Chamber Members BRAG About Business Networking Program

The Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce has a unique program—often imitated but never duplicated—to help its members build their businesses.

It’s called the Business Alliance Resource Group, BRAG for short, and it’s been connecting businesses in the region for the past 12 years.

Dr. Claudia Daude, owner of Daude Family Chiropractic in Shelby Township, joined a BRAG group when the program launched shortly after she opened her practice. “Seventy-five to 85 percent of my business is referral-based,” she said. “And 25 percent of my referrals come through BRAG networking.”

BRAG is a business-to-business referral program consisting of more than 350 Chamber business members in 13 groups. Each group is limited to 35 members, each from a different business, and they meet once a week to exchange referrals and testimonials.

The original group still meets every Tuesday at the Northpointe Village in Utica.  Each of the 35 members has one minute to stand up and ask for a referral–the more specific the “ask” the better. For example, at one meeting,  a handyman service asked for leads to rental property owners. An electrician asked if anyone in the group knew people who were refinishing their basements.

Those “asks” generate referrals from the other BRAG members. During the first quarter, Group 1 BRAG members received 465 referrals, 34 percent of which were turned into new business by members, according to the statistics kept by group leader, David Beran of B & B Insurance Services in Mount Clemens. During the weekly meeting, members provide updates on referrals and new business.

The chamber is working on launching its 14th BRAG group, according to chamber vice president Ron Current. He’s justifiably proud of the program, which the chamber oversees at all levels, including recruiting, training and growing each of the groups.

Before the chamber started BRAG, it realized that most business networking events were not strategically aligned.

“We wanted to make sure that our members got bang for their buck,” Current said.

Each BRAG group is designed to create strategic alliances between businesses. For example, each group has a realtor and a mortgage professional—but only one of each. Each classification is protected. If a new realtor were to want to join a group, he or she would go on a waiting list to see if a slot became available or have to wait for a new group to be formed, a process that takes six to eight months, Current said.

During that time, BRAG members receive professional training on how to build strategic alliances and build relationships. Joining a BRAG group is a commitment. Attendance at meetings is mandatory and there are other rules and regulations that must be followed. But that commitment is worth it.

“It’s given me a higher profile in the business community,” said Jim Gianakopoulos, of Michigan Financial Companies in Sterling Heights. Gianakopoulos is a longtime Chamber member who worked on launching the program back in 1999. “Over the years, I’ve calculated that the time I spend on BRAG earns me about $200 an hour,” he said.

Christine Goldwater, owner of Inner U Interview & Recruiting Services, LLC in Sterling Heights, joined BRAG last summer after taking her then home-based business into the public.

“Nobody knew me and it was tough to market and brand myself,” she said.  “That first year, the referrals I got from BRAG kept me afloat.”

Goldwater said the Chamber was committed to helping her build her business.  “I don’t see how businesses can afford not to do this,” she said.

Jeff McElyea, owner of Lucid Business Strategies, a small-business consulting company in Shelby Township, says his business wouldn’t have survived without BRAG. “Folks surprise me with how willing they are to help,” he said. “New and repeat business I received through BRAG is approximately 85 percent of my business.”

Any business that belongs to the Chamber is eligible to join a BRAG group by the cost of their dues, Current said. Businesses are charged a one-time $65 fee for training materials and 2½ hours of in-class training. 

If you’re a business owner interested in joining the group, call Current at 586-731-3521 or e-mail him at rcurrent@shrcci.com.