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MAY 2020
NORTH METRO BUSINESS JOURNAL
conwayarkansas.org
Pipeline: The Competitive Advantage Business referral network connects professionals with each other, community leaders
Emily Walter knows a thing or two about networking. An executive broker and real estate agent with RE/MAX Elite, Walter said it takes 26 people to get a property from contract to closing. Because her industry relies heavily on having relationships with reliable service providers – pest control technicians, home inspectors, and loan officers, just to name a few – Walter understood that joining a formal referral group would help grow not only her business but theirs, too. In late 2017, she became a member of Pipeline, the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s lead generation and business network, and encouraged those she did business with to join her. Formerly referred to as Leads Groups, Pipeline consists of four groups that meet twice a month. Group membership ranges from 12 to 28 and follows a non-competing format, meaning only one person per industry or profession is allowed in each group. Walter is a member and the chair of Toad Suck Nation, a 24-member Pipeline group that was one of the original Leads Groups. She said establishing trust and building rapport among group members is key.
“If you do it correctly, you are constantly asking yourself, ‘How can I help this person?’ If you’re in a Pipeline group and only want them to help you, you won’t get as much out of it.” Osmar Garcia takes that same approach. As the co-founder and CEO of Garcia Wealth Management, his involvement in Pipeline’s 28-member Conway Progress group not only has helped him gain clients but also has connected him with business professionals he can introduce his clients to. “Pipeline has allowed me to facilitate introductions I otherwise would not have been able to,” Garcia said. “I consider wealth management central to my clients’ financial well-being. I want to help them achieve their financial goals and refer people they can do business with, which in turn helps my fellow Pipeline members. It’s all about connection.” Ed Linck, director of member
engagement at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, manages Pipeline and helped transition the program from largely social to one that’s more structured and focused on business results. Prior to his role at the Conway Area Chamber, Linck had extensive experience with business referral groups as both a chamber member and a chamber employee. He was a member of the Rock Stars group at the Little Rock Regional Chamber before working for that chamber. When he moved to California and took a job with the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce, he applied what he learned in Little Rock and developed a lead generation program there. Linck moved back to Arkansas in 2016 and began working for the Conway Area Chamber. Around the same time, North Carolina-based Business Network International – the world’s largest business networking and business referral
pipeline
