When I was in college and starting to step outside of my college bubble, I began receiving invitations to events in the startup community.
As a 20 year old, I remember being invited to an exclusive Tech Strategy event and the invitation outlined some of the folks already RSVP-d. It included CIOs, CTOs, CEOs – all of the Cs.
A good friend of mine named Suzy asked me if I was going to attend, and I sort of sheepishly told her I felt out of place and was was afraid to go without knowing anyone.
She told me that the best thing I could do was go and put my face in that room so that I could meet people. I took her advice and it has guided me for years since.
I only recently related this to a sales tenet of “Targeting, Messaging, and Frequency.” When you are selling, it’s important to Target the right audience, deliver the right Message, and send that Message to your Target Frequently (most sales require an average of 7 touchpoints).
My audience was the startup community. My message was, “I’m a hungry, ambitious kid that wants to be just like you when I grow up.” And by putting my face in those rooms, I was ratcheting up my frequency.
And it totally worked.
The secret to growth is surrounding yourself with people you want to learn from. Find those people, find the rooms they are hanging out in (public events, private events, coffeeshops, coworking spaces), and put your face in that room.