Spring soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(BW AD KITCHEN) SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CA – Business chambers are like soup, it brings a lot of ingredients from the entire kitchen together in a salivating party of tantalizing aromas and spices that makes business owners feel comfortable in a chaotic environment.
This year, it seems there are several new soups in the Central Valley kitchen – from ethic delicacies, to broad-based basics.
These souper business chambers offer spectacular opportunities for business growth but, there may be room for some more spices in the soup bullion – the very base of any soup- or in this case, the basics of a business chamber.
What are the basic ingredients in a Souper Business Chamber?
1 cup of an affordable business rate membership
2 tablespoons of opportunities for business mixers
3 pinches of business events
4 dashes of database directory inclusion
5 heaps of lobbyist representation in local government to promote pro-business initiatives
6 truckloads of membership appreciation
Most local chambers have these ingredients down – except the last ingredient. When spices get old, you have to either buy new or increase the amount used. It could be time for local chambers to consider doing the same with their ‘membership appreciation’ spice.
The chambers survive based on membership appreciation; it’s much easier to retain membership than it is to find new members. And, it’s not too difficult to do just a tad more for members.
Chambers could easily show appreciation by giving small membership-only discounts to their events, thank you cards after the attendance of luncheons, or announcing business milestones in their mailers and email blasts and communicate about all the things they are doing to promote business initiatives.
However, the soup is a relationship that is held together by many ingredients and to really get the full flavor it has to be eaten at the right temperature, stirred and served in an appropriate bowl. This is the responsibility of the business to make sure they utilize every possible opportunity in the organization, to attend as many events as possible and participate in every way they can – otherwise this exciting soup could become bland, cold, or unfulfilling.
Once you have all the ingredients make sure to grab a large bowl and mix, mix, mix!
Ad Kitchen 