Hey everyone!
Sarah Waple here, President of Growth Dynamics, and I’m bringing you this week’s Fast Tip Friday.
You might be wondering, what in the world is up with these bags?
Well—one of them happens to be my all-time favorite: my Taylor Swift Eras Tour bag. It lives in my to-go bag and comes with me everywhere. The other is a massive tote I picked up yesterday at a show Charlie and I attended.
Great show. Great community. Great people. Incredible experience. But one thing that really stood out to us? The amount of swag.
Now, we haven’t been to a ton of shows lately, so maybe we’re out of touch—please tell us if we are! But these two bags only represent about half of what I brought home. I grabbed some for the kids—stress balls (some of the coolest I’ve ever seen), towels, more bags, pens, even a hard hat at one point. It was a lot.
And while I genuinely loved seeing all of it, I also watched person after person walk by, grab swag, and never even talk to the person behind the table. Now let me be clear: This is not a dig at people who give out swag. Handouts, giveaways—they all have their place, and at this particular show, it made sense.
But here’s the Fast Tip Friday takeaway:
What are your goals when you go to a show?
Charlie and I went in with a clear objective:
Have 10 to 15 meaningful conversations to see if we had real prospects, solid suspects, or alignment for our next program. That’s what we focused on. And that’s exactly what we walked away with.
So don’t just “go to the show.” Go with a plan. Set clear goals. Decide what you want to accomplish. And if you know people who’ll be there, reach out beforehand. Ask them to stop by your table. Ask for intros. Ask them to walk the floor with you or point you toward others you should meet.
That happened for us yesterday, and it made a huge difference.
So if you were one of the people who introduced us to someone—we see you, we appreciate you, and it really helped.
Here’s your challenge:
→ Always be looking for opportunities to refer, introduce, and connect others.
→ Always set goals.
→ Always use your time wisely.
We get asked all the time:
“What do we do about networking? What’s our show strategy? What’s the point?”
Yes, you should go. But just going is not the goal. Going with a plan—and walking away with meaningful connections—that’s the goal.
So if you need help building a real show strategy, reach out. We’re happy to coach you through it.
Now go out there and make this week the best one yet.
