Effective Networking Events for Client Acquisition

During a “voice of the client” interview, a senior executive – loyal to an elite firm that hired us – burst out laughing. “The irony is unbelievable,” he said. “You’re asking how [Firm X] could improve, and I’m literally on my way to their biggest competitor for a roundtable with my peers. I’ve never worked with them before…but this is a brilliant way to introduce themselves. Firm X has never done anything like this.” Like Firm X, many professional service firms fail to leverage their networks to benefit clients. They sponsor “events” but those are rarely the kind where extremely senior business leaders spend their time. Yet, senior executives often feel isolated and highly value opportunities to connect with peers. The best firms use their “convening power” to host informal roundtables, fostering community, deepening client loyalty, and providing firsthand insights into executives’ concerns. What makes these events successful? Three key factors: 1. High-quality participants – a carefully curated peer group. Let’s be honest: the senior execs are more interested in hobnobbing with and learning from highly experienced colleagues. Set the agenda so they’re doing 90% of the talking with each other. 2. Relevant hot topics – issues they’re eager to discuss. Doing a few pre-roundtable conversations to uncover those topics is also a great way to build relationships. (“I value your opinion because I know you’re highly plugged into the most important strategic issues – and I’m interested in creating a small roundtable based on your most highest priorities”… sounds like you really care, no?) 3. A safe setting – an informal, off-the-record environment. Sure you’re going to attend so that you can introduce the attendees to each other, very lightly moderate the session, and above all LISTEN. Don’t pitch. Don’t sell. But follow up diligently so that they know you care and you’re willing to help. Roundtables are low-cost, low-effort (especially when partners trust their teams to help execute), and deliver significant returns. They help partners: * Strengthen client relationships * Demonstrate expertise by selecting the right participants and topics * Gain valuable insights by listening to attendees Executives often expect and welcome follow-up conversations, making roundtables a powerful tool for deepening relationships and adding value. For more insights on how outside advisors – especially lawyers – can elevate collaboration, check out What Clients Want from Law Firms, featuring a chapter by me and Gardner & Co. Insights Director Csilla Ilkei. @Globe Law and Business Ltd @CsillaIlkei #SmarterCollaboration #ClientEngagement #ProfessionalServices

Hosting 2 exec dinners back to back reminded me that you don’t need a DJ booth and branded tumblers to build pipeline. You need proximity. It's 2025 and there's still this lingering belief that the bigger the event, the bigger the impact. The logo wall, the glitzy booth, the team dinner that cost more than a quarter’s marketing budget. IMO conferences are great for visibility, but they’re terrible for real conversations. You scan 300 badges. You remember 3 faces. And the best interaction you had? A random intro in the hotel bar. That’s not so much a strategy as it is simply gambling with your marketing budget. IMO the best way to do this is to go small, which ironically, will allow you to win big. We’re talking: 1. Executive roundtables with 20-30 handpicked guests (like the ones Sales Assembly does every month). 2. Working sessions tailored to a real, shared problem. 3. Dinners where the customer does 90% of the talking. 4. Field events where every attendee is pre-qualified and mapped to pipeline. Why it works: - You control the guest list. No wasted conversations. - You control the environment. No distractions. - You control the follow up. No getting buried in a sea of booth emails. These aren’t “networking events.” They’re high-trust conversion machines. Because when the room is small, the stakes get higher, the conversations get deeper, and the pipeline gets real. If you want to win business, don’t just go where everyone is. Go where real conversations happen. Or create those environments yourself. Thanks as always to Nooks, Capchase, and TigerEye for their continued partnership in creating these types of environments, including this one last night in Salt Lake City!

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! 🤘

Conferences are expensive, boring, and typically have low ROI....but company-led EVENTS on the other hand can be powerful signals. Here's the exact playbook we used at Onward to organize profitable events where prospects can have a great time AND move closer to buying: ➝ 1. Align on your goal. I used to make the mistake of expecting a close within 30 days of an event and would be continually disappointed based on that expectation. Now I consider events another "touch point" in the customer journey/funnel. Our goal is simply to usher the customer to the next stage of the funnel. So if all your leads are top of the funnel, don't expect to close at the event. It's about a) learning what moves the needle for them and b) educating them on our ROI. This will result in moving them to the next sales stage. Your mindset and intentions here are important because otherwise, your pitch will misfire and either come off too brash or too aggressive. ➝ 2. Set the agenda to be what the client would want—not what you want. One of our go-to tactics is mixing education and entertainment. We would create an interactive, immersive learning session w/ a world-class expert with a focus on equipping attendees with tangible takeaways in addition to networking. ➝ 3. Find great partners. In order to share the budget, we typically find like-minded companies that we want to partner with and share customer leads. We participated in Retention.com's marquee summer event in Malibu called Retox and it was one of the more lavish events we've been a part of with over 200+ brands attending. It takes a lot to move the needle for customers to get excited and sometimes you have to go all out! ➝ 4. Yet the simplest format is often the most effective—an intimate, private dinner. You'd be surprised at how much common ground you can find with a potential customer over a 2-hour dinner. Typically there are no pitches, just real connections. The sales pitches will come later—but upfront it's about getting to know one another and seeing how it would be to work together. Sales is about developing relationships and meaningful relationships are built when people can let their guard down and simply connect as human beings. And that's exactly what we aim for. So if you're tired of the same old networking scene and you're craving experiences that truly move the needle, I'd love to connect. What are some unique events you've thrown? I'm always looking for new ideas.

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 :)