compiled by Kristina Valdez Join The Club Has becoming a member of your local chamber of commerce been helpful? Q A Distributor Asks: I’d love to hear your experience of joining/belonging to your local chamber of commerce. Has it been helpful for meeting new clients? Any other thoughts on the experience? So, I have found my local city one to be a bust. I joined a regional one, which led me to a national one, and both have paid dividends. My experience is that chambers of commerce can be a hit or miss. See if your local chamber has any regional partnerships – that’s where the money is. ED HAMNER Owner Howling Print & Promo Chardon, Ohio PPAI 593536, D1 I believe if you’re in a big city it can be a great way to get clients. When I first started in promo, I went to networking events every week. I got two of my biggest clients that way, and another big client who was a speaker at a networking event also became a client. Just about all my business came fromnetworking. Like everything else, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. When people get to know you, you will get business. I would also recommend offering to be a speaker at one of the chamber events. You can share ways for members to promote their businesses. It’s a great way for members to get to know you, like you and trust you. ROSALIE MARCUS Owner The Promo Biz Coach Jenkintown, Pennsylvania PPAI 438212, A1 Like most things anyone joins, you get out of it what you put into it. Many people join, don’t participate in events then complain they never got anything out of it. I belong to two local chambers and try to be relatively active by attending special events, ribbons cuts and banquets. I’ve also sponsored some smaller events, participated in a leadership program and served on committees. I have been happy withmy ROI, and it also gives me a non-sales opportunity to be in front of clients, prospects and referral partners. TOM D’ABRUZZO Owner BrandStorm Promotions Augusta, Georgia PPAI 795934, D2 Q A Distributor Asks: How would you react to notice from a client that they acquired a product sourcing account and will do their purchasing internally? I had this happen years ago. The client didn’t know how to write POs properly or understand how to submit art, so orders would just get put on hold. The last straw was when their employee placed an order for Vector Goddess / Shutterstock.com 12 | DECEMBER 2022 | INNOVATE
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