What to Know Before Attending a Conference / SKO

I "read" a lot.

Like too much.

I "read" about 50-75 books per year on Audible. I am not saying this to brag. I am saying this because it creates a new problem. Simply put, there are way too many good ideas out there. Millions of them.

(If you haven't gathered, I always feel guilty saying I "read" when it is from an audiobook. Not sure why, but I do.)

If we look only at books from major publishers, the typical non-fiction book has roughly 50,000 words. That is a lot of advice. This is a little over 5 hours of spoken content.

Now let's slow down and look at how must books are structured. They are almost always divided into chapters. Each chapter covers an idea. There may be some overlap and repetition between chapters, but the totality of the book is meant to build on one central topic.

The great conferences and Sales Kickoffs (SKOs) do things in a similar way. They organize their speakers to make sure there is overlap, but not so much that it becomes monotonous. That the most common ideas are going to be addressed multiple times, but the messaging stays similar, even if the speakers have their own style.

By the end of the conference, you are meant to feel empowered. You should have a workbook filled to the brim with ideas that can take things to the next level.

But then it goes wrong.

Think about your last conference or SKO you attended. My guess is you left that conference invigorated and full of amazing ideas you were excited to put into place. However, when you got back to your computer the next day, you ended up getting sucked down an email worm-hole.

Then, a customer called with an issue. You had to go into firefighter mode.

Then you got a new list of Marketing Qualified Leads.

Then you got sick.

Then you......... (The list goes on and on.)

Before you know it, you start getting emails about registering for the conference or SKO again. Nine months have passed, and you have not been able to implement any of the amazing, life-changing ideas that you heard at the conference.

Does this sound familiar?

So let's fix the way we look at conferences. Look at each day of a conference as a book. Each speaker is a chapter in that book. Each chapter contains one idea or action item.

When you read a great book, do you plan to implement everything all at once?

Of course not!!!

That would be like going to a buffet and getting one spoonful of every item. You are going to feel sick at the end.

A great conference is like a cook book. It is meant to help give you ideas. You do not need to cook everything all in one day. Each speaker is meant to give you a single recipe to put together. Trying to cook everything will lead to a lot of things going poorly.

Before your next conference, I want you to bring an index card. Just one. When you hear an idea that you like and want to implement, write it on that card. Also write down an estimate of how much time investment you would need to put the idea into practice. It should look something like this.

• Video Prospecting Past Clients: 1 hour / wk
• Start a podcast: 3 hrs /wk
• LinkedIn Live: 2 hrs/ wk
• Handwritten notes: 1hr/wk
• ChatGPT post creation & scheduling: 1hr/wk
• Post sales call survey: 1 hr/wk

All of these are good ideas, and any one of them can help you get new business. But trying to do all of them at once will lead to nothing working.

But now, you have taken the "cookbook" that the conference has given you, and you have been able to create a "menu" along with prices. You can now make the decision on which SINGLE item you want to cook.

Take that same index card and write down what the priorities are. Number them 1-6 (Or however many you have.)

THEN THROW OUT ANYTHING AFTER #3!!!

Seriously. I want you to forget you ever heard it. It will be tough. Good things are difficult to throw away. (I have a woodshop of scraps to prove it) But the best thing you can do for your business is to realize your own capabilities.

If we add everything up on the list above, you are looking at about 9 hours per week. Where are you going to find another full day?!?!?! You won't. Odds are you are already running around in a million directions at once. You are setting yourself up for disappointment from the very start.

When you are building your menu, think In 'N' Out Burger, not Cheesecake Factory. Keep it simple. Focus on what you can be great at. Do not add more menu items until you master what you are already doing.

If you want a great conference to attend to get ideas for your business, take a look at the Social Profit Lab being run by Katie Brinkley There are over 40 amazing speakers covering #socialmediamarketingstrategy, #sales, #entrepreneurship, #audiencebuilding, #leadership, and #contentwriting.

I will be speaking on day 4 (February 24th) and helping people build their customer story to use in their sales and marketing!

Make sure you sign up. Getting the VIP will also give you a ton of free content, including my Sales For Introverts Course.

I hope you are all able to attend and find the tips that work best for your business!

REGISTER FOR THE SOCIAL PROFIT LAB VIRTUAL CONFERENCE!!!