Are Chambers of Commerce a Waste of Time?

BNI is way, way better than the Chamber. You get REFERRALS weekly vs. leads [if anything at all] from the chamber.

I started two BNI chapters in 2 different states. BNI is only as good as you & the group you are in. If your group is run tight, by the BNI guidebook...it will be very successful. If your chapter gets lack on the rules, then the chapter suffers as do the members.

BNI was responsible for 20-30% of new business I wrote for several years. There is almost never an opening for a P&C guy. That is why I was involved in starting up 2 chapters:)

Very useful info, thanks for your opinion Bob
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My take on the Chamber - from when I was an agent and I'm also a member now for my new business:

Right when you join you'll likely get some quick business. This, however, obviously depends on how many other agents are there selling the same lines.

What I've found is the same people attend the events. So it's the law of diminishing returns as you attend more and more. You're obviously not going to pitch the same people over and over.

Joining just to get business becomes apparent and you'll be avoided like the plague. After a while it's just a social club. You'll get some friends and it just turns into a BS session after a while.

Worth it? Absolutely - just for credibility alone it's worth the annal fee.

That's what I've heard, that it can become a social club but you're right. For $250 it's worth it. Thanks for your .02
 
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Most of the events the local chamber has are early like 7:30-9:00 a.m. or in the evening 5:30-7:00 p.m.

What else could you be doing at these times of day to move your business forward?

I think Chamber membership offers the benefit of providing credibility to any business that is actively involved.

You also get to meet a lot of people who can introduce you to the right person at their company. For instance, I know a realtor who joined the chamber to meet the people who could introduce him to the person in the company's HR dept who assistes new employees moving in from out of state.

I know a sign guy that got real involved at the chamber to get to know some of the big wig commercial real estate guys who knew who was buying a new store location.

If you take the previous advice to get involved coupled with a long term view, chamber membership can offer a powerful networking opportunity. Just think outside the box about who could help you grow your business. Someone at the chamber is that person or knows that person.
 
Last point to remember, not all Chambers are the same. Just as BNI chapters all over the place, so are Chambers. Until you attend yours, there is no telling if the experience is going to be positive or negative.

Just remember, view it as a networking event and not a sales event. You are there to meet people who can later introduce you to people in need of your services.
 
Chamber / Associations / Rotary, etc..
Yes, be involved in the community based on the amount of time you can participate. People do business with who they know & trust and your "credibility" as Crabcake Johnny said will increase. Without asking for business, people will come to you. If you have staff and can afford their time out of the office, have them participate as well. Empower them.
 
I have been a member of different chambers for past 20 years. This is what I tell any new chamber member. If you just pay your membership and don't get involved, don't waste your money. Chambers have a number of networking events, Such as network lunch's, After Hours Business mixers, Leads groups, Business Shows just to name a few. Remember what Chambers are in business for is to promote business. Get involved and say involved it pays off big time. As far as BNI, I have also been a member. BNI meets weekly with strict attendance guide lines. I found this difficult to meet with a large territory and customer base. BNI guide lines, made me feel like BNI comes first my business second.
 
This was a great post... good thread. I think I'll spend that money on my Alumni association instead. Any thoughts on that?

Or leads...

Definitely no worse for possibilities. You have something in common with all of them.
 
I've found that you have to get involved for it to work. You have to be willing to build the relationships and give it a minimum of 7-10 months for people to realize you are not just visiting. Then I have found them to be an awesome resource. HTH!
 
I hadn't heard of BNIs before, thank you for the info! 7-10 months seems like a good idea.. if you go in with that attitude, you'll be more relaxed and people can smell an agenda a mile away. Even if everyone there wants more business! I'll start with my Alumni association, then maybe COC if I ever find that missing time lol.
 

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