Let me tell you about Daphne.
(Not her real name. Yes, I’ve been watching Bridgerton.)
Daphne bought a ticket to Go-Getter Day for $347. That’s not a small amount when you’re watching every dollar. But she showed up ready to connect, ready to be in the room.
By the end of the day, she had signed a new client. That client committed to $1,200 a month for the next 12 months.
Do the maths with me. A $347 investment turned into $14,400 in revenue. That’s a return of over 4,000%.
Why paid rooms are different
I know what some of you are thinking. Why pay for networking when free options exist everywhere?
In my experience, free events attract tyre kickers, people who are curious but not committed. When someone pays to be in a room, something shifts. They arrive with intention. They’ve made a decision that says, “I am serious about my business.”
Daphne didn’t find her client by accident. She found them because both of them had invested in being there. Both were ready to do business.
I see this pattern again and again. When I ran the BD Sprint with my Thriving Women community, 50 women signed up and committed to an hour a day of actual business development. Picking up the phone, building relationships, doing the work. Over 10 days, those 50 women generated 1,500 new LinkedIn connections, 322 phone calls made and answered, 97 meetings booked, 26 proposals sent, and 103 pieces of new business secured.
Those results didn’t happen because the program was magic. They happened because everyone in the room had skin in the game. Both sides committed. I showed up every single day with a morning sales tip, an end-of-day wrap, and accountability (plus gold stars, because people are wildly competitive). They showed up and did the work. That’s the difference a paid, committed room makes.
Events compress the timeline
Think about how many hours you’d spend on digital marketing to generate one client worth $14,400. For most business owners, the answer is months.
Events change that. You walk in as a stranger and walk out with relationships. Real ones. The kind that turn into clients, referrals, and long-term partnerships.
One of my clients took this idea and ran with it beautifully. She went to the Women Leading Tech Awards and, instead of doing the standard “great to meet you, let’s connect on LinkedIn” routine, she recorded short videos of the award winners and sent them straight away. Think about that for a second. You’ve just won an award. You’re buzzing. And someone you’ve just met sends you a video of your moment. It’s generous, unexpected, and memorable. She got responses from senior leaders, including the CIO of Westpac. Doors opened that wouldn’t have opened with a standard follow-up email.
That’s what happens when you’re in the right room and you show up with intention.
The question to ask yourself
Most business owners ask, “Can I afford this event?”
The better question is, “Can I afford NOT to?”
Daphne made a decision to invest in herself and show up ready. That’s all it took. One room. One day. One decision that turned $347 into $14,400.
The rooms you choose to be in will determine the opportunities you have access to. So take a look at where you’re spending your time. Are you in rooms that stretch you? Are the people around you as committed as you are? If the answer is no, it might be time to choose a different room.
Choose wisely.