Leads Group statement of purpose: To generate business opportunities for chamber members by providing a structure where members may pass qualified sales leads in a non-competitive and mutually supportive environment.
I. Conditions of membership
a. Membership requirements
i. Applicant must submit an application along with the Leads Group fee of $80.00 per year, pro-rated quarterly.
ii. Applicant must be a Shelton Mason County Chamber member in good standing.
iii. One chamber member per business or category per Leads Group.
iv. At time of application, the applicant must declare which category they wish to represent and prioritize multiple product lines.
b. Possible business conflicts
i. If a current member feels there is a conflict with a potential member, the current member must notify the group moderator immediately.
ii. Once notified, the moderator’s responsibility is to either facilitate a mutually beneficial and entirely voluntary solution between the current and prospective member, or failing that, to notify the potential member that there is no vacancy in that particular group. Efforts will be made to find another group for this potential member to participate in or they will be placed on the waiting list.
iii. If the dispute is not resolvable by the moderator, then the issue will be resolved by the Leads Group Committee. The decision of the Committee will be final.
c. Membership in multiple Leads Group
i. Chamber members may join more than one group with the understanding that they may be forced to leave their second group if another chamber member in the same category wants to join the group. A chamber member may have an employee of their business join an additional group or category as long as they are the only one in the group in their occupation or category and they are an employee of a chamber member. The employee must also submit an additional application and an additional Leads Group fee.
d. Rejoining groups or changing categories
i. Members may rejoin groups or change categories provided that:
1. Their occupation or category is not represented by a current member of the group and no one is on the waiting list for their category.
2. The leadership of the group feels it is in the best interests of the group to allow the applicant to rejoin or change categories.
II. Networking group fee
a. The fee for each member to participate in each Leads Group is $80.00 per year.
i. The fee will be paid in full the first of every New Year.
ii. If the fee is not paid on time, at 30 days past due the member will be dropped and will have to reapply for membership as outlined in Section I-d. All fees and late fees must be paid before the reapplication will be considered.
III. Meetings
a. Group meeting guidelines
i. Meetings are held weekly at times and sites determined by the groups and approved by the Shelton Mason County Chamber.
ii. Meeting hosts must be chamber members in good standing.
iii. Duration of the meetings should be between 60 and 90 minutes depending on the size of the group.
iv. Agendas, roll sheets and statistic sheets will be provided for each group by the Leads Group coordinators
IV. Visitors and guests
a. Non-members and visitors are welcome
i. Both chamber members and non-members are welcome at meetings of all Leads Group without the advance consent of the moderator.
ii. Visitors/Guests may introduce themselves and give a brief description of their business.
iii. Visitors/Guests are limited to two visits annually per Leads Group before they must decide whether or not they want to join the group.
iv. The Shelton Mason County Chamber must be notified of any non-chamber members that attend within 48 hours so the Chamber can follow-up regarding membership.
V. Attendance
a. Attendance policy will be enforced
i. Regular attendance is required. Treat your weekly Leads Group meeting as a business appointment. Members should notify the moderator or statistician in advance if they will be absent.
ii. Members who miss more than four meetings per quarter will be dropped from the Leads Group roster, but may reapply as outlined in I-d. Members may send a business associate to take their place in lieu of an absence.
iii. Leaves of absence (no longer than one quarter) may be granted to members by mutual decision of the moderator and the Leads Group Committee. If the situation will need more than one quarter to resolve, the member should resign and reapply to join the group at a later time as outlined in I-d.
VI. Qualified leads
a. The goal of each Leads Group is to pass qualified leads
i. A qualified lead is defined as:
1. The name and phone number of someone connected to a group member who has expressed an interest in purchasing a product or service represented by another group member.
2. Any other leads deemed acceptable by the recipient.
3. All leads must be deemed acceptable by the recipient.
ii. If you have a lead and no one in your group is in that profession, you may pass the lead to someone in another group and earn points.
iii. Any leads that do not meet the conditions outlined above will not earn points.
iv. All leads must be turned in to the statistician on a “lead form”, including those passed to a member of another group.
VII. Point System
a. Points Are Critical to Staying in the Group
i. Member points are scored as follows:
1 Point: Member-to-member business, or that of a spouse or minor child
2 Points: All other non member-to-member qualified leads
1 Point: Closed business
1 Point: Bring a prospective group member as a guest to the meeting
2 Points: Your guest joins the Shelton Mason County Chamber
2 Points: Your guest joins your Leads Group
5 Points: Perfect attendance in a quarter
1 Point: Attending a General Membership meeting
ii. Members must have at least twelve points per quarter to retain group membership.
iii. If members do not accrue ten points in a quarter, they will be placed on probation for the next quarter. If at least ten points are not accumulated during the probation quarter, the member will be dropped from the group.
iv. Points for leads are only awarded in the quarter such leads are passed. In order to be counted in the current quarter’s production, leads must be passed before the end of the quarter.
v. If a passed lead is deemed not acceptable by the recipient, the points awarded for the lead will be deducted by the group’s Statistician.
VIII. Leadership
a. Selection and commitment
i. The success of a group is dependent upon its leadership; therefore leaders should be selected carefully.
ii. The Shelton Mason County Chamber will recommend a candidate for Moderator, who will recommend/recruit the Statistician and Host.
iii. The Leads Group Committee must approve those nominated for leadership roles.
iv. Leadership Roles are a minimum six month commitment.
IX. Relationship of Leads Group to the Shelton Mason County Chamber
a. Leads Group is a Shelton Mason County Chamber program
i. The Leads Group are a program administered by the Shelton Mason County Chamber for the sole benefit of its membership, and as such, are subject to such regulation as deemed appropriate by the Chamber’s Board of Trustees.
ii. Actions of the group are to be communicated to the Shelton Mason County Chamber in a timely manner. Statistics are to be sent quarterly to the Chamber Staff.
iii. All applications for Leads Group membership must be received by the Chamber office with payment prior to participating in a Leads Group.
iv. The Shelton Mason County Chamber and the Leads Group Moderators will work together to enforce these guidelines.
v. Any disputes regarding these guidelines are to be submitted in writing directly to the Shelton Mason County Chamber office in a timely manner.
X. Guideline revision
The Leads Group Committee may revise these guidelines periodically.
Last revised January 1, 2012