The Question That Started It All

One random hallway question turned into a podcast, and we’re starting exactly where we live: real conversations, small surprises, and practical help for people who want stronger connections. We talk about the spark behind Let’s Talk About It With Carmen, do a quick “rate your day” check-in, and set the tone for a show built on asking better questions.

Then we get into the kind of detail you can’t script. Carmen drops the fun fact that she has never had ketchup, and we unpack how a tiny habit can reveal family influence, personal boundaries, and the way we all carry our own defaults. We also play Two Truths and a Lie, because sometimes the fastest way to understand someone is to let them be a little weird on purpose.

We also switch gears into community and chamber of commerce life: updates on Leads and YPN events, what’s coming up, and how people can get involved. Finally, we answer a real listener-style question with step-by-step guidance on chamber marketing tools like booking an e-blast and adding a social shout-out, plus the email marketing stats that matter most: list size, open rates, and click rates.

If you care about networking, local business growth, and practical promotion strategies that actually get seen, hit play now. Subscribe, share this with a friend who should be in the room, and leave a review, then tell us: what question should Carmen answer next?

Transcript

Rylie 0:34

First episode of Let's Talk About It with Carmen.

Carmen 0:38

Let's do it.

Speaker 0:39

And so obviously, so I I can think and I know the exact moment that I had the idea of let's talk about it with Carmen. Let's hear it. Walking to go to the printer and I went and got whatever I printed. And as I was coming back, you go, Brian, what are you most excited about today? And I was like, I'm sorry, what? What did you say to me?

Speaker 1 1:03

Which is crazy.

Speaker 1:04

I was like, Carmen's got a personality that just asks good questions. I try. Instantly my brain exploded with a million social media ideas. And I was like, I gotta idea. Let's do this. Let's do this.

Rating The Day And Weekend Plans

Speaker 1 1:17

Let's do this. Well, let's start with today. What would you rate your day from a one to a ten? It's a relay button.

Speaker 1:24

Oh man. I mean, well, first off, it's Friday. So I mean that's best day of the week. So you gotta you gotta like that like starts you at a five automatic, right? So I'm excited because I'm gonna take Milo to the spring football game in Lincoln this weekend. Fine on Saturday. So I'm looking forward to that. Plus, we were gonna do this, and so I'm just totally jacked.

Speaker 1 1:46

Can you have to be any better? Can't be any better. I usually walk around at like a seven every day.

Speaker 1:51

Yeah, it's funny. I always people when they ask me how I'm doing, I always say fair to medium, and they're like, Oh, what's wrong? I'm like, that's just my baseline.

Speaker 1 1:57

Yeah, that's what I walk around at, right?

The Never Ketchup Origin Story

Speaker 1:59

Nice. Well, so another question that I've had in my back pocket is so one day after a board meeting lunch, you informed me and just volunteered this information that you've never had ketchup. Fact. Fact. I mean, it just mind-blowed me because growing up, my mom would say about me and my brother that we like a little meat with our ketchup. That's most people. Right? And so, like, I like like McDonald's puts ketchup on hamburgers.

Speaker 1 2:34

We just don't get I've never had a McDonald's hamburger.

Speaker 2:36

Okay, okay, that cracks. Yep. That tracks.

Speaker 1 2:39

Don't really eat fast food burgers. More chicken. Like meatloaf has got ketchup. We don't eat meat. No. Uh-uh.

Speaker 2:46

This is insane.

Speaker 1 2:49

So, I mean, there's a backstory. My mom doesn't like ketchup, scared of it. So she didn't allow it in our house growing up. And I just never went against that. Never went against that. And now it's just a fun fact that I'm sticking to. Wow. So I avoided at all costs.

Speaker 3:06

Is it wrong? I don't want to be like, eat this ketchup.

Speaker 1 3:10

HR? HR.

Speaker 3:13

Gina, are you listening? Hope not.

Speaker 1 3:15

She answered your phone. She's fine. She's fine.

Speaker 3:17

That's just wild. I was just like, it's it's you know, but I guess, you know, I I didn't prepare this actually, but my magical analogy right now is wow, how how awesome that illustrates that we're all different people. We all have different flavors and tastes, and it's not a bad thing.

