Momentum - The Business Growth Agency

Check out our video highlighting #Momentum's basic service for businesses. Let us know what you think!!! #chamberofcommerce #chambersofcommerce #membership #networking

The next iteration of Momentum is almost here. Next week, we're excited to be unveiling our new AI platform for #chambersofcommerce. After months of rigorous programming, designing, fine-tuning, and beta testing, we’re finally ready to roll out a revolutionary tool that will redefine how chambers of commerce engage with their members. 👉👉👉 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 29 Get ready for a game-changer that promises to transform the way you connect, collaborate, and grow. I’m excited... And, I know you will be, too! ❗❗❗ If you're a chamber of commerce leader and want an exclusive first look on launch day, please DM me ASAP. I'll make sure you stay in-the-know. More to come... #chamberofcommerce #momentum #ai

I've been contemplating lately LinkedIn comments, and our attitudes toward them vs. the algorithm. Some of my connections - most prominently Khemie Khan and Kirke Männik - in the past couple weeks have mentioned something publicly, and in DM, that they appreciate the thought and effort I put into into comments. I definitely appreciate them noticing - and, it made me think. Here's my philosophy: If I'm going to take the time to spend on LinkedIn and comment on people's posts, I want the interaction to be as solid and meaningful as I can make it. Meaning, if I have a half-hour, I'd rather engage impactfully with 10 people's posts, than randomly on 50 others. I guess that probably hurts me some with the algorithm (which I think is sad and wrong), but I'm incredibly pleased with some very 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 relationships I've been able to create here on LinkedIn, with people from all around the world (which still blows my mind). Outstanding storytellers, like Joya Dass, Casey Rickey and Marti Konstant, MBA. Posters that catch me by surprise with stuff, amid a lot of the "same-old, same-old" on LinkedIn, like Christopher Wright, Daria Lukina and Khemie (mentioned above). People knocking it out of the park with video, like John Kraski, Kirke (mentioned above!) and Michelle Vernuccio, MBA. And absolute power users who generously take the time to interact, like Holly Crawshaw and Lindsay Rosenthal. In the end, comments are a powerful way to build a relationship. In the spirit of the algorithm, people try to respond to comments on their posts... It's an important best practice. How much easier do you make their lives by giving them something thought-provoking to respond to? In the interest of (you) building a relationship, what do you think will resonate more with the poster? "I get what you're saying. Here's an example of how that's relevant to my business." or "Great post." ???? I like to think of LinkedIn networking as parallel with real-life networking. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 y𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲.... 𝗔𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, "𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼," 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆? THANK GOODNESS the LinkedIn algorithm doesn't apply to real-life interpersonal relationships!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣 Don't live for the algorithm. Put thought into your comments, and try to drive engagement with the person you're supporting with your engagement. I'm convinced there's no more efficient value you can provide here on this platform! Special thanks to Khemie and Kirke for inspiring this post! #momentum #networking

You don't have to be a #chamberofcommerce member to take part in our virtual AI training. Feel free to join us. Consequently, if you DO belong to a chamber, and they haven't yet presented AI training (which is critical - they should!)... Please send them our way. Our program is plug-and-play, and brings revenue to them, as well! #momentum #AI

We did not feel obligated to give a gift for Small Business Week, but here's one anyway!!! #momentum #smallbusiness #ChatGPT

