They Only Paid for Proximity
One thing that keeps coming up in conversations with clients as they plan their fall and winter events:
They only paid for proximity.
They paid to be in the room with the audience. That money gets THE HOST in the door, but it doesn’t necessarily get the audience there.
And it doesn’t help the people who matter most — the customers and prospects — to actually engage.
The most important guests often remain silent:
Existing clients who think they already know what you do
Competitors’ clients who think they’re happy because they’ve never worked with you
Former clients who decided they don’t like what you do
Regular clients who still don’t know about your newest work
Happiest clients who never introduce you to anyone
Salespeople who sit at their own table or hide in the back of the booth
They’re in the room, but they leave without a single conversation that changes anything.
That’s a huge gap in the strategy: what makes sure those conversations actually happen?
The events that actually move the business treat proximity as the starting point, not the finish line. They capture attention. They create equal business stature through a shared experience. Engagement seems to happen naturally and automatically (even though it’s by design).
When that happens, people start to feel they know, like, and trust each other. The critical conversations become natural instead of forced.
Once you see it this way, the gap becomes obvious — and fixable. You’re no longer hoping the right conversations happen.
Entertainment stops being an expense and becomes a tool you leverage to get the result you want.
Can you imagine how that would feel? People who normally are shut down and tuned out suddenly want to talk to each other. Salespeople are friendly resources, not sharks. Your events become the “must do” experience they’re looking for, not another business obligation.
I wrote a short handbook on how my best clients do this called Exponential Events.
Existing clients are getting a copy in the mail. If you want one, just reply.
Or if you’d rather talk through an upcoming event, I have some availability for a quick consultation or STAR call this month. You’re welcome to schedule below.
MikeYou can reach me directly at (561) 596-3877 or grab a time at calendly.com/mikeduseberg.
