Sales Networking Luncheons

Over the next 3 months, I’m hosting 4 major events in France, UK, USA and KSA. Beforehand, I want to share my top tips on how to get the best out of networking. 1. Set Clear Targets Action: Make a hit list of the top 10 companies or people you need to meet. Research what they care about—know their wins, pain points, & what they’re hunting for before you walk through the door. Outcome: These conversations won’t just happen by chance. By doing your homework, you’ll turn a five-minute chat into a deal-building moment. Schedule meetings in advance, & after the event, send a tailored follow-up email that shows you were listening. 2. Take the Stage (Literally) Action: Get on the agenda. Whether it’s a keynote, panel, or fireside chat, nothing says “I’m the one to watch” like holding the mic. Use this time to address the industry’s biggest challenges & position yourself—& your company—as the answer. Outcome: Speaking builds instant credibility. It’s not just exposure; it’s authority. Post-event, share the highlights on LinkedIn & invite attendees to continue the conversation, turning an audience into a lead pipeline. 3. Own the Floor Action: Don’t just lurk—work the room. Engage with key exhibitors, ask questions, & position yourself as a resource, not just another pitch. Be direct but curious: “What’s your biggest challenge this year?” and “How can I help?” are powerful openers. Outcome: You’ll stand out as someone who listens. Take notes during conversations, & follow up within 48 hours with a personalised message. Not a generic “great meeting you”—send actionable insights or specific ideas that move the ball forward. 4. Host the Inner Circle Action: People bond better in a more relaxed setting than over Wi-Fi. Organise an exclusive dinner, roundtable, or cocktail event for a curated group of heavy hitters. Keep it intimate—this is about building relationships, not just showing off. Go easy on the heavy sell. Outcome: People remember who brought them value & connections, not who handed out free pens. Post-event, share any key takeaways & book one-on-one follow-ups to solidify what you started over drinks. 5. Hack the Tech Action: Use every tool at your disposal—event apps, LinkedIn, QR codes. Pre-event, reach out to attendees & book meetings. At the event, swap contacts digitally to keep things seamless, & use a CRM to track every interaction. Outcome: You’ll leave the event with an organised roadmap of leads, not just a stack of business cards destined for a desk drawer. Follow up strategically with segmented, value-driven emails & keep the momentum alive. The Bottom Line: Trade fairs & exhibitions aren’t just networking. Preparation, presence, & follow-up separate those who close deals from those who just collect swag bags. Be human. Don’t think of this as just a branding exercise but an opportunity for long term partnerships. Be genuine - your new contacts will become close contacts, if not friends. Make it count! #revenuegrowth

I’ve been to one too many “dinners" where I’m forced to watch sponsors move from table to table, giving a five min sales pitch about their product to everyone attending. And guess what? I’ve purchased nothing. That’s why when we host dinners at Sales Assembly, we tell sponsors that they won’t be allowed to integrate their product at all - no pitches, no demos, no selling. As counterintuitive as it may sound, we find this to be the most effective approach for those partners to actually get what they want out of the dinner. Sponsors want to meet buyers, and get a conversation again - that’s their top priority. The best way to do that is by getting in a room with a curated crowd of VP and C-Suite level revenue leaders. And just let them build relationships. Sponsoring our events provides that kind of targeted access. We’re able to generate a lot of interest because executives know they’re not going to sit through a presentation. The sponsor opens the meal with a two minute introduction: “We're sponsoring this dinner. Here's what we do. If you want to talk more, we'll talk more.” That's it. And then the sponsor has the opportunity to build relationships with their target buyers. The same folks who haven’t been responding to their calls or emails, now have their attention. That's what we promise them, that's what we deliver. And it works.

