Chamber Issues

Communicating the Value of Chamber Membership
The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce (PACC) is in a unique position to serve as facilitator and advocate for its members and the community. Representing large and small businesses of all types, the PACC is committed to ensuring a prosperous community in which businesses can thrive. It’s important the PACC communicate clearly and concisely the value it brings to the table. To this end, the marketing committee, appointed by the PACC Board of Directors, was created and charged with developing a Value Proposition Statement.

As defined by Dr. Lawrence Weinzimmer of Bradley University, “A Value Proposition Statement is a formal statement of how you will deliver value to customers based on the value drivers identified in the market analysis.”

The market, in a recent study by the PACC, indicated it expects the PACC to provide value in a number of areas: return-on-investment value equal to its membership fee, valuable actions in proactively addressing the area business environment, valuable future planning for the business community, and valuable products and services that help businesses grow.

While some segments of the local market value the return on their investment, other groups value the PACC’s investment in the community. The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce continues to support the needs of both market segments to cultivate an environment of prosperity.

The marketing committee determined the Value Proposition Statement should be forward thinking, convey the role the PACC plays, clarify the value of the PACC to potential members, provide consistency of message, communicate quickly and effectively, and address both community and member needs.

In preparing the statement, the key contributions the PACC makes were noted and prioritized. First identified were the overall activities PACC provides to the community, including: cultivating a thriving business environment, presenting a united voice of local business to government, offering business enhancing programs, and providing strategic business advisory services.

Secondly were the member-only activities the PACC targets specifically to their 1,200 current members. These include disseminating current informational updates and benchmark data businesses can act on; leveraging, promoting, and increasing visibility of member organizations; and keeping the members well connected and networked. These activities assist both small and large businesses to become more valuable in the marketplace and marketable to each other. These activities also help businesses improve their information consumption and usage without having to wade through materials on their own.

Identified third were activities aimed at the business community as a whole. This includes bringing together all aspects of the business community and functioning as a strategic facilitator to address community issues and needs. Through this role as facilitator, the PACC can initiate positive and meaningful change and enhance its powerful voice on critical business issues.

Finally, PACC activities with other area organizations were identified as enhancing the quality of life and promoting the Peoria area.

All of these activities add up to a critical mass of benefits the PACC continually improves and strengthens to bring value to its members and community. The current Value Proposition Statement under development will attempt to capture these benefits and convey them in a meaningful way, and assist in assuring the Chamber stays focused on what it’s uniquely positioned to deliver. IBI