The Horizon
December 2011
CALENDARof events……………………………………………………… January 2012
February 2012
2—Chamber Office CLOSED — Happy New Year!
1—Marketing Committee—8:30am at the Chamber
10—Executive Committee—8:00am at the Chamber
2—Member & Public Relations—8:00am at the Chamber
11—Marketing Committee—8:30am at the Chamber
7—Executive Committee—8:00am at the Chamber
11—B2B Member Luncheon—11:30-1:00 pm at Pizza Ranch
10—Auction Amore—6:00 pm at Holiday Inn Express
12—Member & Public Relations—8:00am at the Chamber
14—Chamber Board Meeting—8:00am at the Chamber
What’s INSIDE
17—Chamber Board Meeting—8:00am at the Chamber
15–Fundraising Committee—8:30am at the Chamber
Welcome to the Chamber!
18–Fundraising Committee—8:30am at the Chamber
16—Chamber Mixer—Victory Lanes—900 N. Splitrock Blvd.— 5:00-6:30 pm
19—Issues Management Committee—8:00am at the Chamber
20—Chamber Office CLOSED — President’s Day
19—Chamber Mixer—Performance Press—304 Dogwood St.— 5:00-6:30 pm
23—Issues Management Committee—8:00am at the Chamber
24—Chair Committee—8:30am at the Chamber
28—Networking at Noon—12:00-1:00 pm at The Brandon Steakhouse
24—Networking at Noon—12:00-1:00 pm at 212 The Boiling Point 25—Brandon Day at the Legislature!
December 2011
Words from the BVACC High School Intern Why Customer Engagement is ... Cutting, Breaking & Mixing It Up! New Year, New Events!
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Calendar of Events
Words from the President Merry Christmas to all! With the turning of the calendar comes the concluding month of year 2011. With the end of the year and soon the beginning of 2012, it is a good time to reflect on the results of our efforts at the Chamber. Between the staff, board of directors, committee members and essential volunteers, a lot of hours and dedication have gone into bringing valuable benefits to all members of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. We've hosted monthly mixers, ribbon cuttings, committee meetings, backyard business tours, and B2B member luncheons. Some annual events include Brandon Day to Pierre, the Annual Banquet, Golf & Wine Outing, First Night Out, Big Sioux Sun Run, Milestone luncheon, and Brandon Expo. Other special events included a town hall with Kristi Noem, annual membership drive, Tour de Kota, and a town hall with John Thune. The purpose of all the diverse events and activities made available to you is to offer educational, networking and advertising opportunities so your business can thrive, grow and be informed. Our committees continue to be the cornerstone of the Chamber. Different marketing campaigns to "Buy Brandon," innovation for new fundraisers, keeping up to date on various issues, member benefits and recognition, and soliciting of new members all takes place from the dedication of volunteers working together to make Brandon a better business community.
Our mission as a Chamber is to be the primary advocate, voice, and resource for businesses and organizations in the Brandon Valley area. With this in mind, the creation of the Business Resource committee has come to fruition. Much of their work this year has been gathering data and planning on how to best offer the resources that new start up and existing businesses need. We look forward to seeing more from this group in 2012. 2011 has been a rebounding year in the business world. As I visit with many businesses owners, there is definitely a sense of optimism and confidence going into 2012. Working together for the common good, we can continue to promote the Brandon Valley area as a great place for business development. At the annual board retreat in October, we pledged to LEAP in 2012. This simple, but powerful, acronym is a good reminder for the Chamber staff and board of directors to focus on you the member and the overall business climate here. L = Leadership E = Engagement A = Attitude (Positive) P = Personal I wish you and yours a joyous Christmas and New Years with your loved ones. God bless you, and may we give thanks for our many blessings here in Brandon Valley! Paul VanDeBerg 2011 Board President
Mark your calendar for these upcoming events!
Wednesday, January 11th
Tuesday,
January 24th
Wednesday, January 25th
Friday, February 10th
Kim Cerwick, Executive Director Lindsey Barwald, Administrative Assistant
BVACC Staff President, Paul VanDeBerg, Alliance Communications Vice President, Anthony Siemonsma, Edward Jones Secretary, John Small, Sunny Radio Past President, Kevin Thelen, First National Bank Jeff Bowar, Sanford Health Harry Buck, Town & Country Realtors Sandy DeZeeuw, Home Federal Bank Laura Kuehl, Bethany Meadows Steve Tripp, McKinneyOlson Insurance Beth Wooten, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
BVACC Board of Directors Horizon is an official publication of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce www.brandonvalleychamber.com (605)582-7400 ~
[email protected]
The Horizon
PAGE 2
WELCOME to the Family! Pearson Chiropractic
Words from the BVACC High School Intern Interning at the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce has been an exceptionally rewarding experience. I have learned so much about the business world and what kind of challenges both the Chamber and the local business men and women endure on a day to day basis. I have had the great opportunity to learn and grow as a person and I am so thankful for the opportunity. The people that made this possible cannot be confined to one list. Mr. Brick is someone I am especially grateful for. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Mr. Brick! I also am very appreciative of Kim and Lindsey who took me under their wing and gave me a clear view of a chamber's responsibilities. Thank you so much Kim and Lindsey! And also, thank you to the business men and women. Without your help and welcoming generosity, I would not have learned as much as I did. Even though my internship ends in mid-December, I am more than willing to continue assisting the Chamber. Thank you everyone for such a wonderful experience. This has been great! Jadyn Derr
December 2011
The Horizon
Based on these nuggets of information, the storeowner can make recommendations on additional tools, offer information on how to save time or money on certain projects, and provide other advice based on industry knowledge and first-hand experience with home renovations.
