How to Get As Many Leads As You Damn Well Please

Small Events. Big Gains 💪

How to use small events to get as many leads as you damn well please.

If you were hyped up by my talk at ScaleCon 2025 and wanted to see how you can fill your pipeline with cost-effective events, you're in the right place.

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And if you saw my pitch for me to come help you prospect at your event, this is exactly where you sign up

👉👉 Book Mike for your event 👈👈

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Find your ideal clients without breaking the bank

As an MSP, you know the struggle of getting leads. The traditional methods are often expensive and can feel impersonal. You might be spending a fortune on things like Google or Facebook Ads, with a single qualified first-time appointment costing up to $1,500. But what if there was a different, more personal way to get in front of your ideal clients without breaking the bank? I'm talking about small, local events.

A group of people, including golfers, gathering around the Onit - A Better Way to Do IT booth at an outdoor event. A banner shows the company's "0% Jackassery" philosophy.

The Strategy: Small Events, Big Gains

My approach is simple yet highly effective: trade expensive, impersonal advertising for authentic, in-person engagement. Over the last year, I’ve personally attended over 34 events, making more than 1,000 connections and booking hundreds of appointments. These small events are a great way to "hunt" for leads and break through the constant spam that has made cold emails and ads less effective. The best part? You can get between 10 to 20 engaged connections for under $2,500.

An indoor trade show booth for Golden Hills IT with a branded backdrop, a large TV screen displaying a cybersecurity score of 47, and a table with brochures and materials.

Tactical Breakdown: How We Do It

Our setup is designed for maximum impact with a minimal budget. We don’t waste money on elaborate booths or cheap junk giveaways. Our essentials include:

A Budget-Friendly Booth: A simple tent and a folding table are all you need. We used a branded tablecloth to complete the look.‍
A TV and Laptop: We use a TV on a stand connected to a laptop to run the Cyber Score tool for a simple yet effective display.‍
An Engaging Lead Magnet: This is our hook. Instead of giving away pens or keychains, we offer a free Cyber Score assessment. This immediately provides value and gives us a reason to start a conversation.

A West Michigan Technology Services booth at a golf event, featuring a blue branded tent, a table with a laptop and TV on a stand, and a banner promoting Windows 10 end of life readiness.

The Power of Conversation and Follow-Up

The key to making this work is getting out from behind the table. We make it a point to be the first to say hello, positioning ourselves in front of our display with a friendly smile. Our icebreaker is straightforward: "Ever wondered how your website's security looks to a hacker? We can show you in under a minute. Let's check your Cyber Score". People are curious, and by the time they think twice, we're already typing in their website, and the conversation is flowing.

Two men in a conference hall talking in front of an Awsumb Tech booth. One man is gesturing towards a TV screen showing a score of 673 and other digital marketing information.

The money isn’t in the initial meeting; it’s in the follow-up. Most of the competition fails here, turning their leads into a missed opportunity. We are relentless in our follow-up, using calls, emails, and even walk-ins to turn engaged leads into booked appointments. This approach has been incredibly successful, proving that authentic, person-to-person interaction can yield far better results than just relying on digital ads.