Live, work and do business!: NETWORKING SUPER POWERS FOR ...

You may be surprised to know that I am shy. People usually are. They see me speaking at a luncheon or Chamber function. It's much easier to speak to a room of people who are interested? in what I have to say (at lease I think they are) than it is at a cocktail reception or business after hours where I have to make small talk. If I had to network that way for my own small business, I would be terrible.

Yet, networking is vital for your business. And there is tremendous value in this collaboration for our local tourism industry. Our rural community is increasingly seen as a place for entertainment, leisure activities, and an alternative to a busy urban area. Visitor requests for information are more than three times what it was at this time last year. We can thank the beautiful cultural heritage of the Palouse region for this increased interest and can use this identity marker as a means to promote our farm products, cottage industries and other local producers through rural tourism.

Using our heritage for promotion is not only a fashionable trend right now, but also shows a community's social, economic and political determination. We are discovering a new-found interest for our own rural identity, and as tourists come into the area, they buy local products, eat in local restaurants and represent a sizeable source of income.

Visitors are intrigued when a restaurant features locally grown products or a boutique hotel has locally made lotions and soaps in each room. Let's work on promoting the region as a whole! This requires building these business relationships between grower/manufacturer and retail. The Pullman Chamber offers many networking options each month to get out and hobnob with other business owners - meetings, luncheons, and after-hours. What a great way to find that new product for your business, or a new way to incorporate the Palouse into your business identity.

And if your shy? Do what I do and check out the daily posts on the Chamber's facebook page and be armed with a current topic to talk about!

Vicki,
Tourism Director

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