Some Of Your Members Are NOT OK
I am working with two chambers at the moment on very similar projects. Both came to me for better messaging to communicate their value propositions.
As I have been poring through the project files, something caught my eye. Although I didn’t expect it, it’s not surprising.
One of the chambers does a regular business survey that goes out to their entire business community: 1000+ responses, 70% of respondents represent small to medium sized businesses. Pretty standard questions and not a lot of surprises in the answers, until it came to this question:
What are the top barriers or challenges that are concerning you most right now?
Ranking #6 tucked in amongst inflationary pressure, consumer confidence, and coming in just one rung under cash flow was mental health and fatigue.
That gave me pause. 20% of this chamber’s survey respondents are worried about their ability to keep going due to the mental toll of running their businesses.
I went back through past surveys and this concern has been trending upward since November of last year.
I suspect it is not unique to this chamber.
Running a Business Is Hard
Running a business is really difficult even in the best conditions. The mental health challenges related to business ownership are well-documented.
But rising prices, global uncertainty and a decline in consumer confidence are leaving a bigger mark.
This unfortunate circumstance is an opportunity for you, as a chamber, to demonstrate your relevance.
Some of the challenges facing your members are out of your control.
But one very meaningful thing you can offer them is community.
Being part of a network of peers who understand what you’re going through because they are going through it too is powerful.
It’s a support system your members cannot get anywhere else in your community.
Communicating The Power Of Chamber Community
But if you want to make sure that message is delivered, loud and clear, you need to talk about your networking opportunities in a different way. At least some of the time, focus on the supportive community angle instead of just highlighting the value of connections that could lead to business growth.
Relatable testimonials featuring members who have found strength in the chamber’s community would be a great way to deliver that message. Or a simple exclamation from a member who always feels energized after attending chamber events. Those won’t be too hard to rustle up.
Another important part of reinforcing the strength of the chamber community though, sits with how you show up.
Your members need you and they need to know that you’re there for them.
What I am about to say will not be popular opinion.
If you want to connect with the segment of your membership that is barely holding it together by a thread every day, you need to dial back the AI and automation and start connecting with them human-to-human, with empathy, purpose and authenticity.
With AI and game-changing automation tools, it’s tempting to trade what used to require human connection for a “more productive” method.
But real conversations are incredibly productive. They help you gain insights into what your members are feeling and experiencing, so you can serve them better.
And for your members, these conversations reinforce a valuable part of the chamber experience that an AI-generated email automation cannot: the knowledge that the chamber cares as much about their business succeeding as they do.
Look, these connections don’t have to be 1-hour face-to-face meetings. They could be a personal email (or one that just looks personal), a text, a message or comment on LinkedIn, or a quick aside at a chamber event. The point is, these moments make your members feel seen and heard. That’s something that cannot be automated. And it’s something they will remember.
Your ability to connect with your members person-to-person and heart-to-heart, is a key ingredient of your chamber’s secret sauce. And right now, some of your members could use a bit of it.
So, open that bottle and apply liberally.
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