A great place to socialize and build business alliances!
By Martin Brossman with input from other quality members of The Capitol City Club of Raleigh.
Imagine a place where there is a great view, where you meet quality people, and where you can build powerful business alliances with leaders in their field. Imagine further, that you saw the value you could contribute to the community with a membership base of over 4000 people and a facility spanning two buildings in the expanding and ever improving downtown Raleigh area. This is the Capital City Club & the Cardinal Club.
For me, the club has been a leading resource for building valuable alliances and introductions in the triangle area. I want to talk about some of the resources available and the ways in which I utilize these resources. The club is not a place to just ‘sell your widget’ but is a place to build and maintain business relationships within a social atmosphere. It is a place where people get to know you and will appreciate your integrity, one of the building blocks of trust. Initially, you may want to test out these new relationships with a smaller project to assess how well you work together. Nothing occurs by ‘just being a member,’ you have to commit time and energy to interact with people at the club and to take full advantage of the resources the club has to offer.
What are some of the things that the club offers to the business owner, consultant, or employee?
• It is great place to meet clients, associates, and friends for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The service and food is excellent and you will never be rushed.
• It provides the opportunity to share and define a variety of business development approaches. A new member recently described the outstanding payoff he experienced when he bought tickets to join his clients at some sporting events which turn, led his clients to quickly recognize the value of spending time together building their business relationship.
What are the specific business opportunities?
• There are the three Leads Groups who meet twice a month first thing in the morning (Leads I on Thursday, Leads II on Tuesday, and Leads III on Wednesday). I am honored to lead the ‘Leads II Group’ which has 26 members. Members are able to tap into the collective business experience and expertise of their fellow members. The business to business focus does not exclude members who have a business to consumer focus. There is a satisfying shared feeling of professionalism and friendship. New members are always welcome to visit each group.
• The Business Alliance gathering is a group where quality speakers can be heard for the cost of a meal. It is an opportunity to heighten your company’s visibility and provides a robust networking and learning environment.
• The monthly Women’s Ventures meetings, like the Trendsetters, are a special resource and opportunity to meet with other female professionals.
Other business relationships are formed at social events and many lead to lasting friendships, such as those of the Wine Society which has a monthly meeting and is offered at minimal cost for the entire year. For the cost of a meal you can utilize the meeting rooms to gather with groups of clients and business partners (with the exceptions of rooms equipped with special conferencing technology). If you need to check your email or make a quick call, the office center is available to you. In addition, private phone booths with cell phone access are available.
Of course little of value in life comes without a certain degree of commitment. It is important to use the club several times a month with a special effort placed on meeting new people. If you come armed with the attitude of contributing as well as receiving, I assure you, good people are going to help you. I look forward to seeing you at the club and will help in any way I can to enrich and broaden your experience.
In closing, I want to thank members who contributed thoughts and critique to this article, to name a few; Jean Wiley, Greg Brissette, Lee Heinrich, Whitney Hill and Ralph DiLeone.
Martin Brossman
(919) 847-4757 or
martin@coachingsupport.com
www.coachingsupport.com
