The New Chamber CEO

There have been many articles and blog posts on a new chamber CEO’s first 100 days. 

Some chambers may have a formal onboarding program for the new CEO with an official plan of action for the new chief staff over their first 100 days.

If they don’t, and knowing while there’s no one list that fits all, here’s a few suggestions that should help you get started in creating your to-do-list when you start that new job.

• Meet with every board member in their office;
• Review staff resumes and job descriptions;
• Meet with each staff person individually and as a group;
• Ask specific questions and listen to everybody;
• Don’t make any changes overnight; and
• Communicate your vision to all (staff, volunteers and the community).

Remember, you’ve heard the saying, if you’ve met one chamber, you’ve met one chamber.  Tailor the above suggestions to the needs of your specific opportunity.

Create your list today for your next opportunity.

Good luck!

For additional resources go HERE and HERE.

New Member Welcome Kits: What's in Your Box?

Ok, you’ve signed up that new member.  Now it’s time to engage that new member.

It’s time for the “new member” kit.  First impressions are very important.  Take the time to put some thought into your first new member communication.

Many new member kits include the following:

• Thank you letter and membership card;
• Certificate of membership;
• List of upcoming events; and
• A volunteer form.

Use this communication to ask the new member to become active.  Ask them to do three things:

• Register on your website for an upcoming program;
• Put their new member certificate in a prominent place for their customers to see; and
• Tell us what issues are important to you as a small business owner.

Now it’s your turn to continue that dialogue throughout the year.  First year retention is your goal.

Engage that member.  Retain that member!

Are You a Connector?

As chamber executives we wear many hats!

We’re advocates for our small business members, we educate our members through our programming, and let’s not forget that networking thing we do. 

Being a connector is the business of today’s chamber executive.

We connect people for many different reasons.  We connect people to:

• Solve problems
• Generate business
• Create a better community
• Educate/influence our government officials

I wrote about it in a previous blog post HERE - the statement that your network is your net worth.  If you have a strong network, you’ll be a great connector. 

The more people in your network, the more people you can connect.  That’s the position you want to be in as a chamber executive. 

Position yourself as the go to person in the business community!

What's The Top Reason Your Members Join?

We’re all busy running our chambers in an effort to deliver value to our members.

What’s your priority?

What do your members want?

I suspect new business opportunities and a friendly business environment.

As reported in a September 2012 toolkit by Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.), there are five main areas where chambers focus their resources:

• Advocacy
• Networking
• Business education
• Support the local community
• Economic development

I talked recently about staying focused when recruiting new members. You should equally stay focused on determining what your member’s want.

Ask them what they want, what they’re willing to pay for and then deliver on their answers.

Don’t be afraid to drop a program or two!

For more information on how to conduct a needs assessment and links to survey tools go to this previous blog post HERE.

Social Capital: What Are You Worth?

Network = net worth!

In today’s world I’d suggest this means two things:

1.   Who’s in your inner circle?
2.   Who’s in your Outlook contacts?

Today, you must also include your “social media” network.

Do you have a presence on the Web with a blog, Twitter account, Facebook or LinkedIn, to name a few?

It’s so easy to link them all together with today’s social media tools.  That’s your new network.

Your network is your net worth!

Yes, not only is the rolodex important, but now it’s important to have a reputation in the social media space and be recognized as a leader that goes above and beyond those inner circles and that's why you should be using social media to raise your profile.

What’s nice about the social media space is that your network goes with you wherever you go.  You take a new job across the country - that network goes with you.  That network can help you solve problems and generate new ideas for your new organization.

Also, think of it as an extension of your resume.  I think we can all agree that social media is here to stay in whatever format you choose to participate.  Be a curator of chamber knowledge and share that with your colleagues.

In essence, you’re creating your own brand that transcends any current chamber job you may currently be employed in today.  That’s powerful.

You’re worth it, invest in your future and in the future of your local chamber, grow your net worth by expanding your presence in the online space.

Your network is your net worth and that network has no geographic lines!

Strategic Planning

The strategic planning process has evolved over the years.

I’d like to focus on the process in today’s post.  We can no longer create plans that are three, five or ten years in scope.

With today’s technology and the needs of our members changing so fast, our plans should be one, two and three year plans with the option to tweak as needed throughout the year.

Strategy is the key word in the strategic planning process.  The following statements have been attributed to strategy.  Do any sound familiar?

• Plan of attack
• Position yourself for success
• Clear vision
• Simple consistent long-term goals
• Live in the present, build towards the future
• Shape the playing field
• Understand your organization and its needs
• Creating incentives

What’s the scope of your strategic plan?  Do they include elements of the above attributes?

If you’ve not gone through a strategic planning process recently now’s a good time to start!

For more information on strategic thinking and planning from the folks at Tecker International go HERE.

How to Stay Ahead of the Competition

With over 7,000 local, regional and state chambers of commerce in this country, you need to look no farther than the next community for your competition.

That’s right!

The next town, county, region, are all fighting (marketing) for the same small businesses to become members of their organization!

Now that we can agree that competition is all around us.  What are you doing to stand out amongst the crowded field?

I’m reminded of the Hedgehog theory put forth in Jim Collin’s book, Good to Great.  The three items I took from the Hedgehog theory are:

• What do you have passion for?
• What are you the best at or can you be the best at?
• Where do you make money?

This is just another way of focusing on your brand.  What do you want to be known for?

• Advocacy
• Education
• Economic Development
• Networking
• Ribbon Cutting
• Other

Remember, you can’t be all things to all people.

Focus on the important stuff identified by your board – and then execute that program of work.