B2B item ideas

Every other auction in the county sells to consumers. A chamber sells to a room of businesses, which makes an entire category available: things a company buys because it helps the company.

These lots are frequently cheap or free for the donor — unsold inventory, spare capacity, expertise they already have — and genuinely valuable to the buyer, which is the best combination in any catalogue.

Advertising and visibility

• A print or digital ad in a member publication or the local paper
• Radio spots, or a segment on a local show
• Billboard or transit advertising time
• A premium listing or banner in the chamber directory
• A newsletter feature, or a sponsored member spotlight
• Speaking slot at a chamber event, or a booth at the next expo

The chamber's own inventory is the interesting part here. A directory upgrade, a newsletter feature or an expo booth costs the chamber almost nothing and is one of the most reliably bid-up lots in the room.

Professional services

• An accountant's review, a bookkeeping clean-up, a tax planning session
• A legal consultation — contract review, employment advice, entity structuring
• An HR audit, a handbook review, a hiring process consultation
• IT and cybersecurity assessment, a backup review
• A marketing or brand audit, a website review, an SEO assessment
• Commercial insurance review, or a benefits comparison

These convert well because the buyer knows exactly what they cost and has been meaning to do it for a year. The donor gives an hour or two of expertise and frequently gains a client.

Operations and premises

• Commercial cleaning, window cleaning, landscaping for a season
• Printing, signage, vehicle wrapping
• Photography or video of a business's premises, team or products
• Equipment servicing, a fleet check, a security system review
• Office furniture, a workspace refresh, a coworking membership

Access, introductions and expertise

• Lunch with a named executive, a bank president, a hospital CEO
• A mentoring package from a successful member for a newer business
• A place in the chamber's leadership programme
• A table at the annual banquet next year
• A day of consulting from a member with a specialism
• An introduction package — three meetings the chamber arranges with named targets

The introduction package is the most distinctively chamber item there is. Nobody else can offer it, it costs the chamber three phone calls, and to a new member trying to reach the right people it is worth more than anything else in the room.

For staff, which businesses buy

• Catered lunch for a team
• A team-building experience or an away-day venue
• Training: safety, customer service, software, first aid
• Wellness for a workplace — massage day, fitness sessions
• Holiday party space, or an event package

Describe them for a buyer, not a donor

B2B lots need different copy from consumer items. State the scope precisely — how many hours, what is included, what is excluded, how long the winner has to redeem, and whether it transfers.

A business buyer is evaluating a purchase rather than enjoying a treat, and vague descriptions suppress bidding on exactly the lots that should perform best.

General information, not tax or legal advice for your chamber. Whether a payment is deductible, and on what basis, depends on your entity's status and what the payer received — check with your own adviser before telling members anything about it.