If you learn one thing in the tech startup space, it’s that things are ever changing and evolving. Who’s hot now? Who’s hiring? Who’s firing? What’s the latest and greatest? How do you stay in the know?

One way to be in the midst of the action is to clear your calendar for next week and float among the Dreamforce-ers that will be invading the city. Each has their own goal whether it includes networking, selling a product, increasing brand image, partying or just simply being an active participant during an exciting time of the year. There’s a lot of ground to cover so you best strategize your plan of attack! A simple recommendation falls in line with the 80-20 rule (also supported by Marc Benioff himself in his “playbook” Behind the Cloud – a great read!) : focus on putting in that important 20 percent of effort/schmoozing/time that will help you reap 80 percent new benefits/relationships/prospects down the road.

At Betts Recruiting, our growth stems from our hunger to continue learning and developing as experts in our SaaS-based playground. While a number of our clients will be present at Dreamforce bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we thrive on checking out and understanding innovative players in the space while meeting new people and networking, naturally.

My game plan to squeeze the most out of my Dreamforce experience and pull that 20 percent? Get out of my comfort zone. Ask questions and listen. Absorb and soak up everything like a sponge. Most importantly: follow up in order to seal those new relationships! Sleep, eat and repeat.