Weekly News
From the keyboard of Lee Schearer,
"Leads Groups versus Referral Groups"
Having been the facilitator of the Chapel Hill Leads Group for over ten and a half years, I have been asked that question numerous times. The best explanation that I can give is that a Referral Group usually differs from a Leads Group in a couple of ways.
In a typical Referral Group, the member pays a fee, usually annual, for the privilege of being the only person to represent his/her business industry, Also, the member is usually obliged to provide a referral to one of the other members at each meeting. The member is obligated to have a substitute at the meeting in the event he/she is unable to attend. The member must attend a certain number of meetings or be banned from the group thus allowing a competitor to replace him/her. In many, structured Referral Groups, there exists a national bureaucracy which keeps a potion of the fees collected.
A Leads Group in contrast, has very little rules. My goal was to offer a venue where independent entrepreneurs could meet in order to establish personal business relationships. A "small business" community, similar to a bi-gone era, where folks would meet, usually at a coffee shop, in order to get to know you and your business so that, when the opportunity arose, they would feel comfortable in referring you to their client. In effect, we each become a sales representative of each others business. As a result of knowing you and having established a personal relationship, when we refer you to our client, the referral is based on a personal relationship. The value of a personal relationship is priceless not only to a client but also to the person who offers that referral.
The success of this type of "small business" relationship building is very evident here in the Triangle Region. At last count there have been 12 other Leads Groups that have been established in this area. While there are some small differences in the format of each group, all have basically followed our format and mission.
It has been said that the best form of flattery is imitation. I am extremely proud of what our members have accomplished and proud of those folks who regularly attend the areas Leads Groups. For it is these folks, the "small business" entrepreneurs, that have made this country great and offer the best of what is yet to come for future generations.
Respectfully,
Lee Schearer
Weekly Meeting:Time: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., doors open at 8:00am
Location: Dinners At Home, 929 Heritage Lake Road, Suite 700, Wake Forest
Directions:
- From 540, exit Capital Boulevard (Route 1 North). Right at South Main Street (Route 1-A ... see car dealership). Turn right onto Rogers Rd (just past Armadillo Grill). Take Rogers Road south to the second traffic light. Turn left onto Heritage Lake Road (see Walgreens). Turn right after Walgreens and quick left. Dinners At Home is behind Walgreens on the right.
- From South Main Street in Wake Forest, take Rogers Rd south to second light. Turn left onto Heritage Lake Road (see Walgreens). Turn right after Walgreens and a quick left. Dinners At Home is behind Walgreens on the right.
Phone: 919-453-1420
Cost: $5 per person, coffee is served.
Speaker: Dr. Joe Criscuola, D.C., Heritage Chiropractic Wellness Center
What To Bring:
- Business cards and a great attitude!
- Door Prize (optional).. those who bring door prizes will have an extra 10 seconds to talk about it, before its given away!
- Flyer or Brochure.. all are welcome to bring information to distribute on each table. Come early to put them out!
- Samples, freebies, etc to stuff into goody bags. After the first meeting, newcomers will each receive a goody bag with items from our businesses. No business cards, flyers, or coupons, please! Bags will be available and its a "stuff your own item", before we start at 8:30am!!
- $1 for Dollar Drawing (optional) - bring a business card and a buck - we'll draw winners to receive the cash!
- Guidelines for the group are that visitors are not charged for their first meeting. We'll be receiving $5 donations at the Inaugural meeting to help with our costs! Coffee is provided!
Attendance: After attending 2 consecutive meetings, you can place a supply of business cards in the binders that will be circulated at every meeting. Attend 5 out of 8 meetings and your business info will be posted on the website.
We'd love to hear from you! Please contact the following people for more information!
- Sue Robinson, 4minutefitness@gmail.com, 919-570-0913
- Tony Cattaruzza, tony@pchelpnc.com, 919-649-8649
- Lisa Angell, langell@marykay.com, 919-676-0451
Business After Hours will be held outdoors at the Historic Ward Homeplace and will feature wine tasting, live jazz music, and landscape and studio artists from the “Plein Air in the Triangle.” In case of rain, the event will be moved indoors. Don't forget your business cards.
Directions: From Chapel Hill and Carrboro, take 15/501 South. Turn left on Mt. Gilead Church Rd. (approx. 0.8 miles past the Village Way entrance to Fearrington Village). The Hamptons community is on the right. For more directions, click here.
Parking: Look for the gas lights on Mt. Gilead Church Rd. and turn right into the main entrance. Parking is available at the second lot on the right. A shuttle will take you from the parking area to the Homeplace.
Contact Meg Branson of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce at 967 - 7075 ext. 24 for information regarding Business After Hours. Don't forget your business cards!
The program will be held on the first Wednesday of every month in the Chamber Conference Room, scheduled as follows:
- 11:30 to 12:00 - Bring your lunch and interact / network with attendees as they arrive;
- 12:00 to 12:30 - The formal presentation by the volunteer speaker;
- 12:30 to 12:45 - Question & Answer period for attendees to interact with the speaker;
- 12:45 to 1:00 - Continued Question & Answer and / or networking.
- 1:00 - Roundtable adjourns.
A back-up speaker (from the following month) will be scheduled in case of an unforeseen scheduling conflict for the primary speaker. The Q & A session will be an opportunity for everyone to learn from each others experiences.
On September 3, the first speaker is Joe Major speaking on Web Design and e-Commerce. Possible speaking topics are, but not limited to: Marketing/Promotions & Advertising; Business Planning; Financing a New or Existing Business; Business Structuring and Critical Legal Entities; Proper Accounting for Small Businesses; Essential Business Insurance Coverage and Programs; Computer Safety and Data Back-up; Special Sales Techniques for Commodity Businesses; Special Sales Techniques for Service Businesses; How to Develop a Loyal Client Base for Growth. Attendees will be asked for consensus on the best subjects for future meetings.
The Small Business Roundtable is intended to provide useful and actionable information that the attendees can really use to build their business. The Small Business Roundtable is a venue for the speakers to demonstrate their core experience and expertise in their volunteered presentation and will not be a sales forum for the speakers. Speakers desiring to present should email Bob at: raltier@nc.rr.com, with the subject they want to present, the date they prefer to present, and a brief outline of their intended presentation that can be announced at least two to three weeks prior to the Roundtable to the general membership in Business Matters.
Tickets for the event are $30 for Chamber members, $40 for non-members, and $300 for a reserved table for 8. Register online at www.carolinachamber.org/events or call the Chamber at 967-7075.