Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/26211
4A – Daily News – Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Commerce business In a world loaded with marketing options and information overload I’m often asked by new and existing business own- ers for a simple, inexpensive way to increase their local visibility and marketing efforts to produce more opportunities and sales. Without a doubt, I always ask a stunningly simple question, Are you a member of your local chamber of commerce? I get one of three answers: 1. Yes 2. No, but tell me more 3. We used to be a member Now I know every per- son has opinions but I’d like you to take a moment to read this brief article to discover seven reasons why I strongly feel that every business and non- profit organization should be a member of their local chamber regardless of the size of their organization, marketing budget, years in business, or even if they’ve heard or possibly had a negative chamber experience in the past. In light of the current chal- lenges in the economy, this article is even more relevant than when I first wrote it two-years ago. 1. Visibility. Yes, you’ve heard it said time and time again, that out of sight means out of mind. This is not a smart strat- egy for any busi- ness, especial- ly when times are good. A market can change quickly. As Jim Collins says, good is the enemy of great. This is a great statement, but I’d like to add to it as it relates to marketing. While good is the enemy of great, complacency and short term thinking is the enemy of sustained mar- keting breakthroughs. 2. Access. Unless you’re crazy or like con- sistent rejection, no one enjoys making cold calls all day long. It’s a painful, tedious process that often wastes far too much time and mentally drains even the most upbeat and friendly person after a while. When you join a chamber and actively get involved you’ll discover that meeting prospects who may have an interest or who can refer you to key contacts you’re trying to reach, is a huge benefit & of membership. 3. Ongoing training and education. Unless you have the luxury of a training budget or can afford to bring in local, regional or nationally known experts on differ- ent topics, I firmly believe that there’s no other orga- nization in America that delivers timely programs at such an affordable price as the local or regional chamber of commerce. 4. Networking. From seminars, leads groups, luncheons to business expos and various busi- ness and community committees, there’s absolutely no excuse for not being able to meet new contacts, referrals and people who can help you with ideas and addi- tional ways to grow your business. 5. Low cost advertis- ing opportunities. As far as visibility at the local level, a chamber offers a wide range of affordable advertising options and sponsorship packages for just about every business or non- profit, regardless of how big or small their budget may be. I’ve bought and sold traditional media and I can tell you it’s not cheap. For the price of a enterprise 7 reasons to be a chamber member few ads within a major media outlet, you can often sponsor an entire program with the cham- ber, give a short com- mercial about your com- pany, meet new prospects and follow up with the list of attendees who may have a need for your offering. This is a wonderful way to hold your marketing dollars accountable and see them working hard right before your eyes. 6. Advocacy. A foolish belief among large com- panies, especially nation- al retail outlets, is that they’re too big or not local enough to care about getting involved or join- ing their local chamber of commerce. A few things they should think about: Are their employees and customers local? Are taxes and school systems important to finding and retaining a high quality work force? These are key areas that the chamber researches, lobbies and routinely discusses with local and regional govern- ment units, politicians and the media to keep people up to date on cen- tral issues of importance pertaining to their mem- bership and the communi- ty. 7. Money saving dis- counts. If you fully leverage the cost saving discounts ranging from health insurance, office supplies, to discounted phone service to other items your business cur- rently uses or will need, it’s not uncommon for a small business to easily find enough savings in the first 30-60 days upon joining with endorsed providers or member to member discounts to recoup most, if not all of their membership dues. Being a small business owner, I can attest to the fact that being a member of the chamber and shop- ping around for discounts and services available makes joining achievable for any company regard- less of how limited their marketing budget may be. Well, there you have it! Seven great reasons to join or get more involved and fully leverage the benefits that your home town or regional chamber of commerce can provide