Mastering the Membership Maze with Glen GouldWhy did you join the chamber? Have you stopped to ask yourself this question?
Usually members join the chamber with no clear-cut plan. Our study shows that members join for one of three reasons: Respect, Recognition, or Return on Investment. Unfortunately, members rarely know which of these they are seeking. In their minds, members usually join because they "ought to". They ought to support the community. They ought to because it will grow their business. They ought to because everyone does. And while "I ought to" is a reason, it will rarely lead to a benefit for the member beyond the momentary good feeling one gets when doing something they "ought to".
But there is good news. If you are one of the hundreds of chamber members in the typical chamber who still isn't sure why he or she joined, you can begin today to get a huge benefit from your membership. And if you are one of the few who knows exactly why he or she joined, you can get greater benefits too. All you need to do is to tap into the collective knowledge base of the chamber membership.
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One of the more valuable benefits of being a member of your chamber of commerce is being able to interact with like-minded business people and to learn best practices and cutting edge ideas to build your business. Chances are there isn't a problem, challenge, or opportunity you face in your business today that hasn't been addressed by someone in the chamber before. All you need to do is to tap into the collective knowledge base and find the answer. It seems easy, and it is.
At chamber events you have access to the best and brightest minds in business. By connecting with others you can help them, help yourself, and help your community. All you have to do is become engaged. Just attending meetings and meeting people will expose you to many new ideas that will help your business. While this process works, there is a better way.
Many chambers have formal idea exchanges. Whether panel discussions, interviews with successful business leaders, CEO Roundtables, or Business-to-Business Connection programs, there is an avenue for you to meet people that you can help and that can help you. If your chamber doesn't have a forum that regularly puts members together to discuss ideas, I have great news for you!
You can be the solution to the problem by volunteering to lead a group.
If you are a regular reader of this column or my blog (www.glengould.net) you know that the biggest benefit you can receive is through service to others. Helping your chamber develop a CEO Roundtable or Business-to-Business exchange will deliver amazing results. Imagine a group of business leaders who meet monthly in a non-threatening atmosphere to discuss challenges and solutions to problems they face. Whether it's hiring employees, sales training, or work-life balance, you can create a program for business leaders to come together and solve problems. It is a powerful tool that every business owner needs.
Or you could develop a business-to-business program to facilitate the exchange of leads and referrals for salespeople of member companies. Start out meeting once a month in an open format and then create closed groups of non-competing industry people to meet more often and build tighter relationships.
Often the best way to solve your problem is to bring others together who share a similar challenge to solve it together. Try building CEO Roundtables and Business-to-Business groups at your chamber and watch your business grow!
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