Business Plans

Business Plans are not only for the brand new businesses who need to borrow money.

Business Plans can
- set you up for success
- confirm a lot of outstanding questions
- create an action plan
- give your business some guidelines that will make decisions easier
- focus your time and energy and money so you can make progress

If you want better results in 2014 then slow down for an afternoon or a day and make a plan.

Call Cheryl at 647-287-0320 if you would like to book a mini-business plan session and focus your 2014 on success.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Marketing -

Marketing -

How often do you talk to your current clients and find out why they came to you the first time or why they stay?

It has been suggested that an annual review / survey / check-in be done with current clients.

BUT

The best information comes from past clients who stopped being clients. (past clients!)

1 - ask them why they stopped being a client
2 - usually the manager would call and ask about a client / member
- you could hire an outside company to make the follow-up calls
3 - it could be a phone call or a written survey
4 - why did they stop being a client?
5 - did any employee do anything that affected their decision?
6 - how could the company have kept them as a client?
7 - would they consider coming back as a client some day in the future?
NOTICE - it does not ask them to come back today.  "some day in the future"

Tracking why people stop being a client should give you lots of information on how to get your clients and how to keep your clients.

To develop a follow-up system for your past clients, call Cheryl Rankin at 647-287-0320.

Cheryl
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca
facebook / linked in / twitter

Small Business Marketing

Small Business Marketing -

Knowing where your competition is marketing and what their message is -- is very important information that can make your marketing challenges easier.

1 - do a google search for your business product / service
2 - track what your competition promotes
3 - track what websites they are connected to - do they have business listings for free, do they have business listings they paid for or do they have articles that someone else posted for them?
4 - create your own marketing message
5 - know and remember your competition's message and have a comeback in case your prospect asks you about it
*** well your competition has a special promotion each month - why don't you?
*** your competition's price is lower - why is your price higher? (turn-around time, quality, guarantee)
6 - analyse where you message will get to your prospects
- very few seniors are on social media
- very few University students are reading the newspaper cover to cover
- are they ever meeting in a group
7 - implement your marketing plan and monitor how it does

To create a marketing action plan so that you can market with little or no money, call Cheryl at 647-287-0320.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Why do people buy from you?

Why do people buy from you?

Finding the question is one important step in improving your sales closing ratios.

One thing that we will discuss during the upcoming Sales workshop -
Shape Up Your Sales
Oct 3rd
6:30pm
Maple Banquet Hall
1325 Eglinton Ave just west of Dixie
Mississauga
www.shapeupyoursales/eventbrite.com
* follow our fanpage and save "Fit For Business"

Here are some reasons that help people choose who they buy from:
- know you
- trust you
- like you
- confidence
- experience
- knowledge
- education
- insured
- bonded
- professional
- results - success stories
- referrals / testimonials
- help them buy / not pushy sales
- empathy
- understand the problem / need
- test product / trial
- sale / discount
- guarantee
- statistics
- comparison prices (insurance company gives you three quotes)
- easy to talk to
- price
- quality
- uniqueness

Once you figure out why people buy from you - you have the information to communicate better information to your prospects.  During your sales pitch, you can discuss why people chose your company.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
www.fitforbusiness.ca
info@fitforbusiness.ca

Shape Up Your Sales

Shape Up Your Sales

Not closing enough sales?
Hate sales?
Not sure what is wrong with the sales.

Shape Up Your Sales is a sales training workshop for small business owners and sales staff.  This interactive workshop will

help you increase your sales!

help you connect to your target market!

help you stretch your marketing dollars!

 

Sales tip - listen to your prospect.  What is their problem?  You will have a tough time selling them something if you are guessing what their problem is.  If you do not have children, I could be the best salesman in the world but I will have a really tough time selling you diapers. 

 

This workshop will help you get sales by teaching you how to help your client buy.  You do not sell anything and your results go up.

 

Next workshop - Oct 3rd

6:30 - 7pm - networking

7 - 10pm - sales workshop

 

Maple Banquet Hall

1325 Eglinton Ave just west of Dixie, Mississauga

 

To register - www.shapeupyoursales.eventbrite.com

Register by Sept. 15th and use the discount code - earlybird to save

 

For details - Cheryl Rankin, Fit For Business 647-287-0320, info@fitforbusiness.ca

www.fitforbusiness.ca

 



Cold Calls / Phone Calls

Cold Calls / Phone Calls

Whether you are making a cold call to promote your business or a phone call, they can be extremely stressful.  Here are a few tips that can help you make them less stressful and more productive.

1 - write out a script of what you would like the conversation to look like

2 - practice your script on your own; practice it with a co-worker / friend

3 - review your goal for the phone call / what would you like the prospect to do after the call?
If you are selling something big then you probably will not get the sale through the first phone call so you are best to create a complete sales process with the cold call being one step.

4 - can you sell them on anything that is safe / maybe you get them to sign up for your newsletter or ask them to lunch --- you want them saying 'yes' to you

5 - decide in advance what information you will share on the phone - prices, product outline, references.....

