Positive Networking as a Chamber Success Strategy

Following are excerpts of correspondence with CEO's of Chambers of Commerce re Positive Networking as a differentiating stragegy for member acquistion, retention and overall satisfaction:

"Great response Darcy!

I attended your presentation in Quebec City last year, since read your book
& shared it with my staff - an excellent book by the way.

We have not yet put the ideas into practice, but perhaps the time has come!

R. John Dolbec
Chief Executive Officer
Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
"Creating Business Opportunities since 1845"
(905) 522-1151 ext. #229


-----Original Message-----

Sent: July 15, 2004 2:03 PM
To: Dave Derry
Cc: ccc_chamber_group@list.chamber.ca; 'Leslie Walker';
j.dolbec@hamiltonchamber.on.ca; 'Valerie'
Subject: Re: [Ccc_chamber_group] market share
Importance: High


Dear Dave et al,

...the key question then becomes, what differentiates our chambers from
the competition (which is growing all the time), and what can we do better than others?
If we don't do anything differently, can we really expect
different results?

One answer is to focus on our natural comparative
advantage of cross-sectoral membership, and the depth of our membership
from large to small...also, the number and diversity of events we can
legitimately and routinely deliver. We at the Vancouver Board hosted
560 meetings of various sorts (200 with attendance averaging 100+) last
year--from small business 'tool boxes' to Micheal Dell--filled 41,000
seats and raised 1 million dollars (plus) of sponsorships.

The ethos of 'positive networking' adopted last year was a sea change
for us and certainly helped increase membership sales dramatically (55
%) and improve long-term retention (96%)--(first year is still a
problem, incidentally.) (Over 1000 copies of The Frog and Prince
were sold through The Board last year...there is an appetitie amongst
members for this, it seems). And, new sponsored programming was
launched to support initiative.

We have come to realize that chambers can provide networking
experiences like no other organization when properly done....different
from the 'power networking' and 'networking for sales' fads that are
increasingly so common with the competition--(some established
specifically for this purpose.) I am always surprised why chambers
don't focus on this key strength more....and I wonder why we didn't do
it sooner. It does take focus, training (for staff and members),
orientation, programming and the 'philosophy'--the ethos, so that
members can do it in a non-threatening, confident and high-purpose way.
Left to their own devices, people are incredibly poor networkers,
particularly here in North America---they need our help. Where else
can a member simply turn up with business cards and feel good, really
good, about meeting people? The chamber, thats where. If we teach
them how.

Cheers,

Darcy Rezac
Author: The Frog and Prince:
Secrets of Positive Networking, and
Managing Director,
The Vancouver Board of Trade
Suite 400, 999 Canada Place
Vancouver, Canada, V6C 4E3
604 641 1255
cell: 604 762 4022
www.frogandprince.com
www.boardoftrade.com

PS: I am speaking at the US Chamber Institute for Organization
Management in Philadelphia on 1 Aug and at the August ACCE meeting in
Orlando on this subject, if you are there."