Bottom Line: It’s Not Always About the Bottom Line

     With the recent news of the merger between Time Warner and Comcast, the old adage “bigger is better” comes to mind. With a larger company, you can serve more customers; make more money… but what then? You branch out until people believe you are disconnected from the community? Where are the deep feelings of personal success in having crafted a business, and sharing that pride with others to motivate the same entrepreneurial drive that made Main Street, USA what it is today? Is it too old fashioned to consider how a business ties in with the community? How we relate to the customer on an individual level? How we relate to other businesses? In a globalized world steeped in competitive pricing, savings, and dizzying displays of buzzwords, people sometimes forget that behind businesses, there is an underlying camaraderie among us at the local level. That’s where a community-based Chamber of Commerce comes in.

     The City of Waukesha Chamber of Commerce is here to provide help for local business owners. Our focus is on both the city and town of Waukesha, and growing your business and strengthening your business relationships! But what exactly can chamber membership do for you? Here are a couple of quick facts that apply to a business that joins a local chamber:

• When trying to communicate specific traits about a company, enrollment in a Chamber of Commerce makes a business more effective at the following: communicating good business practices (29%), conveying that a company is ‘reputable’ (26%), showing a company cares about customers (13%), and depicting community involvement (12%) over simply making a general statement about a company.
• When a consumer thinks more favorably of a company because the company is a member of its local chamber of commerce, it is because he or she infers that the company is trustworthy, is involved in the community, cares about its customers, is successful, and is a leader in the business community. (The Schapiro Group, Inc.)

     Surprise, surprise, joining a community chamber is effective. But look again at the categories those percentages represent. Displaying how reputable a business is. Caring about customers. Community involvement! These are all merely inferred by customers, but we aren’t here to cash in on the conjecture of your clients. Sure, you can gain these benefits when you join a chamber by virtue of being a part of it, but we here at the City of Waukesha Chamber of Commerce don’t plan on resting on those laurels. Your customers need to know you’re an inseparable part of the community, and we’re able to provide this exposure in our online directory, on mobile platforms for handheld devices, and with our upcoming www.WaukeshaWorks.com program.

     Okay, so it isn’t as simple as joining and suddenly you’re 26% more effective at conveying how reputable you are. We still have to meet each other halfway in order for both the chamber and local businesses to flourish. According to Geneva Analytics Ltd, “a chamber’s strength comes from information distribution, not generation.” There’s a lot of trust that needs to be shared in order to fully benefit as both chamber and business, but that’s part of why we’re in this together, right? You, the manager, give us the information that we compile, and then together we both set out to make your business a stable part of the community. Our existence as a chamber depends on you providing, so we can distribute! This may seem like a daunting task, but a startling amount of this effort has been taken on by Google lately! In an article about search engine optimization, Mary Gammel writes:

"When you join a chamber of commerce, you automatically get added to their online business directory under your business category. You generally get to put the contact information for your business along with a short description and a link to your website into your chamber file. And, of course, Google values these trusted links to your website when calculating search rankings."

     So when Waukesha residents want to look up a service or a retailer, not only are they going to find local shops thanks to Google bumping your business higher on the search results, but they’ll also be aware of you thanks to the local circulation of info by the chamber!

     That’s all well and good, business exposure and boosting local reputation, but perhaps the one thing that a community-based chamber of commerce delivers is unity. Business owners and their local chambers have a powerful synergetic relationship. We don’t exist separately, sequestered apart in our own little bubbles; as people and as businesses we’re interdependent. Wouldn’t you want to buy something from a trusted neighbor over someone you’ve never met? Of course you would! Is it too old fashioned to partner over a handshake? We here at the City of Waukesha Chamber of Commerce proudly say no, it isn’t! We’re here to foster a stronger bond between you and your customers and to imbue that “Main Street, USA” spirit into every sale made and every service delivered. These sorts of interactions occur every day, whether we realize it or not.

     It’s that togetherness that truly drives and inspires people to go into business; for our families, ourselves, and our neighbors and friends as well. And you know what? We’ll be there to cut the ribbon for your new venture. We’ll help you get more customers and help everyone feel at home in the community. For the good of the city and town of Waukesha, Let’s Do Business Together!