 Hello and welcome to love where you live a monthly production of the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce I'm Betsy Alice, and I'm the executive director of the chamber Today we have three segments and in our first segment. I've invited two very important people to join us Paul Kuplik who is vice president of Wisconsin Bank and Trust and Lindsay Harrison Irick who owns social or owns engage social media And the reason I say that these are really important people is that they are at the top of our core of volunteers called the ambassadors Historically chambers of commerce have always had this troop of people who are their face in the community Who do some of the really hard work and the fun work and who make it valuable for our members to be part of the chamber? So I've invited them here so they can talk about this a little bit this morning Lindsay is what we call the royal which means she is the top of the top the creme de la creme of the ambassadors For 2017 and Paul is next on deck or successor to the throne He will be the royal in 2018. So we've got the top folks here will take good advantage of their time I think probably the ambassadors are the busiest group. I Know That they meet monthly. I know that they attend countless events and and activities And they also commandeer some of those and make them into really special times for our members So Lindsay, I want to start with you and we can kind of chime in too because obviously we all know about the ambassadors, but What do you say about the role of an ambassador if you're recruiting a new person? What do you tell them? Our goal as ambassadors are to welcome new members to the chamber So when a new member joins Between our core group of about 30 people that represent different businesses We go in and we attend ribbon cuttings and welcome them through Emails and phone calls and just make sure that they have all the necessary tools in order to be successful as a chamber member Anything to add to that pal? We're also very active in the community. You've talked about ribbon cuttings a little bit and After our social events for helping the business community just Connect with each other. Yeah, it's a pretty it's a it's a big commitment that has a lot of tentacles I can recall one event where the group got on the trolley In there. Oh, they always wear blue coats They didn't have them today, but they usually wear blue coats at the official events And we went around to businesses to drop off visitors guides and Say hello And it was fun. We went to every community in well almost every community in sheboygan county and I saw that as a pretty big part of the tradition is that Core of blue coat people who are out there with a good smile on their face and a welcome So, yeah, I think it's valuable and the other thing that I know that you do is when a new member joins You invite them to things such as a business after hours Just because people don't feel comfortable immediately. It takes a little bit of coaxing and Cajoling and then they can become part of the group So So how does one become an ambassador? Well this year we've become very streamlined in our process So we like to see someone involved in the chamber prior to Either having them reach out to us or us reaching out to them to become an ambassador So like I said, we've got about 30 right now You think the goal is always to increase that so that the more you have in your own network the more people that we know and hopefully Gain more more and more value For being a chamber member because it's always good to walk in the room and know people It is so Right now that that process has become kind of more of an interview where Paul myself and a few other members of the chamber staff will go in and make sure that they're the proper fit Um from there if we feel like it's a proper fit, they'll be invited to our upcoming ambassador meeting So they'll get to meet the whole group kind of see how a meeting is run and how Everything functions and how all of us kind of communicate as a group. Everyone seems to get along really well It's just a really natural fit. It's a it's a fun group Um, then we excuse them from the meeting and we vote on them as a group Yeah But yes, has anyone ever said no No, I don't think so, you know when you're a volunteer I think it's always good that you just find the right fit for the group And a lot of people already know walking the door if they feel like they have the time And the resources to be able to to be part of and by then both parties kind of know the group knows and they know whether They really want each other to be part of this, right? So right yeah, it helps to have either, you know in lindsay's case to be your own business owner Or in my case to have a flexible employer that's willing to allow me to go out to these events I mean because i'm taking time out of you know, my daily routine and Going to the ribbon cuttings or or whatever events we have scheduled that day So that's always helpful Lots of them. How many ribbon cuttings? I think we thought eight to ten per month of things that we Ideally like to be at so that would be a ribbon cutting which happens for Basically when a business expands or adds on or does something of that nature Or a business after hours, which one business hosts every month for two hours where everyone's welcome to attend Open houses ground breaking different things of that. So there's a lot of good things happening in sheboygan county So that keeps us busy Which is great because you get to meet a lot of people and really get to be the face of Welcoming people into our community So why would someone want to be an ambassador? We get to wear really cool blue jacket They're very professional looking. Yeah, they're fanta. I mean honestly From from my personal perspective and and perhaps for paul as well as you really get to meet new people That you may not have been able to meet if it were just in your day to day experiences. So That's been really interesting and fun is you get to connect with a lot of people and a lot of times they become Your friends and you call them to to go out for cocktails after work or To go to lunch or to introduce them to another