Community Involvement Networking
It is important for you to join at least one service club in your area to help your small business in the community. It might be wise to get with other small businesses which are friends and figure out how each of you can join a different service club to maximize your word of mouth referral base in the community.
If you are a franchised business, then meet with some of your nearest franchisee businesses of your system. If your neighboring franchisees belong to certain groups, you should belong to a group, which they do not. For instance, if one belongs to the Rotary, another to Kiwanis and a third to the Optimist Club, you should join the Elks, Lions or be on the board of directors for the Future Foundation, hospice, YMCA, Boy Scouts or city run committees.
Most service clubs work on big projects with their local affiliates and if you and your neighboring franchisee are in the same club, you'll be duplicating services. After all, if a fellow franchisee needs help with a service project, they will call you anyway. You don't need to spend time in meetings when you can be out and about meeting new people, making friends and establishing new business contacts.
It is important for each of your small business friends or franchisees to be active in their individual groups to best help you with additional referral base. You should return that favor by actively participating in the club you have signed up for. If you end up meeting someone from another area, you will be happy to take that information to your neighboring franchisee. They will do the same for you and this is what brings your referral network with fellow franchisees full circle. Small business owners are working harder then ever these days to make it all work, this is one way to maximize your contribution to your community and reap the full rewards of steady and good clientele.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance;
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