Speaker 2 3:38

Right.

Speaker 3:39

The the Carmen is team not ketchup, and then Riley's team. So well, that brings another question all of a sudden. Okay. What is your what is your comment of choice?

Speaker 1 3:50

Ranch.

Speaker 3:51

Ranch, okay.

unknown 3:52

I can see that.

Speaker 1 3:53

But like I don't put anything on my burgers. But I think I'd like ketchup. That's the problem. Is I do think I'd enjoy it. But I'm not I'm not doing it. It's a great fun fact.

Two Truths And A Lie

Speaker 4:05

It is. It's fun. I like it.

Speaker 1 4:07

What are your what are your top three fun facts about yourself? Or we could play Two Truths and a Lie.

Speaker 4:16

Okay. Let's do that.

Speaker 1 4:18

Okay.

Speaker 4 4:18

Go for it.

Speaker 4:19

So my favorite side dish is barbecue baked beans. How do I make this hard, right? I used to have dreadlocks. That's my hairstyle.

Speaker 1 4:37

That wouldn't surprise me after the after the slipper story.

Speaker 4 4:44

I am okay with Nebraska weather. You don't like baked beans.

Speaker 1 4:53

Is that a lie?

Speaker 4:54

That's a lie. It is. Yes.

Speaker 1 4:57

Yes, yes, yeah. Okay, but I need a picture of those dreads. Pop it up.

Speaker 5:00

Oh, yeah, I can I can probably find one. Pop it on the screen. Yeah, I had dreadlocks.

Speaker 1 5:07

Like, I'm not surprised though. I'm not surprised at all.

Speaker 5:11

You know, I would I would maybe even consider bringing them back one day, but let's not.

Speaker 1 5:15

No. Let's not. Let's not do that. I don't know.

Speaker 5:18

Okay, so you now it's your turn.

Speaker 1 5:21

But I feel like my two fun facts that I like to use, you know.

Speaker 5:24

Well, like those people, I mean, don't tell me. Like, let's see if I can actually do it.

Speaker 1 5:29

I have two brothers. I can do the worm.

Speaker 4 5:34

I've been in a lifetime movie. You have two brothers?

Speaker 5:42

Is it a lie? Good job. Killed that. I was like, I've never seen or heard her do the worm, but I definitely believe.

Speaker 1 5:50

You'll see it one day. You'll see it one day. I've been practicing.

Speaker 5:55

I mean, what's coming up with Leeds in April?

Speaker 1 5:57

Yeah, Leeds Green this month is doing a bring a friend day. So we're looking for more people. We're talking about even starting a new leads, Leeds Orange. So we're just trying to find different people to come test it out. And we're excited.

Speaker 6:13

And then for those that don't know, if you're unfamiliar, Leeds is like it's almost like a chamber inside of a chamber or like a referral group, I guess you would say. We got one person per industry, and that's why we have the the two, possibly now three groups. So if you're interested in that, you should email Farman.

Speaker 1 6:33

Here's my email.

Speaker 6:34

Yeah. And uh all that. What about YPN?

Speaker 1 6:38

YPN has a lot going on. We've done a lot lately. Um last month, something really fun that we did was we had a dietitian from High V, Caitlin Harris was her name. She came and talked about being a busy professional and the eating well and meal prepping.

Speaker 6:56

We had some kind of like leftovers, and I was like, hey, you won't take this to Leeds and be like, Yeah, maybe not.

Speaker 1 7:00

Maybe not. It was like cookies and donuts, and I was like, I'm not gonna bring that to the dietitian, but but yeah, that was fun. And then this next month it's day at the races with Hastings in Grand Island. So that'll be fun.

Speaker 7:13

Awesome. Well, we've officially started promoting the golf classic for not gonna make it the first one.

Speaker 1 7:24

Then I'm also maybe I can reschedule my thing and make it work. No, make it work, make it work, make it work. Yeah. I'm getting married the next day, so I cannot have a sunburn. Right.

Golf Classic And First Golf Plans

Speaker 7:39

So gosh darn. Oh, all right. Well, guess you'll have to join us at the country club in 2027.

Speaker 1 7:48

I could do that.

