A Personal Invitation

Power of the Personal Invitation

In the modern world of mass marketing and social media communication, one vital opportunity many people overlook is the power of a personal invitation. Today, I want to share with you a story of how one such invitation changed the growth of my business and became my favourite way of staying connected with my clients.

?Disgruntled me

?Decades ago, when I was still relatively new to the world of business, I joined four local Business Chambers at the same time. I thought that by paying my membership dues, turning up to meetings once a quarter, and reading their newsletters I would automatically double my sales. But of course, that didn't happen. So I became that ‘disgruntled chamber member’ who assumed networking wasn’t the right marketing path for my business.

?Trying to engage

?I eventually realised that I needed to actually participate, so I started going to more meetings. Importantly, I chased the powers-that-be at a few of those chambers to see how I could become more involved, but only got the cold shoulder. It seemed the volunteers running those organisations didn't have the time to deal with one more outsider. It was a very closed shop, so I disengaged again.

?A personal invitation

?It was around this time, as I was considering whether it was worth continuing my membership in these Chambers, that I received a phone call from Jim Taggett, then President of the Hills Chamber of Commerce (now called Sydney Hills Business Chamber, SHBC). I had never met Jim before and had no plans to attend the upcoming chamber Christmas party. But after speaking to him – and being impressed by him personally calling me – I decided to go after all. Attending that party changed everything for me. That personal invitation transformed my life and magnified my marketing opportunities in ways I couldn’t imagine at the time.

?My journey with SHBC

?I then decided to focus all of my efforts on the SHBC, attend regular events, and offer my services as a support partner. Soon after, I received an invitation to join the Board and within two months became the Secretary of the Chamber. I have now been with the SHBC for 25 years, including 12 years on the Board (four as President and six as Secretary). I have had opportunities and paths opened to me, which mightn't have been possible otherwise - especially as a small business owner.

?Staying connected

?How much would a personal call to touch base or extend an invitation change your marketing outcome?

?I have a series of rolling touch points for clients as well as prospects. The simple act of picking up the phone or dropping an email just to say, "Good day, how are you going?", without any agenda, can be a powerful way to continue building a relationship. Perhaps there is an event you can invite them to or a common interest you can catch up about. And the days of rigidly keeping business connections and personal friendships separate are long over. Sometimes, those lines naturally blur. That is a wonderful thing because everyone prefers to do business with people they genuinely like. But I do recommend that you keep work-talk to the business meetings and out of the social settings.

?The quieter times during December, January, and February can be the perfect opportunity to get together for a coffee or a game of golf. So, pick up the phone and make that invitation!