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The ABCs (Always Buy Chamber) of holiday success

By December 8, 2015Uncategorized

The ABCs (Always Buy Chamber) of holiday success

The connections you make with other Chamber members can be worth gold at the cash register — especially during the last weeks of the holiday season.

With shoppers looking to spend, referrals and cross-promotions with fellow Chamber members can help us all capture shopping dollars that otherwise might go to e-commerce or to other communities.

Here’s our competitive advantage: buyers know and trust Chamber members. They can’t say that about Internet web sites, or about Big Box stores out of town.

Working together can turn that trust into sales for us. Here’s how.

First, promote your Chamber membership. Make sure it’s in your ads, on your signs, and on your business cards. People trust businesses that belong to the local Chamber.

Second, look to generate and send referrals with fellow members. If your service isn’t in demand at this time of year, look to help your customers with their holiday purchases by recommending Chamber businesses. Let your fellow entrepreneurs know when you send someone their way; they’ll likely be only too happy to return the favour.

And third, set up cross-promotions with other merchants and service providers. Can you create a package that combines your product or service with something complementary that another Chamber member sells? A beauty salon, for example, could team up with a restaurant to offer a package of pampering.

Or maybe you can collaborate with other Chamber members on advertising, sharing the cost of a flyer, or having their poster in your window while they have your poster in theirs.

The opportunities are endless — and you can easily capitalize on them simply by using the connections you have, and can make, in the Chamber.

It’s just example of how membership, like the credit card commercial once said, has its privileges.