One of the best outcomes from the social media explosion is that the customer service bar has been raised. Now that more people are freely sharing their customer experiences—both good and bad—with the world, quality customer service has The more the storeowner knows about become imperative. the customer, the more personalized the Yet with everybody stepping up efforts, customer experience will be. This, in turn, the customer service function has to leads to repeat sales. evolve for a small business to further differentiate itself. This is why the next logi- Yet sustaining these types of engaging cal step in the customer service evolution relationships with hundreds or potentially thousands of customers is an impossible is customer engagement. task. In fact, the “Dunbar’s Number” theYou’ve likely heard lots of recent talk ory substantiates this claim by pointing about engaging customers as if it’s a new out that human beings can only hold fad. Yet as a small business owner, you about 150 meaningful relationships in learned long ago that personalized service their heads. and in-depth expertise are the two main factors that inspire customers to return This is why you’ll focus the majority of your engagement marketing efforts on time and time again. your top customers as defined by repeat What’s different now is the business sales and word-of-mouth referrals. A owner’s ability to foster these connections number that’s likely to be far less than in between customer visits through social 150. media. We’ll get to that shortly. For now, let’s clarify the difference between cus- You’ll want to cultivate stronger relationtomer service and customer engagement. ships with those top customers by providing insider deals, private showings and Going beyond exceptional service, cusother perks not offered to your larger tomer engagement is about delivering customer base. more personalized experiences based on In a nutshell, effectively engaging your authentic relationships with customers. customers both online and offline comes For example, in the traditional customer down to: service model, a hardware store owner would provide recommendations on • A passion for your business that power drills for a do-it-yourself-er (DIY). comes through in the way you interact The recommendations would be based on with customers, talk about your products the business owner’s knowledge and and services, and freely share your exwould map to the customer’s expertise, pertise. needs and budget. If the storeowner • Sincere interest in helping customers steered the homeowner in the right direc- make the right purchasing decisions tion, the DIY would likely return. based on their particular needs. Bringing this same experience up to the level of customer engagement, the business owner would come to learn more about the customer beyond the transaction. This might include information about the specific renovation projects underway, future projects and perhaps a bit about the DIY’s home life.
December 2011
CUTTING, BREAKING & Mixing it up!
Why Customer Engagement Is Just As Important As Customer Service By: Rick Jensen
PAGE 3
• Enthusiasm for building and sustaining authentic connections with customers. The ability to move beyond traditional customer service and engage customers will make all the difference in driving a more profitable business.
Chirosport
Heritage Lutheran Church
Ribbon Cutting—November 9th
Ribbon Cutting—November 14th
Bringing in the New Year with New Events! Networking at Noon
B2B Luncheon
In January we will be starting “Networking @ Noon.” This event will be an opportunity for you to come and have lunch with the Executive Director of the Chamber as well as other Chamber members. There will be no agenda, no speeches, just a chance to sit and have lunch with other business people and either get reacquainted or make new business contacts. “Networking @ Noon” will be held every month on a Tuesday, there is no need to RSVP, just keep an eye out for that month’s location.
The New Member Luncheon has a new name as well as some new features! The B2B Member Luncheon will include recognition of the newest members to the Chamber and will also include a quick refresher of your Chamber Membership benefits. We will also give you updates on any issues facing the Brandon Valley area as well. Plan on attending to meet new members, network, and stay abreast of all that is happening with your local Chamber.
Auction Amore In February we will be hosting the 1st Annual Auction Amore! This great event will be held on Friday, February 10th beginning at 6:00 pm. Get ready to bid on some amazing items including: • • • • •
7 nights in Orlando, Florida At Home Personal Chef for an evening for a party of 8 2 Season Passes to Huset’s Speedway 6 Box seat tickets to the Skyforce Much, much more…
Tickets are just $15 per person. Join us for an evening of hors d’oeuvres, spirits and an entertaining auction experience! If you would like to purchase your tickets now you can call Lindsey at 582-7400 or email her at
[email protected]. Only 300 tickets will be sold! We do have a few sponsorship opportunities for the auction as well. For more information on the Early Bird Sponsorship and Listing Sponsorship opportunities give us a call as 582-7400.
Purchase a Business Event Pass! A Business Event Pass will get you into each event without paying a separate charge every time. The Business Event Pass gets you into all of the Business Training Workshops (4), B2B Luncheons (3), and our Annual Milestone Luncheon.
Worried you won’t remember to bring a pass if you had one? We will have a list of those who have Business Event Passes at each event so you won’t need to carry your card! The cost is $100. (Save $25—$125 Value!)
