Chamber After Hours        

Member Benefit: 

Chamber leaders have called it the most exciting and worthwhile membership service across the country.  And for one reason--It Works! 

How does it work?  Scheduled as requested, and moved to various locations throughout the area, Business After Hours can be scheduled for one to two hours in a relaxed setting with refreshments and free hors d'oeuvres available.  You drop your business card in the "hat" when you check in.  With your name tag firmly affixed, you set forth with purpose to:  1) Make and renew business contacts, 2) Tell other members about your goods and services, 3) See what is new on the business scene, 4) Win door prizes!

There is no formal program planned, but the host for the evening does supply several nice door prizes.  The winners' cards are drawn from the "hat."  The order of the day is to have fun and exchange business cards--so bring plenty! These are not, however, social occasions.  They are business meetings, requiring a certain degree of calculation to achieve maximum effect.  If you don't plan anything, you don't do anything.  To get the very most out of the evening, here are some tips for taking the best advantage of Business After Hours:

• Attitude is key.  You must be friendly and outgoing
• Set a goal for the number of new contacts you will have at the end of the evening.  Quickly acknowledge your friends and set off after those you don't know.
• Rehearse a quick eight to ten-word description of your business.  Keep your cards handy, loose in your pocket. If someone sounds interested, take their card and promise to call the next day.  BAH is a time for a brief chat, not an hour-long sales call.
• Use the time in food and beverage lines to talk to people.  Don't wait to get "settled in" and then start chatting.
• Get others in your company to go, so you can achieve maximum coverage of the room.

You will retain all the business cards collected that evening.  You follow-up in any way you like--a phone call "Didn't get a chance to meet you at BAH, but..." or a mailing--"Here is the material we talked about."