Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Why I Finally Joined My Local Chamber

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Why I Finally Joined the My Local ChamberI’ve lived in Hillsboro for 3 years now. I love my neighborhood and community since the moment we arrived. This past year I got more involved, participating in the Civic  Leadership Academy and getting to know the ins and outs of the (almost) 4th largest city in Oregon! During the program we researched and presented to the City Council a proposal to bring an entrepreneurial incubator space to town. It’s an idea that’s near and dear to my heart from my years with the Seattle start-up community and I have visions in my head of why my town needs this!

During the program I learned a TON about the amazing resources available in Hillsboro and the awesome resources that the chamber is providing to businesses. I knew it was time to stop talking about it and finally join the chamber. So, I setup a meeting with the president to talk about all the opportunities and find where I could best fit in. She mentioned the Small Business and Entrepreneurial Council was going to be looking into our proposal and that it would be a great fit for me. In December I joined the chamber and jumped in with both feet.

I love it. The organization is awesome and the members are fantastic. I’ve talked to other local business owners who haven’t had as much success with the chamber and they’ve owned up to the fact that it’s because they aren’t consistently going.

When you join ANY organization make sure that you talk to the people running the show to learn about all the benefits and opportunities available to you. Take advantaged of the ad in the newsletter, take advantage of the radio show interview, take advantage of that first luncheon free. Do your follow up. Reach out to members and introduce yourself.

With any networking or membership organization you always need to evaluate if it’s the right place for you and your business. I love my town, and the more I can do business with businesses IN my town, the better!

What Resources Do You Need?

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what resources do you need?I met with a new client the other day, they are very clear on what they can do and what they need to outsource. Multiple times they asked “Is this something you can do for me?” Which is GREAT.

I love a client who knows what they can and can’t do. And I love that I know what I can and can’t (or won’t) do. I am grateful to have a fantastic network of resources so when I’m not the right fit, 9 times out of 10, I can refer them to the perfect person to help.

I’m participating in a program with the City of Hillsboro right now and we’re talking about what services and resources are available to the startup community. I’m amazed at the variety of services and resources in our town. Did you know the Hillsboro Library has a Makers Space? Yeah, it’s awesome!

Too often I see people with specific needs not getting access to the resources that would be perfect for them. It’s frustrating. From what I’ve found, it seems to happen for a few of reasons…

  1. People Don’t Know What They Need – “I need someone to setup and manage my social media and keep it on brand and in my voice” can be a different request than “I need social media help.”
  2. People Don’t Know What’s Available – Did I mention the Makers Space? I just learned there’s a new co-working space in town too which might be perfect over the holidays when my house is over run with people and I need some quiet work time and to get out of the house for a few hours.
  3. Services/Resources aren’t Promoting in the Right Places – Okay so you ofter the exact perfect service that small business owners needs. That’s GREAT. But how do they find you? Is it through referral partners? Is it through networking? Is it through your online presence? Don’t network just where it’s comfortable for YOU, network and spend time where your target market is hanging out.
  4. Inconsistent or Unclear Messaging – Jargon doesn’t help when someone isn’t sure what they’re looking for. If you work with doctors then you should use medical terms. If you work with patients then you should STOP USING ACRONYMS I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND. Make sure that your messaging is clear for your target market and that you aren’t alienating them by using too much jargon or have a message that’s not clear and straight to the point.

So how do you find the resources you need?

Ask

I can’t help you if I don’t know what you need. When I started my business over 6 years ago, I met with a friend who had recently started their business to figure out what logistics I needed to consider. I asked a lot of questions of friends and business owners to figure out where to find the resources I needed.

How do you connect with the people who need your services?

Talk to People

Again, I can’t help you if I don’t know what you need or what you’re up to. Make sure that people know what services you have available that work well with a specific audience. For some clients, they need a website right away, and for others they want to wait 6 months while they make some money to pay for said site.

As a business owner, how do you connect with the right clients or find the right resources to help your business grow?

The Perks of Being Related to Me

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Having me for a big sister is pretty great, if you ask me. If you ask my two younger brothers, they may have some varying opinions on the situation over the past 30+ years. But late last month for my brother Jake, it was all worth it.

Jake has been on the job hunt this summer. When he and his wife moved back to Spokane after 2 years living in Prague (they say Spokane is the Prague of the Northwest…) he got a job teaching. He decided it wasn’t the right fit and he needed to look for something else. Here’s the thing about Jake & his wife – things ALWAYS work out for them. It’s ridiculous.

With my large network across the Northwest, we’ve been talking over the summer about companies that may be a good fit and I’ve been helping him to best network and take advantage of my contacts. So, in late August we were chatting and I asked if he’d contacted my friend Kevin. They know each other and so Jake sent Kevin a note. And then a few days later Kevin called me. They were scheduled to have coffee the next week, but this couldn’t wait.

Evidently someone in Kevin’s office left that they weren’t anticipating. And they had a position available ASAP and they needed someone with a teaching degree. Kevin wanted to talk with me to see if this is something Jake might even consider. To which I said multiple times “holy crap this is perfect for Jake!” So instead of a meet and greet and brainstorm coffee next week, Jake went to Kevin’s office the next day to meet with the CEO and ended his day with a new job.

Kevin summed up the point of all this well…

Don’t worry, I won’t EVER let Jake forget this.

What does this have to do with marketing and small business?

You need to use your network.

The whole point of spending time networking is to develop relationships. If I ignore you for years then call you up and ask for a favor, that’s not great. But if we keep in touch over the years, I see you at networking events, we grab beers once in a while, then when you need a favor (for your brother or yourself or a client or a colleague) you’re top of mind. And, when I’m looking for a connection or referral for someone, I haven’t forgotten about you because I saw you or heard from you recently. I will preach it till everyone gets it:

Networking Works.