Grassroots Corner - December 13, 2019

Have you ever been all dressed up to network for The FAIRtax but had nowhere to go?  Here’s an idea:  Check out your local Chamber of Commerce!

Our Chamber features an individual membership for about $200 per year.  Americans For Fair Taxation wishes it had the funds to reimburse you for a chamber membership, but right now that just isn’t in the cards.  You need to pay it yourself on top of your 1040 Club Membership.  But oh what a bang for the buck!


Our Chamber features informal gatherings such as “Wine Down Wednesdays”, often free to members or at a very low cost.  A “First Friday” program features a breakfast meeting with a speaker.  The event starts with going around the tables and giving each attendee a chance to announce his or her name and business or organization.




A good idea is to bring business cards.  You can print them up at your cost online at Vista Print.  Email Randy Fischer by clicking here, so he can review your card before you order a set.  Randy turns submissions around quickly.  Here’s mine:






Also bring palm cards and prebate cards which you can purchase from The FAIRtax Logo Store (link below).

You will be a little different from the other members.  You will be selling a legislative project while others will be selling a concrete good or a service.  Don’t let that discourage you.
After your Chamber event, send a follow-up email to people whose business cards you collected.  It’s a good idea to note on the business card where and when you met the person to help you remember next time.  You can also be a good referral source to that person.

My email, requests for the recipient to go to our Website and sign up to receive updates.  The goal is to expose the recipient weekly to The FAIRtax.

Our chamber also puts out a monthly magazine called "The Collection" which includes advertising.

The chamber also gives you the opportunity to host a lunch (probably at a restaurant owned by another chamber member) which I am thinking of trying.  Again at your own cost, this lunch can be fairly inexpensive and allows you to talk to a group about The FAIRtax.  The Chamber puts out the announcement to its members.

Our chamber links to a county Employer Legislative Committee, which hosts events.  This group is postured to put pressure on legislators from the ground up.

Your chamber of commerce will probably operate differently from mine … although these events may be good ideas for your chamber as well.  The point is: do not overlook your chamber as an opportunity to network.

Do you have any other ideas for networking? Please send them to me.

Don’t forget to order your FAIRtax gear from The FAIRtax Logo Store
 

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