Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM May 2019 | Page 38
FROM THE CHAMBER
LUANNE NEWMAN
Director of Organizational Development
League City Regional Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
I’M A MEMBER – NOW WHAT?
W
hether you are a longtime member
of the chamber or brand-new, you
might ask yourself, “Now what should
I be doing to get the most for my
investment in the chamber?” What can
you do in order to position your business for success in
the community?
We are all aware that the networking events can
educate us, enlighten us, and expose us – the three E’s.
We can learn valuable information from presentations
or simply from those we meet, as well as giving us
much-needed visibility. Is there anything else?
All businesses can benefit from referrals – where
someone recommends you and your products or
services to someone in need. Remember, it is a two-way
street. Paying it forward or being the referring party can
be a perfect way to forge a new business relationship.
For professionals who come from a background in leads
groups, this comes naturally. For others, perhaps it may
take some deliberate research and planning. You might
already know a prospect or “power partner” for fellow
members and can easily connect the two.
How is your elevator speech, the short commercial
you’ve crafted to have readily available when someone
asks, “What do you do?” If you put pen to paper and
fine-tune 20-30 seconds of what you do, for whom you
work, and your target customer, being sure to say and
repeat your name. Here is an example:
“Do you feel confident you’ve
done all you can to represent your
company as well as you can in
order to capture clients? [solution
to a problem/need/situation] I am
Constance Coach and I am owner
of Successful Coaching. [your
introduction] I help business
professionals, like you, double
or triple business. [target
market] What’s different about
me is that I reach you weekly
through 1-on-1 webinars. [what
is special about you] If you want
to increase your bottom line,
remember me, Constance Coach,
of Successful Coaching.” [hook, re-
introduction]
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MOMENTUM
You’ll notice the example (fictitious) begins with a
solution to a prospective problem, shows what she can
do and twice mentions her name and company.
A friend of mine co-wrote Guerilla Marketing in 30
Days with Jay Levinson. Al Lautenslager spoke at events
and held workshops to show creative ways to build
business. I remember him telling me a story about his
wife and a bookstore. Once a month, at least, his wife
would visit her favorite bookstore, grabbing her next
favorite novel. Al noticed that she chose a store 45
minutes away and asked why she would travel so far,
when he knew there were three or more between the
house and the favorite store. He asked why she chose
that place. “Because they have the best carrot cake!”
was her response.
So, he would ask, and I ask you today, what is “your
carrot cake” that sets you or your business apart and
makes them come to you over another? How can you
communicate that to your prospective customers in a
succinct way?
Taking advantage of networking opportunities,
making a point to give referrals to others, and having
your best commercial planned, polished and practiced
are just some of the ways you can find success in
maximizing your Chamber membership.