business I mean, it's it's truly all about the networking component of it and building relationships So in our one minute that we have left. I just want to put in a quick plug For the golf outing Because I know that it's all hands on deck right now. It's september 13th Is the golf outing at quick react? Well, I think we have one for some left So if anybody out there in the listening audience or the viewing audience would I guess it would probably be too late by then But in any case always a success almost always a sell out and a lot of companies pitch in to make it a successful event Tell me how much work it takes It is definitely all hands on deck between Donations and coordinating everything but the most Special thing to me is that we are able to present $4,000 a year in scholarships So, I mean to be able to give back to the community and see everyone come together is fantastic The work component of it. I think is minor compared to what you see when these kids light up and they receive $2,000 in scholarships Right. Well, absolutely And I do have to add too that there are other funds that go into other chamber programs for workforce development and Coastal and all of those kinds of things as well. So it's a big part of the chamber I mean, it's a big fundraiser for us. So I thank you very much on behalf of our members and our board because that work is Is spectacular. I'm watching it right now at our office every single day. So we'll be there tonight. Yeah, great Hopefully, there'll be a pizza. I think so. So, yeah So I want to thank you both for coming in today and Helping just educate people a little bit about what the ambassadors are what they do and I will tell you how valuable they are Thank you, Betsy. Thank you so much I'm going to talk about an interesting program that the chamber offers a little brag time for us It was about five years ago A couple of our volunteers came to me and asked if it would be possible for us to set up Some kind of a referral networking kind of event That members could take advantage of And I basically challenged them back. I said if you design something and bring it to me We will try to make it happen so five years later and five Deep dive 1.5 Opportunities and Now we have today So I think we started with one it went quickly to three then it became five And and you know today I've invited a special guest Lindsay Harris and iraq from engaged social medias here And Lindsay was probably one of the founding members of this group and some of the first groups that we established So we're going to just talk a little bit about how it works if it interests you All you need to do is call the chamber and and see how you can get involved Our members pay nothing extra for this opportunity. So I find that to be probably one of its biggest selling points But I think what goes on in these meetings is important So Lindsay welcome to the show. Thanks Betsy. Yeah, Lindsay's also a leader of our ambassador group at the chamber Um, I I just want to talk a little bit about deep dive groups I think the name came about because it was a way to establish relationships with other business people A lot of them either running a business or being a sales representative for that business And kind of going deep with them So why did you join initially? What pulled you and and how did you find it at first? Yep, so I started my business about that same time that deep dive had come out So I had been in business since 2013 And the chamber was one of the first organizations that I knew that I had to join in order to network and meet people So this had come up as an opportunity that was already included with my membership And it was an hour and a half two times a month for me to really get involved and to network with other people And the time that I joined people weren't exactly sure on what social media was So there was a lot of different Right How far we've come but So that was an opportunity for me to go out and do my sales pitch and for people to go out into the community And really tell others about what engaged tests to offer And I felt like it was my mini sales force. So that was very nice Yeah, that's exactly what I say to people when I promote it myself Is it seems like you have kind of a built-in sales force once you have created trust and knowledge about your company Then you have these other how many are in your group? It varies. I think um There could be anywhere between 12 and 20 at any given time So to be able to tell people about new and up-and-coming things and for them to expand their network I mean that's how all this goes right is somebody knows somebody who knows somebody. So Yeah, I think that it's doing exactly what it it set out to do Very nice. So I know I'd like you to just take us inside for a minute And pretend that we're all at a deep dive group sitting in the chamber conference room all around a big table What happened? So deep dive and then it's called 1.5. So the 1.5 represents the hour and a half meeting that it is So typically how it's structured is we would Go in introduce ourselves introduce our company say something new that was happening since the last time that we met Everyone in the room gets an opportunity to do so and then we have a 10 minute presenter Who's allowed to really dive into what they would like others to know about them? So they could do a personal type of presentation. They could do a company driven presentation So it's really their time to shine And after that you've got an opportunity to go around the table again and to say something new about Perhaps an organization that you're part of that they have an upcoming event or they're fundraising for a particular thing So it really is just truly trying to get the word out about things that are either happening in your life or in your company Or in the community or in the community. Yes a nice addition to it too. I guess so that that group becomes You know gathers around those kinds of events as well Yes, I agree. Well, that's a really interesting So you've been part of it five years that means and it meets every other month. No every other week. Yeah, excuse me Yep My particular group right now meets the second and fourth thursday of