Networking Tips

“I joined the Chamber to grow my business, but I find it difficult to network.”

When we as a staff read this comment in one of our surveys we were confused.  We design NETWORKING time into every event, and every month we have a “Business Card Exchange”.  How could this be?  It’s what Chambers do.  Our client, our Member, did not know how to access one of our critical products.  This was a problem, and we needed to find a solution.

Your Chamber has stayed OPEN to new opportunities to create programs with your business's success as the PRIORITY.  From a conference presentation we learned the concept of “WORK THE POND”, which the staff and the Board agreed to pursue as a professional development initiative, regularly providing you with networking tips – tools for you to use at every networking event to guide you in generating new business relationships. 

For example:  a presenter who, at a packed NETWORKING function, asked two basic questions.  The first question asked was “Who is here to sell their products or services?”  Everyone raised their hands.  The second question was asked, “Who is here to buy a product or service?”  Only a few hands appeared in the crowd.  The concept appears easy, but we quickly forget.  An economy (or room) must be filled with a balance of buyers and sellers.  This is why Chamber events provide two great opportunities.  First, you can find new products and services to help your business, whether to reduce costs or to expand your marketplace.  Second, they provide an opportunity to develop future business relationships.

Throughout the year we have provided tips on how to be OPEN to these opportunities.  It is our belief that the more skilled our members are at NETWORKING, the better our Chamber business community will be.