What Has the Chamber Done For Me Lately?

I know what you might be thinking - in the world of e-mail marketing and social networking, aren’t chambers of commerce a little old school? With my schedule, I can barely get my work done, let alone take three martini lunches!

For starters, actually talking to people face to face will never go out of style. And two, I’m an active member of several chambers and have never taken a liquid lunch!

This may sound surprising, but our local chambers are welcoming places for young professionals. What better way is there to practice your pitches, work on your professional image and make connections than with other local professionals? If you can be confident and hold you own with the area’s seasoned and accomplished leaders, you’ve truly arrived as a professional.

You can be great on paper (or online), but we all know that real business takes place between people who trust one another. Social media is just one component of your networking portfolio. It’s kind of like online dating - eventually you’ll have to meet them in person, and you have to live up to expectations.

Naturally, we gravitate toward people who are like us. Unfortunately, this doesn’t create a balanced network. Chambers force us to get to know people who we otherwise might not. These are the people we don't know we need to know.

Niche groups within chambers, such as manufacturing summits and women's committees, provide smaller platforms to create deeper connections and are ripe with leadership opportunities. They are often looking for emerging leaders to step up to the plate. 

My experience with the South Suburban Chamber, which serves primarily Oak Creek and Franklin has greatly impacted my thoughts on chambers of commerce. Not only have I recently been appointed to the board of directors, I’ve also had the opportunity to chair a new young professionals group. 

I’ve made connections and built relationships through the chamber that I am sure I would not have otherwise. Take this blog for example - guess who’s also a member of their local chamber? And where I stop for coffee, where I take clients to lunch in Oak Creek, my new favorite pizza place, where I tell my friends and family to stay when they visit from our of town. All connections I made through the chamber.

And when it's time to join a gym, put new siding on my house, plan for retirement, hire an attorney, or look for a new print shop…guess who the first people I call will be?

Never been to a South Suburban Chamber event? Come and be my guest! I'm serious, just let me know.

Coming soon - "What's Rotary got to do with it?"