the month during lunch Um, there's other groups that will meet before work. So a 7 30 until 9 Um, and then there's also a group that meets after work from 4 30 until 6 So the chamber has really done a nice job trying to vary the time so that it fits into people's schedules Where they feel like they're able to attend as with anything the more times that you attend the more people get to know You the more times that you really get to have your showcase in front of people Um, and it just goes from there. So that's the incentive to keep attending Because the group becomes a little interdependent Right at some point. I know when we started it. We talked about making it The 1.5 would also point to you'll stay in this group for about a year and a half And then you can choose another group. Most people don't right most people want to stay with their original group right And also one more point the groups are made up of people in particular services or sectors And we try not to duplicate that unless the group says it's okay So in other words, if you have two real estate agents And one is commercial and one is more residential They may be able to work that out and it would be okay with the group to do that But in some cases if they're direct competitors, we find another group for them to be part of Yeah, that's a really nice thing is when you walk into the room You typically don't have a competitor in there and people are but the nice thing about How it's all structured is that people really take pride in getting to know you and building your relationship So that they can refer you out and that they feel comfortable doing so because it's their name That's also on that referral So the more times that you can attend and the better that you get to know people Just the more your relationship starts to build I've always also said there's a member of the chamber It's the glass coffee shop and whenever I stop in there I always notice that there are people after their deep dive groups Who then convene there and meet one on one just so that they can get to know each other better And I think they also visit each other's businesses from time to time Absolutely tours and visiting businesses and meeting other members of their company. I mean Like I said before this is relationship building So the more people you know the more that you'll get out of that Plus I can I can speak for Lindsay and saying that if if networking is the key Then that's the reason for her huge success with engaged social networking because it is I've watched this business grow and change and add services and and every time you do that you get to Talk about that at one of the deep dive groups, right? But also it's a matter too. I think of plugging into the chamber Being part of the business after hours being part of the ambassadors as you have been Being part of deep dive and then also Now being on our board of directors Yes, so thank you. Yeah, Lindsay's made quite a quite an effort at plugging into the community so that she can better Her business and it's it's reached so So thank you Lindsay for being with us this morning. Thank you And um, I I know we're going to be meeting with Sean Jackson from the chamber and talking a little more today about benefits And that's one of them. So thanks a lot. Thank you to love where you live We now have in the studio Sean Jackson, who is the community relations director for this Shabodin county chamber I'm Betsy Alice. I am also with the chamber Today, we're going to just talk a little bit about we we realize that a lot of times people don't know What the chamber of commerce does What we do for your business, for example So we're going to talk a little bit about that and even if you're a member of the chamber This might be enlightening for you as well because there's just a lot of stuff to remember when you first joined Sean welcome. Thank you. And um, Sean joined the chamber. Sean became an employee of the chamber in june on june 1st Oh right about there. Yeah of this year. So he's definitely gotten up to speed very quickly and uh Is building those relationships with our members. So he's the best person to talk to about joining the chamber But today we're going to talk a little about what happens when you've already signed that dotted line exactly um, so somebody joins the chamber and there's there's a lot that we go through and The chamber has so many you know events and benefits and and ways that people can get engaged Realistically the first thing that's going to happen is we're going to give you access to our chamber website And you're going to go in there and you're going to list the people that work for you You're going to be able to link your Facebook page and your website and your twitter account and whatever else you have on the social media side Directly to our business directory on our shabuagan.org page You know so and then there's a new member meet and greet that comes up where we go in depth with with things I mean and the nice thing is the the staff at the chamber is very very helpful If a member ever has any questions concerns Needs help with anything Very reactive whether it's someone up front or me or whomever Yeah, let's go back to the website just for a minute because I love one aspect of it too And that is that they all have what we call the upgraded option for their website page within our website And they can put videos there and photos there and we strongly encourage it because People click on that people go to find certain types of businesses and they will find you that way Right well shabuagan.org. I mean first of all think about it I mean that is the number one website of somebody's looking to do something in shabuagan county Visit here if they live here looking for a service You know, I mean thousands and thousands of clicks per month I was looking at a business the other day where in a six month period they had 158 views just to their directory page So someone come to shabuagan.org. There's a business directory They'll look up say restaurants. That's what this category was at the time And so there's 158 times in six months that people came to shabuagan.org Went to their To business directory and the neat thing