“Trying times are not the times to stop trying.”   Ray Owen

Although the recession is over, it is still trying times for those who are trying to bounce back. At money.cnn.com, it states, “It’s hard to be upbeat in a recession, but it truly is an opportunity. Marathoners and Tour de France racers will tell you that a race’s hardest parts, the uphill stages, are where the lead changes hands. That’s where we are. When this recession ends, when the road levels off and the world seems full of promise once more, your position in the competitive pack will depend on how skillfully you manage right now.”
They give these tips to make sure you do not stop trying during trying times: reset priorities to face the new reality, keep investing in the core, communicate like crazy, and balance realism and optimism. Realize your customers face new problems, so give them new solutions. Don’t rush to cut prices. Focus on capital – how you’re getting it and where you’re using it.
Another tip that most successful business professionals will give is to make sure you are networking and meeting new prospects. Set a goal to meet a certain number of qualified prospective customers each week. When you meet these customers, do not market your business immediately but get to know them, their business and their wants and needs. Most business is done through relationships with people, not from handing them a business card.
A great way to meet 50-60 potential new customers is to join us at our next business mixer June 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Century 21 Crest, 4005 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta. This is a joint mixer with the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber, so there will be a ton of great people to get to know. Spend the two hours at our mixer getting to really, truly know at least five new people, and my bet is that you will not regret it. You could receive five new clients, five new friends or at the very least you will hear five new, interesting stories.  Everyone has one …  just ask!
Also please help a local restaurant and educational programs by eating out during our Dine Out Night on June 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dominick’s Italian Restaurant, 2948 Foothill Blvd. The money helps the Mary Pinola/CV Chamber Educational Foundation, which gives over $15,000 in grants to educational programs in the Crescenta Valley each year.
Are you a golfer, or know one? Want to help local high school students get money for college? You can do both by playing in our Scholarship Golf Tournament at the Verdugo Hills Golf Course on July 9. Visit our website or call our office for more information.
Hope to see you soon!
Important dates: June 7 – First Tuesday Dine Out night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dominick’s Italian Restaurant; June 8 – June business mixer/Century 21 Crest; July 9 – Scholarship Golf Tournament Verdugo Hills Golf Course.
Please call our office for more details on any event. How to reach us: (818) 248-4957/crescentachamber@aol.com/www.LaCrescenta.org/3131 Foothill Blvd., Ste D.

Julia Rabago is the executive
director of Crescenta Valley
Chamber of Commerce.

  Business, CVCOC, julia rabago, MAY 26