By: Andrea Mac | October 5, 2023

If you can only take me in small doses, here’s what’s new:

I’ve been a member of Chief for the last few years. Chief is a private membership network for senior executive women, and it has been instrumental in my entrepreneurial journey.

I’m currently attending CheifX, Chief’s national conference and the speaker lineup has been downright incredible. I’ve already listened to sessions from Alyson Felix, Dr. Marisa Franco, Kerry Washington, Ann Curry, and Alexandra Carter. As if that’s not enough, today’s speaker lineup includes Sallie Krawcheck and THE Stacey Abrams. Today’s going to be a good day. 

I’m gaining so much wisdom and practical tips from the speakers and my fellow attendees. I plan to share nuggets along the way, so stay tuned. But first, we have to talk about the embarrassing first impression I made at this conference…

Building Prequal Vol. 13: If Only I Had Taken My Own Advice

As I mentioned in my last Building Prequal update, I've been traveling a lot. I’m currently attending the ChiefX annual conference in Palm Springs. I’m surrounded by hundreds of the most accomplished, interesting, intelligent, and driven women. It’s totally my jam and my scene, and I cannot wait to share more with you. But first, a quick story, as I do. Buckle in.

Yesterday, I found myself in yet another airport. As I was gathering my things from the conveyor belt, there were a lot of women mingling and talking about the Chief conference. A few of us decided to split an Uber to the venue. 

On the way, one of my fellow travel companions shared a pro tip for high travel periods of work.  She books a massage at the front or back end of an event like this as a way to build in self-care and time for herself. Brilliant. I loved the idea. I immediately called the hotel spa from the aforementioned Uber, and they had an availability- yay. I booked it and imagined myself walking into the opening remarks of this conference, relaxed and ready to work my magic in the room. 

My masseuse, Gary, was great. But also, a talker. By the time my massage was over, I knew all about his kids, heard their original music, and shared parenting advice. In exchange for time spent conversing, Gary gave me an extra 15 minutes. Generous, yes.  

But it also made attending the opening session impossible. I would have been late and un-showered, so opted to skip it, get freshened up in my room, and arrive promptly at the cocktail hour. 

And I did. In fact, I was the first to show up because the opening session ran long. 

After cocktails, came a seated dinner with assigned seating. I found my table, took my seat, and waited for my seatmates to join me. They did and they were incredible. I even got to pitch a mini version of my forthcoming Ted Talk to a woman who works in Private Equity.  God Bless good listeners.

I realized that I had just “Gary’ed” her and that I should probably pay attention to the other side of the table and maximize my networking.

One of the last women to join our table showed up, a woman named Carolyn. So I started with her and asked, “So Carolyn, what do you do? What’s your story? Where are you from?”

She looked askew at the other women seated at my table, and said to them, “She doesn't know who I am, does she?”

Silence. Panic. Brain racing.

Graciously and politely, she responded, “I am one of the founders of Chief.”

Insert foot in mouth. I wanted to die. Like crawl below the table. Hide. This is why you don’t skip the opening session.

I’d like to think I handled that moment gracefully, but I have no idea. Who can remember when you blacked out from embarrassment? I tried to backtrack.

For the rest of the dinner, I worked hard to reset, reengage, recoup my first impression, and preserve potential.

Later in the dinner, I spotted the perfect opportunity. Tables were starting to take group photos. Fun. I tried to weasel my way next to Carolyn (are you surprised?).

A woman from the next table approached us to see if we could take their photo. She attempted to hand her phone to Carolyn.

Wanting to endear myself to Carolyn, I intervened, “I’m not sure if you know this, but this is Carolyn. And she founded Chief. So, I don't think she should take your photo. Maybe someone else could.”

That woman then turns to me and says, “That’s good because I am the co-founder of Chief.”

Insert foot in mouth AGAIN.  I’m sad to report that the earth did not open up and swallow me whole right then and there. I would have welcomed it. 

In such good nature, Carolyn looks at me and says, “0 for 2 tonight.”

The thing that really kills me is that I knew better. If I had taken my own advice this wouldn’t have happened. 

When I work on network audits with my clients, they sometimes question why they need to include dream clients and key influencers as a part of this exercise. THIS IS WHY. 

Can you believe this?

You always have to be message-ready. You never know who you might be talking to. The truth is more often than not (especially when you are at a national conference) the person you want to be talking to is only a connection away. Or in my case, only a seat. 

Being an effective seller means being prepared and intentional at every step of the sales process. That includes preparing for potential opportunities that fall into your lap. How can you spend years trying to get in front of a client and then not prepare for the conversation? Part of my typical protocol before any event is to review and research the attendees so I can be prepared for this exact scenario. I had been so busy, and preparation fell down the to-do list. I’m sure you can relate.

If I had followed my own advice, I would have been prepared and message-ready when I met the two founders of one of the most influential women’s networks.

But I most definitely was not – perhaps, the universe’s way of keeping me humble and reminding me to follow my own advice. 

There are 2 days left of this conference and you better believe I will be spending some of my free time tonight going over the attendee list.

But hey, at least I made an impression. I bet Carolyn isn’t going to forget me too soon. 

-A.

P.S. If you struggle with being message-ready and making the most of attending conferences and events, I want to remind you of Prequal’s newest offer, Lead To Sales. It is our proven system for finding and converting opportunities and right-for-you clients, all by harnessing the power of your own network. Spots are still open for our first workshop, happening on Oct. 26, and I’d love to see you there. Learn more and enroll here: https://theprequal.com/lead-to-sales-training-course