Never Eat Alone/Ferrazzi 108-110

110 Turning a conference into your own turf and setting goals ahead of time is what turns a casual conference attendance into a mission.

They provide a forum to meet the kind of like-minded people who can help you fulfill your mission and goals. Before deciding to attend a conference, I sometimes informally go so far as using a simple return-on-investment-type thought process. Is the likely return I’ll get from the relationships I establish and build equal to or greater than the price of the conference and the time spent there.

111…no better place to extend your professional network and , on occasion, get deals done.

…smart employees and business owners of all stripes—spend 80% of the time building strong relationships with people they do business with.

112 …are setting up one-on-one meetings, organizing dinners, and, in general, making each conference an opportunity to meet people who could change their lives.

If you’re the ball, you walk (or roll) into a conference, event, or an organization, and you blow it apart. With a dash of bravado and ingenuity, you lease positive impression in your wake, create friendships, and achieve the goals on your agenda.

Think of it as a well-coordinated campaign to further your mission.

Help the Organizer (Better Yet, Be the Organizer)