IRL events (such as dinners) as a biz dev channel have become a huge focus for companies, yet so many royally muck them up. I was on 2 calls just this week with CROs who shared that hosting their own client events became a prime strategy in 2024 and is once again in 25, yet they get pretty poor results. Why? It's almost always the same couple of reasons: 1) Lack of Ownership, mainly around WHO is in the room. Marketing looks at sales to invite their prospects. Sales looks at marketing to get the word out and provide air cover. Everyone is expecting the room to be full, and then a week before the event when it's not, there is a mad dash to get randos + employees from the company there to fill seats. Result? 0 SQLs 2) Meh agendas = low RSVPs + no shows Just like how nobody wants to hear how great your 7 yr old is at math, nobody wants to come to a pitch...ESPECIALLY after work. Unless the speaker is killer AND it's clear that the content is thought leadership (not a boring presentation), just leave out the speaker. 3) Location and timing. This one is the most common sense. Yet I see it too much. Trying to recruit CROs to join? Don't plan it on the last day of the month. Trying to get anyone in Chicago to come? Don't do it at a steakhouse by the airport, 45 mins away from downtown. If you are thoughtful about your events you likely will see success. -Take ownership around filling the room with the RIGHT people -Have an engaging and enjoyable experience -Be thoughtful about when and where Sales Assembly has been hosting 25-30 person dinners for the last 4 years and they've become the number 1 channel for relationship building with prospects. We do 12-15 / yr in cities around the country (and as a bonus, have a couple awesome sponsors help pick up the tab). Dinners or events are not hard, if you plan correctly PS - we have literally just a couple sponsorships left for dinners in 2025, in cities like Denver and Boston. If you sell a software to CROs and want to be in the room, let's chat :)

Networking at events - how to do it right? Recently, Ekaterina Altbregina and I ran a workshop on event networking for a large system integrator. We talked about how to prepare, how to start conversations naturally, and how to follow up after. Participants practiced real-life scenarios in small groups. Practice helps. Because even experienced professionals often feel awkward when it comes to small talk and turning networking into business opportunities. There’s a simple three-step framework we shared: 1️⃣ Before the event: – update your LinkedIn profile – check who’s attending and schedule meetings – prepare what you might want to share (if relevant) – research your target audience and key trends 2️⃣ During the event: – start with an icebreaker → small talk → active listening → share contacts → agree on follow-up – balance planned meetings and spontaneous chats – take breaks, recharge, and attend sessions 3️⃣ After the event: – follow up, stay helpful, build relationships – sell only if it’s the right time Online + offline/onsite activities together are the winning combo. Don’t miss out on either.

For 3-years I’ve hosted a no-BS, invite-only dinner for leaders to break bread and build relationships. Most networking events suck. For real. They’re awful. Forced small talk, sales pitches, and rooms full of people who just want to talk about themselves. Nobody actually connects. Nobody actually learns anything. That’s why I started hosting invite-only dinners for marketing, design, product, and tech leaders. No sponsors. No awkward icebreakers. Just real conversations over good food. If you want to do the same, here’s how. Step 1: Personally Invite People (No Automation, No AI) If you can’t take the time to text, DM, or email someone yourself, don’t do this. No mass invites, no event software. Keep it personal, keep it human. Step 2: Pay for It. No Sponsors. No Sales Pitch. If you try to monetize this, you’ve already lost. People can smell an agenda a mile away. The best way to make this work? Make it not about business. Just bring people together and let things happen organically. Step 3: Get a Private Room. No Cameras. No Recording. Public restaurants are too loud. Private spaces create real conversations. No one should be filtering what they say because they think it’ll end up on LinkedIn. Make it exclusive, keep it off the record. Step 4: Let People Order What They Want Catering sounds good in theory. In reality, you’ll get it wrong. Someone’s keto, someone’s gluten-free, someone just wants fries. Let people order for themselves and avoid the headache. Step 5: Keep It Small 10-15 people max. Anything bigger turns into a networking event, and that’s not what this is. Keep it intimate so people can actually connect. Step 6: Be the Connector Your job isn’t just hosting. It’s matchmaking. At the end of dinner, tell everyone: “Find someone here you want to grab coffee with. If you need an excuse, blame me.” Make it easy for people to stay in touch. Step 7: No Branding. No Name Tags. No Corporate Vibes. This isn’t a “leadership roundtable” or some LinkedIn influencer’s personal brand play. It’s just a dinner. Keep it low-key. Step 8: Focus on Stories, Not Titles No elevator pitches. No bragging. The best conversations come from real stories.. especially failures. The more honest, the better. Step 9: Do It Again (But Keep It Small) If it works, do it again. Rotate in new faces, keep the guest list fresh, and never let it turn into a sales funnel. No automation. No scaling. No BS. Just real people, having real conversations, over real food. Onward & upward! 🤘

