I went speed dating last night. I’m actually very happily married, and yet my wife sent me off with her blessings. So what’s up with that? If you’ll recall in the previous two articles (The Keystone Experiment, and The Keystone Experiment - An Open Invitation), I joined the Sacramento Metro Chamber as part of my “Keystone Experiment” to see if I could leverage all that’s available to me as a new member to promote my business, the Bay Area Search Engine Academy. These articles chronicle the s... tombasea Colleen Belcher comment-3965 2009-02-27T19:39:40Z 2009-02-27T19:39:40Z Yes, it would be great to meet Bob and/or Roger on Monday as well. Bob, thanks for giving a bit more info about Sac Metro Chamber events. Colleen Belcher 2009-02-27T19:39:40Z Thomas Petty comment-3982 2009-02-27T19:24:02Z 2009-02-27T19:24:02Z Excellent, Bob. Thank you. Look forward to seeing you and meeting Roger. My understanding is that Colleen and Ben from Sacramento Press will be there as well. Thomas Petty 2009-02-27T19:24:02Z Rwelton comment-3981 2009-02-27T19:17:12Z 2009-02-27T19:17:12Z Thanks Tom- we were glad to have you there. You are right-on about the power of chamber functions. Chambers are conveeners. We create the events for members to connect to resources and gain additional visibility. It is a much more productive sales development opportunity than to go through yellow pages or lists to connect with potential business. People generally do business with people they know, trust or are recommeded by those they know and trust. Good point about connecting with a little "face time" and not try to "sell" everyone you meet - they might not be the customer, but they probably know a dozen people that re a perfect fit for you. Start the relationship and build from there. The Sacramento Metro Chamber holds from 6 to 10 events every month ( at lest 5 are free to members). Those free events alone can produce 100-150 new business leads each month and for some events we will even email a business card copy of all the other members in attendance to active members afterwards, so you don't have to meet everyone - spend quality time with those you do meet. See you Monday at the Grand Opening. Note: we just got a confirmation from Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickenson that he or a staff member will be in attendance. Rwelton 2009-02-27T19:17:12Z