Summer Dining Deals, and deals in general

We've been having fun at the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce with a recent program designed to support local restaurants, which we mentioned on the blog back in April (http://rogerslowellchamber.blogspot.com/2009/04/support-our-restaurants-so-we-can-keep.html).

The program has been running smoothly for the past few months, and it seemed like a good time to remind the public to get out and take advantage of these NWA Dining Deals! Just visit www.BuyNWA.biz (or the Chamber's website, www.RogersLowell.com) and check out the posted dining deals. The coupons are available to member businesses as well as the general public, and member restaurants can participate at no charge (for details, contact Dana Mather at 479-619-3182 or dana@rogerslowell.com).

We plug it regularly, but one of the other neat features available to members as well as the public is our e-coupons. Visit www.RogersLowell.com and click on "Business Directory" - it is extremely helpful! You can click on categories to find access to lists of literally hundreds of businesses by type (looking for a dentist? accountant? salon?), and you'll also have access to all our e-coupons across dozens of categories.

While you're there, check out the BusinessConnect tool - it can save you dozens of phone calls and time searching websites. Just put in the specifics on a need you might have either personally or for your business (brochure printing, granite countertops, catering, a banquet or meeting space) and we will advise any of our 2,053 member businesses who can assist. They respond directly to you, usually within 24 - 36 hours! You have to check it out to see how helpful it can be. Again, it's available at www.RogersLowell.com in the Business Directory section.

These tools are out there to serve businesses and connect our members with customers - be sure to take advantage of them, and let us know what you think!

Support our restaurants (so we can keep them)!

We have been so fortunate (ok, deliberate) in attracting world-class dining establishments ranging from well-known national chains to unique local restaurants to our community. But if we want to keep all this variety, we have to put our money where our mouths are, or maybe our forks...

With that in mind, we've been working at the Chamber on a new BuyNWA initiative to support our member restaurants, which we'll officially launch on May 1. (Not familiar with BuyNWA? Visit http://www.buynwa.biz/!)

1. We will mail and e-mail lists of member restaurants to our members and make them available to the public via our website and social media to as a reminder of our community's vast choices. These lists will reach more than 2,010 member businesses through our monthly newsletter (4,200 recipients) and weekly e-mail (2,750 recipients).

2. We will prominently feature restaurant lists on our websites and social media. The public asks us where to eat – we want to help them find restaurants throughout our community!

3. Best of all, we will promote and distribute electronic and printed coupons for our member restaurants at no charge to you! To participate, visit the Members Only section of www.RogersLowell.com or contact Shelle Summers (479.619.3187 or ssummers@rogerslowell.com).

In addition, look for our Ambassadors About Town dining monthly as a group at member restaurants (don't worry, they’ll call ahead). We are truly excited about the potential benefit to our restaurants, and encourage you to support them! Let us know what you think.

Completing your to-do list without lifting a finger...

Please excuse us as we try (in vain) to control our enthusiasm about our new BusinessConnect Tool! Seriously, it is a fantastic resource for our member businesses and the general public!

Here's the gist of it: businesses and individuals can save time by posting requests online, and member businesses will respond directly to you to give you bids, estimates or provide the services requested! This delivers excellent opportunities for member businesses to drive sales, and Chamber staff monitor requests and responses from member businesses to ensure timeliness.

It's truly painless. Just visit the Business Directory on www.RogersLowell.com. (While you're there, be sure to check out the category listing of all our member businesses as well as the e-coupons!) Click on "Submit BusinessConnect Request" and put in all your wishes, and as soon as we receive it we will e-mail it to our members to respond. Trust us, you'll want to bookmark the page: http://tinyurl.com/d5bdbg.

One of our staff members used the BusinessConnect tool for a printing quote on business cards for her husband's new venture. Within a couple of hours, they had detailed responses and quotes from five businesses, saving them dozens of phone calls. They commented on how impressed they were by the timely follow up on such a seemingly small request.

Examples of requests using BusinessConnect might include printing bids, catering for an event or open house, home services and repairs or a banquet or meeting facility.

Pretty cool, huh? We have always been proud of our ability to generate so many inquiries and potential business connections for our members, but this takes the "potential" part right out and leads to direct business opportunities. Love it!