6 - schedule a timeslot when you plan to make these calls

7 - make the call!

8 - record your results and make yourself some notes so you can continue to build the business relationship and learn for the next call.

To improve your cold calls and add muscle to your marketing plan, call Cheryl Rankin at Fit For Business 647-287-0320, info@fitforbusiness.ca

Summer Sales / Not Slow Sales

Summer Sales

Summer sales for your business do not have to be slow sales.  Many small business owners can be heard saying "summer is always quiet".

What can you do to prevent slow sales?
What can you do to create sales?

1 - review your target market notes to confirm what problem you solve for your prospects
2 - have a sale - a discount can attract certain types of prospects
3 - team up with someone else who sells to the same target market and create a package to sell for a limited time period.
4 - try a new marketing delivery system to see if you can get your prospects' attention
5 - make personal phone calls and invite them to a meeting (depending on your prospects - phone meetings, coffee meetings, lunch meetings)
6 - go back through your sales for the last two years and see if anyone is ready to buy again
7 - call current clients and check-in, ask for a referral while you have them on the phone

Why sit back and get a tan when you can get some sales and boost your business?  Be pro-active!

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca
647-287-0320

Building Social Media lists

Building Social Media Lists

 

 

 

Social media seems to be one of the tools small business owners are using to

build their contact lists.  Is a large social media list actually useful or not?

 

 

 

Social Media things to consider -

 

1 - are you connected to people / businesses that are your target market?

 

2 - are you able to service your contacts or are they on another continent?  It is hard to give a massage to someone in Europe if you are in Toronto.

 

3 - does anyone ever 'like' or comment or share your info?

 

4 - is your list growing?

 

5 - is anyone responding to your posts?  calling you / emailing you / signing up for the newsletter / visiting the website

 

 

To build your list

 

1 - follow / connect with people who are your target market

 

2 - follow / connect with people who can help you with tips or articles that you can share with your clients

 

3 - invite / follow people - write a short note with the invite that explains how you found them

 

4 - help other people - "like' or comment on a post when they have an event and help them share the info with more people

 

5 - occassionally ask people to 'like' or comment on your post (private email or phone call)

 

6 - let facebook, linked in or twitter search through your email list for friends / contacts who are on social media and send them an invite (you are already connected to them so why not connect on social media?)

 

7 - go through any new business cards to see who you can connect with on social media

 

 

To make your social medai work for you - call Cheryl

 

Cheryl Rankin

Fit For Business

647-287-0320

info@fitforbusiness.ca

www.fitforbusiness.ca 

Booths / Events / Tradeshows

Do I get a booth at an event or tradeshow?

Marketing always comes back to your target market.  Will your target market be attending this event.

Here are some questions that will help you choose great events for your business:

1 - will my target market be attending this event?
2 - how many people are expected to walk through the event?
3 - is there a chance that I can have Revenue from the event that is at least 10 x the booth cost?
4 - other than sales, what are the benefits of attending this event?
5 - how much manpower does this event need and do I have it or do I have to pay for it?
6 - is your business the correct size for the event?  If you are a one person business and you have a booth at a national tradeshow you may look out of place; larger businesses may look out of place at evening business networking events. 
7 - is the timing right for your business to have more exposure?

Cheryl Rankin
Business Consultant
Fit For Business
www.fitforbusiness.ca
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca

Small Business Marketing

Small Business Marketing

 

Small business marketing is one of the main pieces to your business success.  It is extremely rare that your business is so special that you do not need to marketing.  Even small towns now have more than one accountant / bookkeeper and more than one pizza place and more than one car dealership that their residents have access to.  Everyone needs to market.

 

Marketing can be expemsive and unpredictable.  An advertisement in the newspaper may go unnoticed for months or a radio ad gets a low return rate.

 

Traditional marketing -

a) paying for advertising in newspapers, radio and TV

b) flyer distribution through the mail, newspapers and magazine inserts

c) word of mouth - network and make sure as many people know about your business as possible

d) referrals

e) events - have a booth at an event, participate in the event, create an event

f) direct mail to your current clients, past clients, prospects and then the general public

 

Online marketing -

a) e-newsletters

b) individual newsletters

c) social media - facebook, linked in, twitter through every day posts and comments

d) social media ads - pay for advertisements in these websites

e) online advertising - google ads

f) website

 

1 - know your target market before creating your marketing plan

2 - know how much a new client is worth

3 - know your budget

4 - create a flexible plan so that you can adjust based on your results (do not pay for / sign up for 1 year and have no changes possible)

5 - get busy and do it

6 - evaluate and then start your plan over again

 

To set up a marketing action plan for your small business in Mississauga or the Toronto area, let's meet in person for your consultation.  Other areas can meet over the phone.  Call Cheryl Rankin at 647-287-0320 or email info@fitforbusiness.ca to schedule your marketing action plan appointment.

 

Cheryl Rankin

Fit For Business

647-287-0320

info@fitforbusiness.ca

www.fitforbusiness.ca