Great Food and Great Connections Can Go Hand-in-Hand

Last week many Chamber members embarked on their free trial of our newest member perk - the Connect For Lunch program. And I do not exaggerate when I say – they are raving about it. As you know, the strongest referrals you get are from someone who knows you personally. When another businessperson has time to get to know you, he or she will have the confidence to start referring you to the important people in his or her life – close friends, neighbors, a brother-in-law, the person they play tennis with.

A business card and a 30-second elevator speech are not likely to get you that kind of personal relationship – or those referrals. You need to give others more time to get to know you. That's why we decided to offer Connect For Lunch, which enables you to spend an hour or more at lunch with three different Chamber members. This setting provides you the time to make personal connections with other professionals – build trust, swap referrals, and learn more about each other’s businesses.Connect For Lunch does all of the work making arrangements for you, and lets you know ahead of time who you will be seeing for lunch so that you can walk in prepared.

Here's what just one member, Tom Reynolds of Comprehensive Retails Solutions, had to say about his first experience with Connect For Lunch: 

“Wow! My first Connect For Lunch was an outstanding success for me. I met three very interesting business people and immediately found that one of them shared many of the same customers as me - and we are now looking at doing work together on two new projects! What will happen in a year of these lunches?" 

I have more - but I don't want to overwhelm you. Suffice to say, it's worth checking out. The best part is, all Chamber members receive a free two-month trial of Connect For Lunch. You can sign up at anytime to start your trial, and if you decide it's not for you, there's no obligation to continue. For more information, contact Teresa Royer at (260) 424-1435 or sign up now at www.connect4lunch.com/fwchamber.