A conference isn’t a lead source.
And treating it like one is one of the most expensive beliefs a founder can carry into fall event season.
In this episode of Seriously, Don’t Do That, Dan Griffith breaks down why so many companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on conferences, booths, travel, badge scans, dinners, and team time, only to come home with a spreadsheet of names and no real pipeline.
The problem usually is not the event.
The right buyers are often in the room.
The real problem is that most companies treat the conference like a one-time lead source instead of a sales sequence.
There is a sale you make internally before the show.
There is a meeting you sell before the show.
There is a next conversation you sell on-site.
And only after that does the product sale belong in the follow-up.
Most teams skip the front of the sequence, show up cold, and try to sell the product to a stranger in a hallway while they are holding coffee and watching the clock.
Seriously, don’t do that.
In this episode, Dan covers:
Why “bad show” is usually the wrong diagnosis
Why the room is not the problem
Why badge scans are not pipeline
Why a booth is optional, but the sequence is not
How to sell meetings before the event
How to use LinkedIn and the conference app before you arrive
Why the hallway conversation should close the next conversation, not the product
Why follow-up must happen within 24 to 48 hours
How to calculate real conference ROI
The 4-question audit to run before your next event
If you already paid for the booth, use it.
But do not let the booth become the strategy.
The booth is optional.
The sequence isn’t.
Run the 4-question audit on your next event before you fly:
Is there a written plan, and does everyone know what they are responsible for producing?
How many meetings are booked right now, and who is selling meetings between today and the show?
What is the exact sentence your people say to close the next conversation, and does it have a date in it?
Whose calendar has the follow-up block on it before the trip?
Most teams find the gap before they ever leave for the airport.
That is the point.
🎙️ Seriously Don’t Do That™
Hosted by Dan Griffith
🌐 greatergaingroup.com
Live Thursday at 9 AM EDT.
#SeriouslyDontDoThat #GTMStrategy #SalesPipeline
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