You Never Know

When writing this, I’m in between a trade show and a plane ride home and wanting to share a nugget dug out of my last couple of days’ experiences.

My nugget from the show is…you never know.

My planning for the show started a couple of months ago when we started scouring the list of attendees looking for clients, past clients, prospective clients, media and friends who were signed up to attend. After cross-referencing the list with our current database of contacts, we came up with a hit list of people to talk to. Most were already reading the thought leadership content we produce at our agency to help marketing folks keep up with trends and gain a better understanding of what’s working. So, reaching out to set up a meeting fell right in line with the content distribution schedule.

For every show, I try to talk to as many people as I can. So I began on one side of the convention center and started working the aisles with the attitude of…you never know.

It helped that I came across a holster company sales executive who was eager to learn what I thought about some of the marketing things they were doing. Then, came a new, French manufacturer who was debuting their technology in the United States for the first time. We had a great visit and what they’re doing is really cool. After that, an old client that had launched some new products. It was coming so easy, which is great because it doesn’t always work out that way.

When I go to a show like this, I typically have the goal of coming out of it with 2-3 solid leads. After just a day and half of working this one, I had several solid ones, and they came because I took the time to stop and talk with companies I was not familiar with and people I had never met before because…you never know.

So, next time you’re out and about, whether it’s a trade show, a community event or your kid’s soccer tournament, take the time to talk with people because…you never know who and how it might impact your business and your life. Until next time…