Chamber Chatter with Mary Malone, President

Celebrating Red, White and Blue, and our freedoms and the birth of our great nation 247 years ago is what July is all about. At the Chamber, we celebrate these freedoms as well. The Greater Hazleton Chamber is a membership organization where businesses in our area and beyond have the ability or freedom to choose to become a member. It is a choice, and with that choice and investment in the Greater Hazleton Chamber brings some unique and exclusive member benefits. One of the benefits is the member-to-member discount program. That is right; when you join, you have the freedom to offer a discount to fellow members in recognition of belonging to the same organization.

The Member-to-Member benefit is based on the the rule of reciprocity which suggests that members are far more likely to engage with another member, if they are first offered something of significant value. Once you have attracted them to engage with your discount program, you will be far better positioned to keep them engaged with your business over time. An excellent example at the Greater Hazleton Chamber is the 10% discount offered by The Brass Buckle, a popular local restaurant, who is also a longtime active member of the chamber. You can receive 10% on your food purchase, with no limitations on frequency by showing your Chamber member discount card. Who doesn’t like to have a deal on quality meal! Another aspect of the Chamber’s successful member-to-member discount program is based on the scarcity principle. This has the basic economic fundamentals of supply and demand: the more exceptional or exclusive an opportunity, the more valuable it is perceived. When discounts are offered to the general public, they have little or no lasting appeal, but unique or “members only” discounts are generally considered more valuable, and are a powerful tool to attract your audience. A great example, long time member Sand Springs offers a 10% discount to any events booked with 20 or more people at their catering facility. Another member was hosting a Holiday party in recognition of their employees and significant others and was able to receive the discount. A pleasant surprise! The member to member discount is always growing as we have new members joining and add discounts or current members add a new business or change their offering. Be sure to check the website to see what is happening at ; https:// www.hazletonchamber.org/member- to-member-discounts.html

Interested in finding out more about becoming a member of the Chamber and offering a member to member discount from your business? The Chamber website found at www. hazletonchamber.org is bursting with information as is our facebook page. There is also the phone, so give us a call at 570-455-1509. See you next month for Chamber Chatter... Cheers!