BRX Pro Tip: 3 Ways to Get More Out of Your Chamber of Commerce
Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, we’ve been blessed is the only way, I guess, I know to articulate it, by the relationships that we have built with various chambers of commerce and all of these markets that we serve. What are some good ways to get more out of your chamber of commerce?
Lee Kantor: Yeah. The chamber of commerce is so important to so many people and so many communities and all business associations. It’s kind of the same thing. You can benefit if you implement these in whatever business association you’re a member of, but get to know the leadership. It’s so important to kind of have relationships with the leaders of these associations so they know who you are, they know what you do. This helps keep you top of mind when they meet somebody who might benefit from whatever it is that you do or the services you provide.
Lee Kantor: Number two is, at these kind of organizations, look for opportunities to be a subject matter expert on a panel, at a meeting, at a talk. There are so many speaking opportunities at the chamber or a lot of these business associations, and if you want them, you’ve got to go and be proactive and let them know that you want to share information that you know about these kind of the things that you do that you’re an expert on. And speaking is a great way to promote your expertise. It’s way more elegant and less salesy than running an ad in the magazine. So, demonstrate your thought leadership by actually being a thought leader and speaking about it.
Lee Kantor: And then, finally, volunteer for leadership positions yourself. These kind of associations, they don’t work if you think you’re just going to pay the dues and think that business is going to magically come to your door. It just doesn’t work like that. The people who give the most tend to get the most out of their membership. So, volunteer in areas that showcase your expertise, that demonstrate that you are great at what you do, and that serving the organization is a great way to give you kind of that exposure to folks and to demonstrate that you’re great at what you do.
Lee Kantor: And, also, this way they can kind of test you out in that manner and say, “Oh, if they were good for the chamber like this, surely they’ll be able to help me in a similar way.” So, those are three ways to get more out of your chamber of commerce membership.
