Competing in Non-Competitive Environments Case study: “Leverage Your Successes”

Having conducted three successful individual seminars for the St. Petersburg Area Chamber like the one I described above over an eighteen-month period, I created another opportunity – one that has paid huge dividends.

I wondered that if we could attract 100 business owners to the individual marketing seminars, how many more we might attract by offering other sales and marketing speakers on a regular basis.

With the Chamber’s blessing and backing, I developed “The Profit Institute,” a yearlong monthly seminar program series on sales and marketing conducted by professional speakers.

Again, because I created the opportunity, I have been able to control the marketing plan, promotion materials, agenda etc. My primary responsibility has been to recruit the faculty. Twenty of twenty-one speakers are members of the National Speakers Association and 18 of the 21 speakers are members of its Central Florida chapter. By bringing these speakers to the program, I have made many valuable contacts among my colleagues who inevitably will repay the favor to me some day by hiring or referring me. 

My visibility among the Chamber leadership as a major committee head has opened many doors and the program brochure with my picture and bio has been mailed twice to nearly 4,000 businesses right here in my hometown. As a result of the success of the program, I plan to leverage my experience with a marketing campaign to every major Chamber of Commerce in the State of Florida!