your business or organiza- tion. Tony Rubleski is a bestselling author with Amazon.com and president of Mind Capture Group. For additional information including blogs, articles, free resources and his newly released book, visit: www.MindCaptureGroup. com. Arts council joins chamber • New Member – The Corning Chamber of Com- merce welcomes Tehama County Arts Council as a new member. For information call 529-0826, or e-mail at contact@tehamaarts.org. • Yard Sale – 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, March 5, the Harvest Christian Center Youth Group is having a yard sale, 1006 Sixth Street, corner of Sixth and South streets. The proceeds will go toward the youth group to help pay for a youth conference they will be attending in April. • Book Sale – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, March 11 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 12, the Friends of the Library will be having their spring book sale. This is an opportunity to recycle some of the books you have already read by donating them for the sale this week and return next week to get some great bargains on books you haven’t read. You can drop off books during library hours. They are: Mondays, 2 – 6 p.m., Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wednesdays 4 to 8 p.m., Thurs- days 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and Fridays, 2 to 6 p.m. The library is closed weekends, except for the sale. Thank you for supporting your local library. • St. Patrick’s Day Mixer – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, March 10, the annual St. Patrick’s Mixer will be hosted by House of Brews Specialty Coffees, (HOBs), 615 Fourth Street. Come and enjoy the Irish coffee, refresh- ments and a chance to win a raffle prize. • Corning in the Morning - The morning get togeth- er on Feb. 23 turned out to be very informative as well as filling and fun. The Friends of the Library provided lots of tasty breakfast food including breads, fruit, pas- tries and coffee. No one went away hungry. There were some very nice door prizes given away as well. The new Tehama County Librarian, Jessica Hudson shared all the wonderful things you can do on your own computer if you have a library card. You can access all kinds of books for free with Library to Go, access the Encyclopedia Britannica and get instructions on how to repair your car. The Chamber thanks the Corning Friends of the Library for hosting this event. • The Tehama County Employer Advisory Council – 7:30 a.m., Thursday, March 3, at the Job Training Cen- ter, 724 Main Street, Red Bluff, the monthly meeting in partnership with The Employment Development Department will take place. The topic is "Identifying Job Expectations". Presenters will be Sue Ampi, Employee Relations Consultant and Kevin Marshall EDD Veterans Representative from Redding. There is no cost to members. $20 for non-members: In this ses- sion they will discuss: Identifying job expectations, How to identify and close performance gaps, and Coaching the employee. Sue Ampi works for Blue Shield and has more than 25 years in various roles in the HR field. Kevin Marshall has a Master’s Experi- mental Psychology and more than 20 years of experi- ence in HR. RSVP Contact Michelle Clement 530-529- 7000 ext. 151 or email mclement@ncen.org or Kathy Garcia 529-7000 ext. 121 or email kgarcia@ncen.org. ——— This column is prepared and submitted by the Corning Chamber of Commerce. Youth Entrepreneurship REDDING — The Shasta College Small Business Development Center announces the Youth Entrepre- neurship Program featuring the Third Annual Business Concept and Elevator Pitch Competition will be held 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 7, at the Shasta College theater, on the main Redding Campus. The competition is open to people between the ages of 14 to 27 years. Entrants can receive no-cost business consulting to help them prepare for the competition and to learn how to start a successful business. The deadline for interested parties to register to compete is Feb. 25. Jeff Lewis, the YEP coordinator, has been traveling around the county speaking to various high schools and college classes about getting involved in YEP. The competition occurs in three phases and every one of the 6 finalists walk away with scholarship money and a giant check provided by U.S. bank. The competition is sponsored by the Business & Entrepreneurship Center and hosted by Shasta College and U.S. Bank. For more information visit www.sbdc- sc.org and click on "YEP," or call Lewis at 225-2770. COMFORT SERVICE INC. Air Conditioning & Heating Tehama Counties Factory authorized Bryant Dealer Your First Call For Comfort • RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • NEW CONSTRUCTION • SALES • SERVICE • REPAIRS 24 HOUR SERVICE 530 529-1990 Lic #593323 www.CascadeComfort.com $10 OFF SERVICE CALL Mention this ad for Whatever it takessm CASCADE