In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley shares how to maximize ROI from conferences through intentional networking. Using Amazon Accelerate as a case study, Josh explains how pre-planning meetings with key attendees—rather than randomly networking—led to valuable connections with high-level Amazon executives, directly benefiting his business. He emphasizes researching attendees in advance, setting clear goals, and scheduling meetings before the event begins. Josh encourages entrepreneurs to stop treating conferences as content-focused events and instead approach them strategically, turning every interaction into a purposeful opportunity for meaningful business growth.
Bullet Points:
- Importance of intentional networking at conferences and events
- Common mistakes people make when networking
- Strategies for maximizing the value of attending conferences
- Preparing in advance by researching attendees and setting up meetings
- The significance of having clear goals for networking outcomes
- Case study of attending Amazon Accelerate and its impact on business
- Building valuable connections with high-level executives
- The difference between content value and networking value at events
- The role of strategic planning in successful networking
- Utilizing resources like attendee lists and AI tools for effective networking preparation
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction to Networking
Most people are terrible at networking. The host, Josh Hadley, introduces himself and the topic of maximizing conference ROI.
00:01:14 Maximizing Time at Events
A travel hack for conferences: take the first flight out and the last flight back to maximize your valuable time.
00:02:22 The Power of Pre-Planned Meetings
Josh shares his successful experience at Amazon Accelerate, where he pre-scheduled meetings with high-level executives and key contacts.
00:04:42 The Old Mindset: Conferences are for Content
The initial belief that the value of conferences lies in the content, taking notes, and listening to speakers.
00:06:58 The Second Phase: Casual Networking
Realizing content wasn't the key, the focus shifted to casual networking, which often led to unproductive and frustrating conversations.
00:07:53 The Breakthrough: Intentional Networking
The realization that "networking" is not a strategy, but "intentional networking" is the key to success at any event.
00:09:01 Executing an Intentional Strategy
How to prepare for a conference by researching attendees, identifying key people, and reaching out to schedule meetings beforehand.
00:10:01 The Conference is the Location, Not the Strategy
The conference is simply the venue where you execute your pre-planned strategy of connecting with specific people to solve problems.
00:11:12 Applying the Strategy at Amazon Accelerate
Josh explains how he proactively reached out to speakers on LinkedIn before the event to set up valuable, targeted meetings.
00:13:04 Using an Executive Assistant for Research
Leveraging an executive assistant and AI to create a detailed report on key attendees to target for meaningful conversations.
00:14:12 Conclusion and Call to Action
A summary of the principles for intentional networking and an encouragement to apply them to make every conference meaningful.
Links and Mentions:
Tools and Websites
"LinkedIn": "00:11:12"
Events
"Amazon Accelerate": "00:01:14"
People Mentioned
"Jenna Owens": "00:12:09"
"Elizabeth Shiels": "00:09:01"
Concepts
"Intentional Networking": "00:09:01"
Transcript:
Josh Hadley 00:00:00 Most people are terrible at networking. And today I'm going to show you how to turn one conference or event into the kind of opportunities and relationships that can change the trajectory of your business. Welcome to the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast. I'm Josh Hadley. I've scaled my own e-commerce brand from 0 to 8 figures, and I'm actively building towards nine figures in sales. This podcast is where I document that journey and share the systems, the strategies, and the lessons learned in real time so that you can learn what actually matters and scale your own business. My name is Josh Hadley. First and foremost, I'm a man of faith. I'm a husband to a beautiful wife and a father of four children. I've been selling in the e-commerce space for over a decade, doing over $20 million in annual revenue and selling multi-millionaire on channels such as Amazon, TikTok, Shop and Shopify. And last but not least, I'm the host of the number one business strategy podcast for ecommerce entrepreneurs called Ecomm Breakthrough. Today, I'm recording this podcast episode after coming back from a recent conference I attended Amazon's Accelerate, and to be honest with you, earlier this year I was not planning on going to Amazon Accelerate because to me, I honestly thought it was going to be a waste of time.
Josh Hadley 00:01:14 I went last year and I spent three days there at accelerate, and I sat in to many of those presentations from Amazon, and I was like, this is all just scripted material that's not actually helping me change my business. And I had a complete different mindset shift that this year when I went number one, I only spent two days. My favorite hack that I want to share with you is number one. Whenever I go to an event, I get on the first flight out of the day, and even if that means I miss the event, you know, it starts, you know, maybe 30 minutes before I get there. I'm okay with that because, number one, I'm trying to maximize my time. You as the founder. Your time is the most expensive in the entire business. And if you are stacking on days in advance to go fly, to go get settled down. Quote, unquote. The day before the conference. I think you're wasting your time because for me, I'm investing all of that time into the business before I ever show up.
Josh Hadley 00:02:22 And then last but not least, I always schedule my flight on the last flight of the day. And then guess what? If I ever need to bump it up because something finishes early, so be it. Like that's great. There's lots of opportunities. Same day flight change. It's same day standby that you can go on earlier flights. But I'm trying to maximize my value of time. Today I'm going to show you how to get the biggest ROI from events, because this year I got a massive ROI from Amazon Accelerate. From the moment I got off the plane and I brought my son with me this time. The moment I got off the plane, I. We immediately went to the Space Needle and we did a little sightseeing tour for 45 minutes. And after those 45 minutes, I had a meeting set up with the VP that manages all of seller support. She has 20,000 people. Okay, that's Jenna owns, 20,000 people reporting to her in her organization. Okay. She has influence. SAT down, met with her, and then guess what she did? She introduced me to some of the more significant people also that actually resolve cases.
Josh Hadley 00:03:31 They're in seller support. We are able to exchange contact information, was able to share some of the challenges that we're going through and have their personal contact details so that, hey, anytime we go through this, I have a personal relationship. It's no more of this. Like, hey, how many seller support cases can I open up and how do I get through? The bots like these relationships become extre...
