Niki, Breathe. Remember, people do what you pay them to. The Three Rivers Merchant Association is in "Business" to make money. Business. As in, pay us to get anything done.
I would go to every store individually and offer them coupon space. Call up the Welcome Wagon. Ask them if they want to put a display out. Call Val-Pak. co-sponsoring. Do you have a local county college? Ask them to co-sponsor. Ask if you can become a satellite campus. Hold a bake sale to benefit a local popular charity. Let Weight Watchers meet in your place one night a week. Find the local Linux Users Group, OWASP chapter, ISSA, ISACA, any computer related organization, and offer them meeting space. Find the local FBI and Secret Service Field offices, and offer Infragard and ECTF meeting space. (I am affiliated with both, feel free to call if you need help.) Hell, hold D&D gaming nights. Keep trying different things till you find some people who fit your community, or till you find people who help to create and change your community. Keep them. :) Good luck. On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 4:04 PM, Niki <sweetandshyn...@gmail.com> wrote: > I'm trying to connect with people in the small town (13,000) people where > my business is located. I am in the downtown district and joined the > Chamber when I first came to town. Asked them on several occasions if they > would like to cosponsor educational forums, but was "politely told" that > they did their own programs and weren't interested. > > I then asked to be part of the downtown merchant's association and was > told that for $100 a month, they would be happy to allow me entrance into > the "club". I couldn't afford it. I have on a couple of occasions said I'd > be part of a particular marketing event, but haven't got the money to do a > lot of things with them and because I am NOT retail, I don't fit into a lot > of their marketing ideas. > > Today, I sent an email asking the director of the DMA to post this offer > to the group: the conversation follows (my email to him): > > *It is so important to support each other in the “Buy Local” arena, that > I want to offer something to the other businesses in Three Rivers. At > Business Success Unlimited we have a table that provides handouts of > members of the group to the public that comes into the Center. I want to > open this up to the business owners of Three Rivers. If you would like to > bring in coupons of any sort from your organization (i.e., buy one get one > free, 10% off, etc.) I will be happy to hand them out to anyone who comes > in. I have a welcome package that we give to prospective members, and this > would be a great way to share your products/services with others, while > helping me provide my members with value added benefits to the Center. Any > takers? Thanks, in advance.* > > * > *His response: > > *Nancy ~ I feel that you will obtain more credibility from your neighbors > in Historic Downtown if you are involved in The Three Rivers Merchant Group > more so.* > > * I pass the info along that you send me to the TR Merchant Group AND > others….BUT with more involvement, like the Billboard Sponsorship, your > name will be ON the Billboard for $100 investment, OR any other type of > sponsorships you deem fit for your organization. * > > * Collaboratively thinking!* > > * > * I am furious -- but is it justified? Am I too close to the forest to > see the trees? How do I respond to this? What else (other than spend LOTS > of money with them, when in the year I've been there, I've not gotten a > cent from this group of people who have never bothered to come in, say hi, > "kiss my **!", or anything. I have offered to give them free marketing time > to be in a video I'm making on my business and on the town. I was going to > give them time to intro themselves and their business in the video that > would then be put on YouTube, etc. Not one person even responded. So -- > what do I do? My business has the potential to help people and in other > places has done exceedingly well. I just can't get these people to open > their minds. Thoughts? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/coworking/-/Yfczh8qNHXkJ. > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
