is,

about how you can own the room, even though you're not speaking, okay? Because you're probably not speaking, you're probably just attending, but how to be an authority that people remember in the room. So if you're absolutely serious about turning in-person events into lead gold mines,

You can't just be passive attendee. You can't just sit there and absorb. You got to make a splash and you got to take up some space. Okay. If you're used to hanging back and blending in, I'm about to try and push you out of your comfort zone. This makes me think of Ghazi Amin, who is a podcast, like she was on this podcast not too long ago, as well as I met her at an event, an in-person event in May of 2024. And let me tell you,

This woman stands out. Okay. There is no way she's not standing up. She stands out in what she wears. She stands out in what she says. She stands out in her personality and her friendliness. Um, she asks questions that honestly like put me back on my heels, like, holy crap. Right.

This is what I want you to do. I want you to, I really want you to embody taking up some space in the room and not being small. Okay. During panels, during workshops, be the person who asks bold and thoughtful questions. Be the person that puts their hand up. The kind of question that people note is,

and go, oh, that was really cool. And then they look you up, right? Something like, what do you think the biggest mistake that businesses are making when they try to go to grow their audiences right now? Or, you know, something, something that really grabs people's attention. Maybe that one doesn't, but you know what I mean? Asking deep and thoughtful questions, thought provoking questions really positions you as somebody who's deeply engaged and also knowledgeable. If you go to events and this happened to me again at this week, the one I was at last week,

there was one person who was on her phone the whole time. She nodded her head, she was listening. I know she was listening, but she wasn't engaged. She wasn't looking at the speakers. She wasn't looking at the people around her. And she wasn't engaging with anybody until, you know, questions were asked. And I don't want you to be that person because you're fading into the background. Nobody's going to talk to you, right? So ask questions that get noticed. And then look at your opportunities to be the person that starts conversations

with other people, not just one person with a group. Okay. So create an impromptu chat during a break, something like, Hey, I'd love to hear more about what you're working on. Uh, I'd love to, you know, brainstorm ideas or just hear what really is fascinating to you and have those conversations, right? Create value for everybody there. And if you do that, you're going to be seen as a connector and also try and remember, and I have got a really bad memory. Okay.

but try and remember what other people said so you can connect people you can be like oh okay that's really really cool that you said that andrea um i think you should probably meet

Joanna, who I just talked to five minutes ago, she's actually in this space and she's looking for this and be the connector. Connect people in the room. Okay. I love doing that. By the way, it's a really great way to connect people and also have people remember who you are. Okay. And then lastly, I want you to give before you ask, which a lot of people don't do, whether it's in your introduction or sharing advice or even giving somebody a quick win with a problem that you might, you know, they might be having. Okay.

something they can implement for their business right away. Be the one that gives. People love to do business with people that they like, that they trust, that they understand. And if you just give, that builds that trust faster than anything else. Again, at that event last week, I was talking to a woman. She's quite young. I think she was, what, 23?

23 years old or maybe 24 years old. Um, just a lovely soul, lovely, lovely person trying to grow a business, trying to figure out what she wants to do. Not a hundred percent sure. And I just gave her some pointers, right? I don't need anything from her. Um, I desperately want her to do well because she's just such a really nice person. So I just gave, right. Uh, we followed each other on Instagram. All of a sudden I get a DM two days later.

Hey, I'd like Jenny, I'd like you to meet so-and-so. I think that you two would vibe together. And that turned into a sales call, right? So all in all, look at the ways that you can amplify what you're doing at events. Don't be the, you know, don't be what I want to be, which is the person just sitting in the corner of the room, absorbing information and not participating. Cause that's, you know, that's just me. I really break out of that comfort zone and I want you to do it too. You're

Events are just not getting out of the office for the day. Events are about being seen, creating connections and creating massive opportunities. And if you want to leave an event with a lot of really great leads, you need to be bold. You need to be proactive. You need to be focused and you need to create value. Show up to create value, show up to help and ditch being the wallflower. Okay.

ditch the small talk and actually follow up and be memorable with people so it's really about standing out standing out from everybody else because some of those people are really just going to blend in so what can you do to stand out and if that helps you I'm so so glad

Thank you so much for listening to me today and being here on the Acquired Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and share this episode if you found it helpful. And as always, the Acquired Podcast is brought to you by the Oddphonic Podcast Network. And I'm Jenny Wright, and I'd love to connect. So find me on socials, go to JennyWright.com and connect with me there as well. Take care. Have a great day. Bye.