You’re prepping for your direct sales company’s national conference, and you’re excited to learn from the mainstage and the breakout speakers. You can’t wait to see the new products, catch up with your girlfriends, and meet new people. It can be a bit overwhelming when you’re there, especially if you don’t have goals for the event.

Before you go, think of three questions that you can have at the ready to ask people when you’re in line, sitting at lunch, walking to a breakout, or waiting for a session. Ask the questions to people you don’t know so that you get well-rounded answers.

Keep your questions concise and specific. In many cases, you might only have a minute to ask the question and get the answer. “What’s your best recruiting advice?” is too broad. “What do you say at checkout about the opportunity?” is much better because she probably has that on the tip of her tongue.

Don’t be intimated to...