A big part of what we do at Momentum - The Business Growth Agency is help clients hunt down key contacts at targeted prospects. There's actually a lot to that, which is why companies pay us to do it for them. Sometimes, though, they all gather in one place, nice and easy for you. Next week, the U.S. Small Business Administration's Buffalo office is hosting it's annual #SmallBusiness Matchmaker event at Salvatore's. Check out this line-up of companies and organizations you can meet with: - Air Force 107 Attack Wing - Buffalo Purchasing Initiative - Buffalo State University SBDC - Continental Service Group, LLC dba ConServe - CUBRC Inc - DASNY (Dormitory Authority - State of New York ) - Erie County Division of Equal Employment Opportunity - Erie County Medical Center Corporation Center (ECMC) - Erie County Office of Economic Development - Erie County Water Authority - LeChase Construction - MCFL APEX Accelerator - Monroe County Supplier Diversity Program - Moog Inc. Inc - New York State Office of General Services, Office of Business Diversity (OBD) - Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) - NYS Empire State Development - Pike Construction Services - Prestolite Electric, Leece-Neville North America - Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Park - SCORE Mentors Buffalo Niagara Niagara - SKF Group USA Inc - Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc. America - University at Buffalo - SUNY Niagara SBDC - University of Rochester - U.S. Small Business Administration - Buffalo District Office - Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Vizient, Inc - Watervliet Arsenal - The Women's Business Center at Canisius University Even we can't set you up better than that!!!! Thanks to Paul Hoffman for sharing the information with me about this event at last evening's GREATER LOCKPORT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION #networking event - great event, Heather Peck!! Link to register is in the comments. #momentum

I promised I'd share my "hook" for yesterday's #networking webinar... First of all... Great time with the Better Business Bureau national team yesterday... Good interactions, great questions and I loved the feedback. My hook: I always laugh at medicine commercials. You know the ones - happy people strolling in beautiful parks and playing croquet while a voiceover tells you all the possible side effects of the drug being advertised? My favorite part: the fine print at the bottom, which usually tells you that the medicine will work best... IF you adopt a more health lifestyle. - Eat better. - Exercise more. - Don't have caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol or cholesterol. You know what I'm talking about. The connection is that when most people think about "networking," they think about going to events and mingling. I know this, because of the question I always get... "I'm an introvert... How can I be good at networking?" The question itself helps me to understand what you think networking is. 💊 Going to networking events is the medicine in the ad. 💊 Can it work for you alone? Sure. Read the fine print. Will it work better if you do other things to support it? You betcha. Our presentation to the BBB team focused on the "long game" of networking. Because "networking" isn't about events. Well, it's not JUST about events. It's about creating a strategy to build strong relationships yielding mutual value - and then implementing that strategy. For introverts, one of their favorite things in life to do is make plans, and then follow them. Which means... If you understand the 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 definition of networking, then introverts can be powerhouse networker! To empower the BBB folks - more than 60 of them on the call, representing regional offices all over the country, we focused on: - What Networking IS and IS NOT - Strategy - Execution of a Plan - Storytelling - Introvert Networking Notice the word "event" is not in that outline. Events can be an important part of a networking plan. Interestingly enough, IF you know your target audience and can find ways to access it, you could actually network effectively without needing mixers. Kind of mind-blowing to think about. (Don't get me wrong, networking events with a strategy are powerful) But, do you know how many B2B deals are made because people's kids' played on the same soccer team? Or, they serve on the same non-profit board? See each other at a coffee shop every Thursday morning? I told the BBB team that the main takeaway I wanted them to have is that networking is strategy first. Understand your target audience, find them, engage with them, provide value, and think long term. That's how you find networking success. I shared a bunch of stories about this, and have boatloads more. You have any good "long game" networking stories? *** Special thanks, again, to Melanie McGovern for the invite to speak!!!

Doing some big-time #networking in Pittsburgh yesterday and today!!! #momentum

Northside North Shore Chamber of Commerce members!!!! Now, I don't know the rules officially, so don't quote me, but I do believe if you still wanted to register for our 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 webinar at 2 p.m. this afternoon, that Gina, Quinn and Patrick will let you. I hope you can join us. The way our program is set up, I give about 20 minutes of AI insights, including updates and advancements right up through this week. Then, we dig into prompts. And, because we focus specifically on small business prompts, they are scenarios and solutions that you can use 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 when we sign off. Our goals for our trainings: - Educate you on AI - Empower you with AI - Inspire you to use AI As we like to say, this is no "ChatGPT overview". We're going to get into the weeds of how AI works, and how your small business can use it daily to save time, increase productivity, and have a better conversation with your customers. Looking forward to seeing Yinz at 2 p.m.!!!! #ChatGPT #AI #Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber members... If you haven't registered for next week's Member Value Workshop yet., here's the link: https://lnkd.in/g6uKYkHU