Speaker 7:49

Do you golf at all? You know, I've now actually fun fact. There's another one. I've actually never went and played an actual full, like even like a nine hole horse or whatever of like actual golf. Ah, like drop zone just opened and all those types of things. I love going and doing that. That's fun.

Speaker 1 8:07

Let's make a video. Let's go golf for the first time. Nine holes.

unknown 8:12

Oh wow.

Speaker 1 8:12

We can do it after hours, Derek. Oh my gosh, let's do it.

Speaker 3 8:17

Okay.

Speaker 1 8:18

Well, I'm not good, but I mean it's fun. Oh, something about Leeds Blue.

Speaker 3 8:23

Okay.

Ask Carmen Voicemail And Questions

Speaker 1 8:24

They do a thing where if you have the most referrals in our group, they get a hundred-dollar gift card. So we're giving out our first one next week.

Speaker 8:33

Um, a fun thing that we're gonna be doing on Let's Talk About It with Carmen is you can email your questions and ask Carmen to me. Email and ask Carmen. And also, we have a phone number.

Speaker 3 8:47

Ta-da!

Speaker 8:49

And you can call that number and leave a message for Carmen who will answer your questions live on the air.

Speaker 1 8:56

Please be appropriate.

How To Book An E Blast

Speaker 9:00

So what was uh we did yeah, we do have one email.

Speaker 1 9:02

Yeah, Brian from Nestpace, he asked, How do I order an e-blast? Oh, okay, or social shout out. And I thought, perfect question for you, Riley.

Speaker 9:13

Yeah, I don't know. So the best way to get an e blast and a social shout out, or just get a date on the calendar is go to the website carnycoc.org, and there's a marketing tab. So it's coc.org slash marketing. And on that page, there's a button that says click here to book an e-blast. That'll take you to a calendar that is like a calendar scheduler. There's only one time frame available at 10 o'clock because that's when we send out the e-blast. And you simply just go pick your date. If the 10 o'clock slot is open, that day is available. And you book it, it sends me an email, and then I'll reach out for the further details. On do you want to add a social shout out? Do you want to we can do that? And so social shout-outs get posted on Facebook. We'll throw them on LinkedIn and stuff like that too. And so it's a good way to get a uh a wider audience and for people to see it multiple times. Yeah, maybe I saw the email on my lunch break, but then I went back to work and I forgot about it. But then I'm getting home and I saw it on LinkedIn and Facebook, and so it's kind of that aha. I remembered I wanted to check that out later. Right. It's super popular. We stay booked up pretty regular, and I would recommend that you book your e-blast two to three weeks in advance. Right now we're you know, we're shooting this the end of March, and probably half of April is already booked up.

Speaker 1 10:33

Amazing.

Speaker 10:34

I think like 16th or 17th. So yeah, so that would be Brian. Thanks for reaching out. Thanks, Brian. Hop on the website, visit the marketing tab, and you can book your e-blast, and we'll get a hold of you.

Speaker 1 10:45

Yeah. How many people do you think see those? How many do you send it to?

Speaker 10:48

That's a good question. So the the e-blast mailing lists in our chamber network is a little over 2,000 people. And we do actually have a very high open rate. You know, obviously it it it can goes up and down, but I think industry standard across all industries is around 35 to 36 percent, is the average standard. But here at the chamber, we're getting between a 42 and 45 percent open rate, which is awesome because nearly half of the people are opening it, at least seeing it. And then an average click rate is one to two percent, and we we're on the high side of two percent. So I do occasionally see like a three or four percent on a specific email. That's so the the stats are really good on those. And I and I do get feedback from people too that have told me like we did that eblast and we we got a lead and someone called us that day. So great. I can't say that that's the that everybody's experience is that there's lots of variables, you know. Just sometimes it could be the luck of you know how my I know how my email box is. And so sometimes you you don't see it, but sometimes you do. And but for the most part, I've heard very positive feedback about it.

Speaker 1 11:59

So good. Good, good.

Wrap Up And What Comes Next

Speaker 12:01

Right on. Well, I think we Harmon, it is so easy. Episode one in the bag, right?

Speaker 3 12:07

Episode one, check, check, check, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, and I'm gonna get it.