Take It and RunThe Blog
One specific move professionals can implement today.
Get the email every WednesdayThe 9 things I do to make a conference pay for itself
Most agents fly home from a big event with a stack of business cards they never call and a notebook they never open. Here is the before, during, and after playbook that turns the ticket into real business.
The Tom Ferry Success Summit is coming. And I’ll be honest with you — I have watched agents spend thousands, fly across the country, sit in the room for three days, and come home with nothing.
A stack of business cards they never follow up with. A notebook full of ideas they never implement. That’s not going to be you this year.
9
moves — before, during, and after — that turn a conference into business
3
focus areas, maximum. If everything is a priority, nothing is.
10
real relationships beats 150 business cards. Every time.
Before you get on the plane
1
Show up as a familiar face, not a stranger.If you’re a Tom Ferry coaching client, get into the Facebook communities now — the Referral Community, Core, and Elite. Comment, post, introduce yourself. If you’re not a coaching client, find Tom Ferry and the other speakers (psst, I’m one of them) on social media and start engaging. Either way, the goal is the same: don’t walk into day one as a stranger.
2
Build your connection list ahead of time.Don’t wander in hoping to bump into the right people. If you’re a coaching client, use Revii to search for agents in your feeder markets and reach out before the event. If you’re not, do the same research manually on LinkedIn or Instagram. A short video message is the best outreach. Keep it simple — “Are you going to Summit? I’d love to connect while we’re there.”
3
Pick your three focus areas — and only three.You’re going to hear a hundred ideas over a few days. Decide your three filters before you walk in so you leave focused, not scattered. Lead generation. Time management. Lead conversion. Pick your three. Three is the max.
4
Build your elevator pitch.When someone asks about your business, you want a tight, confident answer. Who you are, what you do, what your business looks like, your single greatest source of business, and one strategy that’s working right now. Have that ready before you board the plane.
While you’re there
5
Connect, don’t collect.The goal is not 150 business cards. The goal is 10 real relationships — ten people you actually become friends with. Depth beats volume every time.
6
Sit next to someone new. Every single day.Don’t eat with the same people every meal. Don’t sit next to the same people every session. It will feel uncomfortable. Do it anyway. These are the relationships that feed your referral business for years.
7
Come with questions, not a pitch.For each of your three focus areas, have a go-to question ready that gets the other person talking about what they do best. Ask about their business. Find the one thing they do better than anyone. Go one level deeper. Then offer something back from your own.
8
Keep a running Action Items page.Every “I need to do this” goes in one place — the back page of your notebook works great. Each night before the next day starts, pull out your biggest ideas while they’re still fresh. Because tomorrow brings a whole new pile on top of them.
When you get home
9
Follow up within the first week — or don’t bother.Connect on social media. Program them into your phone. Add them to an agent-to-agent database. Send a personal video or a handwritten note. Then take all of your notes and drop them into Claude. Ask it to build your post-Summit action plan and your follow-up sequence. It turns a messy notebook into a clear 90-day plan in minutes.
The goal is not 150 business cards. It’s 10 real relationships. Depth beats volume every time — and depth is the part that is still paying you three years from now.
Questions I get about this one
Does this only work for Tom Ferry Summit? No. Nine moves, any conference. The pre-work changes (which community you engage in, which platform you research on) but the shape is identical: arrive known, arrive focused, go deep instead of wide, and follow up inside a week.
What if I’m going alone and don’t know anyone? That’s the best case for moves 1 and 2. Ten pre-event messages turn a room of strangers into a room with ten people expecting to meet you.
Three things this week, before the event arrives.
- Connect with agents in your feeder markets — through the coaching Facebook communities if you’re a client, or LinkedIn and Instagram if you’re not.
- Write down your three focus areas.
- Build your elevator pitch so you’re ready the moment someone asks about your business.
Show up prepared. Walk out with relationships that feed your business for years.
This exercise is designed to do one thing: set appointments. Track your progress and pay attention to what is converting.
Want the next one in your inbox instead of finding it here later?
One practical challenge a week, plus every new Claude build delivered before anyone asks.
Subscribe to Take It and RunTell Google you want Kristi’s articles first
Add kristijencks.com as a preferred source and Google highlights new Take It and Run posts in your Top Stories and AI results.
Want one of these built for your business instead of building it yourself?
A working session with Kristi or Merrill ends with a system running, not a list of notes.