Chicago WCR 2010 Strategic Business Planning Meeting

Today's Chicago WCR 2010 Strategic Business Planning Meeting was inspiring and motivating. Led by Matt Dollinger, performance coach from @Properties, and Kit Mueller, founder of Sparkt(http://sparkt.org/)and Chicago Reverb (http://chicagoreconnect.ning.com/, increasing membership growth and maintaining membership of the Chicago WCR Chapter long-term was discussed with an exciting sharing of ideas.

Matt Dollinger polled other local WCR chapters across the nation through Survey Monkey and shared his results.

What is WCR and what is its value was discussed. The top responses were:
-Networking & Support
-Resource
-Education
-Fun
-Recruitment Opportunity
-NATIONWIDE REFERRALS!
-$41,000/year on average MORE INCOME THAN NON-WCR MEMBERS!!!

Strategies discussed were stressing these features of Chicago WCR:
- WCR's Innovation
- WCR's Community
- WCR's Take Aways

Also discussed was meeting the business plan's objective for meetings by having the topics cover one of the 5 following performance management areas:

1) Negotiation & Strategies
2) Business Planning & Systems
3) Networking/Professional Creibility/Business Builder
4) Personal Performance Management
5) Cultural Awareness

Some specific goals created were to:

- Set a marketing schedule for events and stick to it

- Increase social responsibility beyond the current monthly donations to charity of partial event attendance fees

- Improve our web presence with innovation and relevance

- Improve our wow factor; develop raving fans (Michelle Bobart, Guaranteed Rate WCR volunteered for this piece)

- Market our Facebook, Twitter and Linked In pages, as well as our blog

- Improve name recognition

- Help male Realtors to know that men are welcome in organization

- Encourage cross-pollination of member career fields to improve networking and value

- Improve member welcome/orientation proceedures

- Poll membership and prospective membership by use of Survey Monkey re: relevant programs and value they wish to receive

- Get our event programming for first 6 months of 2010 out to membership and prospective membership NOW!

- Offer discounts as part of membership package

- Improve communication and demonstrate value of membership in Chicago WCR

- Network with other local WCR chapters nationwide (particularly the stronger chapters such as Tucson and San Antonio) for help, ideas and support