Can we talk about how networking at physical events can be nerve-racking (but is an absolute game changer)? Having experienced that initial awkwardness of not knowing where to start when I attend physical events, I’ve found a few strategies that help me connect with people more easily: 1️⃣ Do your research:  I always start by researching the event—checking out speakers, organizations, stakeholders, and attendees. I identify people I want to meet and key stakeholders in organizations I want to connect with. I make sure I’m prepared to engage them using the information I’ve gathered, whether it’s about a recent product launch, a major milestone, or their role in the industry. 2️⃣ Attend sessions:  I make a point of joining breakout sessions and participating actively. Contributing meaningfully to the discussions is a great way to connect with people who share similar interests. 3️⃣ Leverage social media:  Before the event, I visit the event’s social media pages and engage with other attendees on LinkedIn and Twitter. Starting conversations online ahead of time makes it easier to connect when we meet in person. 4️⃣ Take advantage of networking sessions: I always make good use of designated networking times, whether it’s during coffee breaks, lunch, or dinner receptions. Some events even have separate networking sections, and I make sure to attend and connect with as many people as possible. 5️⃣ Be approachable:  I make sure to wear a smile, make eye contact, and look approachable. Starting conversations is easier when you know you share a common interest in the event. I always keep my business cards or a QR code handy for quick exchanges. 6️⃣ Follow up after the event:  After the event, I follow up with the people I connected with. I’ll send an email or a personalized LinkedIn connection request, including details of where we met and what we discussed. What other ways have worked for you when connecting at physical events? P.S. Are you looking to build a career in product management? Repost, follow me and subscribe to my newsletter. #ProductManagement #ProductManagers #Networking

💡 Networking Events Are Not What You Think! If you're a founder or someone who's working on growing their business - here’s how to win! I’ve been to a ton of B2B networking events lately. From large-scale expos to smaller intimate meetups to industry-specific conferences. There’s a common mistake almost everyone makes. They show up with the wrong mindset, hoping to pitch and close deals on the spot. Here are 5 simple things to do that actually work at B2B networking events: 1️⃣ Focus on building relationships, not selling. People remember real conversations, not sales pitches. 2️⃣ Prepare your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Know exactly who you want to meet to avoid wasting time. 3️⃣ Ask questions that uncover pain points. This shows genuine interest and opens doors for follow-up. 4️⃣ Collect contact info and follow up within 24 hours. A quick message referencing your conversation keeps you top of mind. 5️⃣ Share value, don’t just take it. Offer advice, connections, or resources freely—it builds trust fast. Networking isn’t about instant wins. It’s about planting seeds 🌱. Done right, those seeds grow into long-term partnerships and revenue. Next time you attend an event, focus on these 5 steps. You’ll be surprised how much more you get out of it. 🚀 #GrowthMarketing #NexGenDigital #B2BNetworking ======= I'm Barry Rodrigues and I help early-stage B2B startups scale their marketing, improve productivity and drive revenue. 👍🏼 Follow me for more insights on effective B2B strategies. 🔔 Tap the bell to get notified when I post. 📧 DM me to know more strategies tailored to your needs.