My ABC's of Networking

Many articles and books have been published on networking.

Networking is an element each of our organizations are involved in to benefit our members.

The key is to stay cutting edge in the field?  Yes, like anything we do there’s a right way and a wrong way.

Here are my thoughts on the ABC’s of networking from what I’ve read or experienced over the years in the business.

• A – Accessible, can people get in touch with you or do they have to go through a gatekeeper?  Networking is about access, you getting to someone or someone getting to you.

• B – Behavior, are you setting up that daily or weekly lunch to gain new contacts?  You have to eat, why not make the most of it and set-up a lunch appointment.  That’s a great way to grow your rolodex.  Do you strike up a conversation with the person seated next to you on that cross country plane ride?  This is where your 30 second elevator speech comes in handy.  The next time you fly, introduce yourself to the person next to you.  It could be a 30 second conversation or it could be a great new contact for you.

• C – Connector, are you a connector?  In other words, when you’re talking/listening to one person about a subject matter, are you instinctively thinking about how you can connect them to someone they don’t even know that could help them in their business?

The ABC’s of networking is all about having a plan of action.  Don’t just socialize, network.

Your network is your net worth.  Think about that for a second.

For a previous blog on Social Capital: What are you worth go HERE.

Until next time!

Rules of Engagement

An engaged member is a retained member!

You know the deal -- recruitment, engagement and retention, are the keys to an overall effective membership plan.

Do you have a formal engagement program for new members?

Does it include:

• A welcome letter w/benefits sheet.
• Do you call them 90 days into their membership thanking them for joining and asking some key questions:

1. Have you visited our website?
2. Have you attended a chamber event?
3. Have you signed up for our grassroots network?

• In this call, it’s important to close w/thanking them for being a member.

While these simple suggestions may seem elementary, they can go a long way in improving your retention rates.

Remember, we all know it’s cheaper to retain a member than to recruit a new member.

Something to think about!

Customer Service

What does that mean?

In our business, I believe it means taking care of our members by providing the best programs, products and services on a daily basis to help them run their businesses.

It also means advocating for them at the local, state and federal levels of government.

There are a lot of customer service “best practices” lists floating around, just Google it.

Having said that, here’s a starting point for your customer service representatives when interacting with your members:

• First and foremost listen to your member and their challenge/complaint;
• Tell them you’re sorry and ask how you can help solve their situation;
• Go out of your way to make it right;
• Ask if there is anything else you can do for them; and
• Thank them for their business/membership.

Empower your employees to make it right on the spot.  If they have to ask and get back to the member, you’ve lost your chance to solve your member’s problem in a timely and efficient manner.

A happy customer will spread the news of how you made it right!

For a neat infographic on 10 best practices to improve customer service from the Salesforce blog go HERE.

Word of Mouth Marketing

It’s not just a phrase. There’s a dedicated association to the field.

We’ve all done the membership survey that asks the question – how did you hear about us? Usually the number one answer is a friend or colleague.

That’s word of mouth marketing at its core.

We typically use the term member-get-a-member campaign in our vernacular. We do it because it’s very effective.

I strongly encourage your marketing staff to learn more about the techniques of word of mouth marketing if they haven’t already done so.

When you think about it, isn’t that what social media is all about? It’s just using the Internet instead of literally talking to someone face-to-face.

In today’s times we need to use all available resources and tactics in recruiting new members.

For more information on the Word of Mouth Marketing Association go HERE.

How Does Your Board Define Success?

That’s the big question!

I'd suggest you ask this question to your board on a yearly basis. It's important to define it, write it down and measure it.

It's your chance to prioritize your chambers resources to deliver the most value to your members.

And it gives you a yearly outline on how you can be successful by delivering on what your board defines as success.  It outlines where you should be spending your staff's resources.

Here are some of the answers I hear when that question is asked are the following:

• Number of members
• Annual revenue or growth in annual revenue
• Amount of revenue sent to reserves
• Advocacy successes
• Quality and number of programs
• Economic development/workforce successes

I hope the discussion to define success is on the agenda at your next board retreat!

For a great resource from The Bridgespan Group on becoming a more effective nonprofit board go HERE.

Social Media: Content Rules

The book Content Rules is a must read by any chamber who wants to start or raise their game when it comes to social media.

The book has many great suggestions but I wanted to focus on the frequency template that they describe.

The 1, 7, 30, 4, 2, 1 rule:

• 1 – daily tweets
• 7 – weekly blog post
• 30 – monthly blog post on a recent meeting
• 4 – quarterly research paper
• 2 – biannual webinar roundtable
• 1 – annual best practices, book, etc.

And don’t forget the title of the book, Content Rules. That's key!

Your social media should not be used as just another marketing tool. Use it to deliver content and encourage discussion on the important topics facing the business community, like growing their business, complying with regulations and electing pro-business candidates.

It’s been said before you can’t be all things to all people. The same is true with social media. You can’t be on all platforms and be successful!

Find out where your members are hanging out in the social media space and build a reputation in that space. It could be a blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google +, or some other platform.

It seems to me that every time I turn around a new tool is introduced in social media and is hyped as the next best thing.

Go where your members are and potential members are, don’t wait for them to come to you.

Content Rules!

For the latest articles in content marketing go to the Content Marketing Institute’s blog HERE.

Past Chairman’s Club

What a great resource that’s at your fingertips.

If you don’t have a “Past Chairman’s Club” you might think about creating one.

The following reasons are just a few good examples of why they could become your best asset and sounding board.

What might you add to the list?

• They no longer have a dog in the fight;
• They are seen as an elder statesman;
• Great sounding board for new ideas; and
• They could be a buffer to current board members.

The key to a successful “Past Chairman’s Club” is all in the set-up. Set ground rules:

• Attendance is mandatory;
• Financial support of the organization; and
• Confidentiality.

What should you do in return? Create a special program for the “Past Chairman’s Club” (i.e., breakfast speaker series that will enhance their knowledge or business). It’s important to meet on a regular basis (i.e., quarterly, or bi-annually).

Once you decide on the frequency, stick with it. They will put it on their calendars as a must attend event.

In my opinion, this is a case of “if you build it, they will come.”