Handed out 50 business cards at a startup pitch night and got zero real leads

I went to that Startup Social event in Austin last Thursday thinking I'd come back with at least a handful of solid contacts. Brought a stack of 50 cards, shook hands with everyone, even bought a few people drinks. Next morning I checked my email and LinkedIn and heard NOTHING from anyone I talked to. I realized later I spent the whole night pitching instead of listening to what other people actually needed. Does anyone else find that smaller meetups work better than big crowded mixers like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith_rivera1921h ago

Handing out cards is just step one. The real trick is making someone want to follow up with you, not the other way around. Smaller meetups force real conversations instead of that frantic card swapping game.

the_lucas12h ago

Smaller groups totally kill that awkward "handshake and hope" vibe. I usually just ask one person a real question about their work early on, that naturally pulls them into a longer chat. If they remember what we actually talked about, they'll probably reach out first anyway.