If your small business is growing more slowly than you’d like, it might be time to jumpstart things with a healthy dose of old-fashioned small-town networking. While online connections are helpful for most businesses in the modern age, taking time to build real-world relationships is just as important for long-term success.
Two of the easiest ways to connect with potential clients in your community are to join a civic club or your local chamber of commerce.
Tom Egelhoff, an independent business consultant and author of “How To Market, Advertise and Promote Your Business Or Service In A Small Town,” is a big fan of the power of civic clubs to help business leaders to develop connections. Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions Club offer the opportunity to have a positive impact on your community while simultaneously expanding your personal and professional network.
Egelhoff suggests exploring the various groups available in your community to see which ones match up best with your interests and values. “Once you get to know people, you can ask them for referrals because they know you in a non-business setting,” he says. “Once they know you and the kind of person you are they are a lot more receptive to recommending you to their friends and colleagues.”
Your local chamber of commerce is another opportunity to create connections. In addition to lobbying for business-friendly public policies, these organizations hold regular events that facilitate connections between companies — and they can help you develop powerful relationships that are often difficult to cultivate on your own.
When you join, make sure you get a copy of the Chamber Directory; take a moment to review it and identify those companies or people you feel are your highest-value targets. “This will help you focus your attention and efforts on the right members, accelerating your chances to maximize your attendance at chamber functions,” says Chassity McComack, executive director of the River Region Chamber of Commerce.
Terry Dugas, marketing and public relations manager for the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce, says chamber membership can be a key component in an overall strategy to build stronger ties with the community, especially if it’s combined with a wider plan to connect with other business owners and residents. “The main thing is making yourself accessible to the people you want to patronize your business,” Dugas says. “That means getting involved in your community — not only when it benefits you financially — as a way to get your face out there. It always benefits you to just get out there and start shaking hands.”
For more tips on how to strengthen your businesses’ connections to your community, download our ebook, How Small-Town Values Can Transform Your Networking Skills.