is because they had their website Link to it There were 90 people of those 158 that clicked through directly to their website So that is a huge benefit from a referral standpoint that example Exactly and you know and and the interesting thing is I talked to a lot of our members They don't know those behind-the-scenes things that we do, you know So referrals. Yes. I mean really that's especially if you're a You know a small medium business That does a lot of retail referrals are really one of the biggest reasons that someone is going to join the chamber Constantly low phone calls people walking in. Yeah, you know, I mean so Lots of different types of referrals like I already mentioned the website, but our staff So you have people coming in the chamber office every single day Especially visitors asking for this or that inside the office. We have all of the brochures and and Materials that any of our members want to put in there for their services A lot of phone calls. We field so many phone calls every single day of people asking Where can they go for this or you know, what's a good restaurant or where can I buy this? You know, so we probably have several hundred a month of phone calls just for that And quite honestly, you know another benefit of someone joining the chamber that people don't think about Is how joining a chamber of commerce boost boost their credibility and boost their reputation Yeah, you know, I mean it's it's pretty I love statistics, but um, you know, so As soon as someone joins the chamber, they they get a 28 percent boost increase in favorability Okay, um, they get a 55 percent increase in consumer awareness Obviously because we put a lot of you know information out there And then a 53 percent increase in local reputation. Those are tremendous boosts I mean, you know, because when you look at buying something or utilizing the service You really want to be able to buy or use the service of someone you trust And I think what the chamber does is it gives them that credibility and that built-in trust factor because If we have a member that joins and we refer people to it We kind of help each other hold each other accountable to to be a good You know retailer and the other part is the awareness and trust building that goes on at networking events Like business after hours. Yeah, the business after hours is pretty neat once a month. We have that One of our business members will Host it and it's a really nice social networking aspect And we have anywhere from 50 to 200 people depending on the time here in the venue It's free to our members, you know, so you can come in and usually there's our derbs Well, exactly because the I don't even have to eat dinner that way I mean we had the last one we had was out at Amore in Plymouth It's connected to Antonio's and Antoinette's and they they they have a big catering hall Which is Amore and they put out, you know, their famous fried chicken and mac and cheese and it was awesome And then they usually you know a free beer and wine So, you know, it's the social networking is something I really really enjoy because that's when you get to know people You build those connections and again if you're an engaged chamber member taking advantage of these benefits And in getting you know the networking out there and getting your name out there You're going to grow your business and and one other point I want to make that I think business is in this as well, especially those who have employees Is that their employees can attend these events as well? Correct. So if you can't come find But you can also send other people Along the way. So I think that's really an important factor. Exactly. And it's just really just, you know I want our members to to engage call me Sean at shabuigan.org is my email or call the chamber office And and talk to me because I I really want to help them succeed and we have so many ways for them to To get engaged and succeed in their business. Yeah, I agree. I think um You know, they may be tentative at first and I also noticed that at our business after hours We try to take care of the new folks who come in You know, try to make some introductions for them get them out on the floor a little more You know, I tend to be somewhat introverted. I know that's hard to believe But I remember when I initially joined a chamber Back in I won't say the year When I had a business and and it was a little intimidating to Attend those events, but I think the ambassadors do a really nice job The ambassadors are making those introductions. Yeah, the ambassadors do an awesome job and again You know, all the chamber staff myself included I think we're very we're vested in wanting to see our members succeed And getting them connected with one another is a huge way to do that. I mean the referrals Me personally my family and friends already know if we're going to go out and do something They pretty much know i'm not going to a place. That's not a chamber member Right. And I'm the same way. I operated the same way and they actually do it on their own now It's like hey, Sean. Are these guys chamber members? Well, you know, yes And you bring me to another point chamber cash. Oh, that's as a final That's a really important one to talk about that is from I am amazed like I said, I've been there a little over five months And we sell over 300 000 dollars worth of chamber cash chamber cash You can purchase at our office or even at festival foods And it's a check and they can take it to any retailer and use it just like cash They hand the check in if it's 25 dollar chamber cash and it's 20 dollars They'll get five dollars back because the member gets that the neat thing is of that 300 000 dollars We have about 210 215 chamber members that that money has to be spent at That is a massive high for most local purchasing. Exactly. Right. Exactly a nice benefit. Very nice. Yep. Exactly. Well, thanks I know we left some things out. Ah, we always do and we also can talk about some time in the future about members in other sectors Yes, and the benefits that they receive, but this is a great start for those small businesses who are looking to make connections Yep, it is. Thank you very much for being there