www.sdchamber.org

Membership Update

By Doug Holman, Vice President of Membership

I am hopeful that by now you have seen numerous references to either the Entrepreneurial Training Program or Chamber Academy. Providing professional development opportunities to our members is something your Chamber takes very seriously.

Last week, we launched two state sponsored programs – Enhanced Sales Training and Everyday MBA Small Business Booster. Each course is designed to provide top notch training at no cost. Nonmembers have paid as much as $7,500 to receive identical training. To date, 36 member businesses have enrolled and are receiving great insights on how to make the most of every business day.

One member sent the following email at 11:30 pm following her very first class: “Well, they say everything happens for a reason.  I am extremely pleased with Darren's class. His persona, presentation and sales strategy way surpassed my expectations. This man is a gold mine! I really enjoyed the evening and for the first time in a long time I can actually say that I look forward to the next session.”

Talk about an exclamation point endorsing the Entrepreneurial Training Program! It is not too late to enroll in either course, as a few seats remain available at writing of my monthly membership update.

There is a third course to consider as well. Relationship First Training will be every bit as memorable and worthwhile. The first session begins on Monday, September 8, 2008. The purpose of this seven-week course will be to get your clients to retain longer, purchase more and frequently refer. In addition, Robert Moberg will deliver targeted prospecting and follow-up methods to build strong relationships and produce more closes.

Because not every member qualifies for this program, we have revamped the Chamber Academy. Our intent is to provide no cost training to every interested member. Be sure to pay special attention to Chamber emails in the next six-weeks as more detail will follow.

To learn how to qualify for the Entrepreneurial Training Program, visit www.sdchamber-members.org/ChamberAcademy.CourseDesc.htm#MBA to get all of the facts. And, if you know any business associates that could be taking advantage of the training, I encourage you to pass along this message.

Rest assured we will continue to do our very best to enhance our benefit offerings to enrich our members. As always, thank for your support and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming Chamber event or training.