Before The Conference: Surprise Everyone

RULE #4: SURPRISE EVERYONE

"RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE
HALLMARK OF THE MATURE PERSON."

- BRIAN TRACY

Screen Shot 2016-07-06 at 3.10.31 PM.png

The key to relationships is to build them before you need them. By reaching out to the people who will be at the conference, you'll establish connections and build rapport well before you meet them. You'll already know people at the event, which will help with any pre- conference jitters you have. And you never know what could come of a simple introductory email.

A little less than a year ago, I stumbled across a conference called
MastermindTalks on Facebook. I went to the website and it really caught my interest. If you're an entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, you'll understand when you click the link. At the time, I was a college student and couldn't afford it, so I reached out to Jayson (the founder) I was enthusiastic about his event, telling him how awesome I thought it would be. I told him about my interests in entrepreneurship and if he needed help with anything, and I stressed anything, I would do it. It didn't even matter to me if he asked me to do something that didn't involve me attending the event, I was just excited about it.

What happened after sending just one email? Jayson responded and accepted my offer to help. In return, I attended the event for free, I met all of the speakers and attendees, made amazing friendships, and gained an immeasurable amount of knowledge. What else? Jayson and I became great friends and I had the opportunity to intern under his leadership for three months. The experience changed my life and I'm honored to call him my friend. I'll also be attending this year's event...maybe I'll see you there!

All of that came from one email. I offered to provide value to the organizer of a great event, and he took me up on my offer. Without providing value first, I never would have had the opportunity to attend a life-changing event that was way out of my financial reach. The power of reaching out can't be overstated. You never know what could Start by looking into your own network for introductions. If you notice someone in your network knows the coordinator, a speaker, or one of the attendees, have them introduce you before reaching out. This gives you instant credibility and makes the introduction easier.

Since you've done your research, reaching out to both speakers and attendees shouldn't be too hard. Send an email to the speaker showing appreciation for their work, and explain how they've helped you (if they have). By doing this, you've instantly provided value for them. End the email telling them that you're looking forward to meeting them at the event. Don't ask them to help you or go out of their way to do anything. Depending on their response, you can choose to keep the conversation going or just wait to continue at the event. If you do decide to respond back, make sure to keep providing as much value as you can. If they don't respond, no worries. This is just a soft introduction before the event.

The previous research you did will help you reach out to your fellow attendees, as well. Send an email to all attendees with the speaker research you compiled in rule #2. When I did this for MastermindTalks, it worked so well that I became close friends with a group of attendees before the conference even began. By doing this, you've delivered value for everyone before even meeting them. People don't mind helping people who've already helped them. You should know though, word might spread fast about you; you may become just as popular as one of the speakers at the conference.