• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Environment/Sustainability
  • Events
  • About us
  • Subscribe
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
  • 2021 Town Election
  • Bulletin Board
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Boston Sports Institute, Wellesley

Wellesley's Cachet Club knows networking

February 5, 2009 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

gailpic_opt

For Gail Smith, operator of a 3-year-old home-based business in Wellesley called Creative Touch Presence, making contacts through networking is key to drumming up business. After all, she doesn’t have the natural benefits of a physical storefront to promote her gift-giving business.

Smith takes networking so seriously that she serves as president of the Cachet Club, a chapter of worldwide business referral organization BNI (Business Network International) that meets at Wellesley Hills Office Park on Thursday mornings.

The Cachet Club has been around for 6 years and its 4 founding members are still among the club’s current membership of 28 people. The unique thing about BNI chapters, Smith says, is that each can only have one person per profession to avoid competition within the club. Professionals in related fields (say a real estate broker and a mortgage pro) create spheres within the chapter through which they can drive business by word-of-mouth marketing.

“If the sphere is healthy and working well there should be a lot of cross-referrals within the sphere, so there is a mutual benefit to many members at the same time,” Smith says. The more referrals and connections a member makes, the more likely that person will get a lot in return, in the spirit of the group’s “givers gain” motto.

The Cachet Club members referred more than $1 million worth of business within the group last year alone, and she says it’s not uncommon for members to generate upwards of 70% of their business through the club. Given the current economic climate, Smith says outfits like the Cachet Club are more valuable than ever.

“It is the time to step up your visibility, not cringe in fear!” she says.

While the club isn’t looking to grow its membership for the sake of it, it is seeking new members in certain professions. Among them: yoga instructor, junk removal specialist, graphic designer, photographer and home inspector (membership costs $330 annually, with a one-time $100 admin fee).

As for Smith’s business, she could stand to benefit from the closings of  local gift stores such as Smatterings and Blue Tulip in Wellesley, and Barber Brothers in Natick, especially with Valentine’s Day around the corner.

print

Share

Filed Under: Business, Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Write Ahead
Ann-Mara Lanza, Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]
Wellesley Square ad
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Admit Fit, Wellesley
image of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click here to read our Natick Report

Natick Report

Events Calendar

« February 2021 » loading...
S M T W T F S
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
6

Most Read Posts

  • Wellesley summer camp listings 2021 — find the experience of a lifetime
  • Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic Walk-In—no appointment needed
  • Wellesley Police log: Another reason to wear your seat belt; new animal control officer gets action right off the bat; bumper sticker spat; unlocked cars stolen; tracking snow prints
  • Wellesley Business Buzz: Wellesley Office Park transformation underway; Digging Natick’s new Beach House volleyball center; 6 more small businesses get COVID-19 relief; Prepped and Polished adds Wellesley location; NatureWorks Landscape opening in Church Square; storefronts in for artsy makeover
  • Wellesley DPW eyes parks as Green Zones

Pages

  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • How to submit your flyer for the Community Bulletin Board page
  • Wellesley Community Bulletin Board
  • Wellesley coronavirus (COVID-19) updates
  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads
  • Wellesley, Mass., fishing spots
  • Wellesley Choral Society
  • Wellesley College Notable Alumnae
  • Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
  • Wellesley outdoor art gallery
  • Wellesley restaurants offering take-out and delivery
  • Wellesley, Massachusetts restaurant — Amarin of Thailand

Recent Comments

  • Jason on Letter to the editor: on celebrating two days
  • M. Miwakawa on Letter to the editor: concerns about denouncing Columbus
  • Donna Ticchi on Letter to the editor: in support of Columbus Day
  • Mary Bowers on Letter to the editor: concerns about denouncing Columbus
  • Donna Ticchi on Letter to the editor: concerns about denouncing Columbus

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (16)
  • Animals (381)
  • Antiques (48)
  • Art (539)
  • Beyond Wellesley (28)
  • Books (343)
  • Business (1,369)
  • Camp (1)
  • Careers/jobs (44)
  • Churches (72)
  • Clubs (209)
  • Construction (280)
  • Dump (113)
  • Education (2,893)
    • Babson College (240)
    • Bates Elementary School (14)
    • Dana Hall School (29)
    • Fiske Elementary School (6)
    • Hardy Elementary School (33)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (34)
    • MassBay (47)
    • Schofield Elementary School (20)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (1)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (9)
    • Upham Elementary School (30)
    • Wellesley College (598)
    • Wellesley High School (888)
    • Wellesley Middle School (195)
  • Embracing diversity (44)
  • Entertainment (724)
  • Environment (673)
  • Fashion (134)
  • Finance (13)
  • Fire (142)
  • Food (328)
  • Fundraising (561)
  • Gardens (137)
  • Government (407)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
  • Health (745)
    • COVID-19 (140)
  • History (359)
  • Holidays (365)
  • Houses (120)
  • Humor (45)
  • Kids (815)
  • Law (3)
  • Letters to the Editor (12)
  • Media (63)
  • METCO (5)
  • Military (3)
  • Morses Pond (97)
  • Music (544)
  • Natick Report (28)
  • Neighbors (248)
  • Obituaries (58)
  • Outdoors (585)
  • Parenting (60)
  • Police (695)
    • Crime (350)
  • Politics (544)
  • Real estate (290)
  • Religion (127)
  • Restaurants (303)
  • Safety (142)
  • Scouts (1)
  • Senior citizens (110)
  • Shopping (123)
  • Sports (900)
  • STEM (104)
  • Technology (154)
  • Theatre (383)
  • Town Meeting (22)
  • Transportation (210)
  • Travel (11)
  • Uncategorized (1,206)
  • Volunteering (319)
  • Weather (167)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (258)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (5)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed

© 2021 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login