Good habits build together to make you successful

Your habits can be the foundation to your success.  

a) When you have a new activity on your list that you want to do 5 days a week, consider picking one day and locking in that you complete the activity that day no matter what.  No excuses - first thing on the list is that activity.  Guarantee your success once a week.

Once you do that a couple weeks then add in a second day that has a very high guarantee that it will get done.  You might be aiming for 5 days a week from the start but do promise yourself and get it done the once a week and then twice....and keep building until you get really consistent for the five.  

b) Putting things in the correct place right away can save so much time and energy.  If you have the habit of taking the extra couple of seconds to save the file into the correct place or putting that item in the correct place in the office in the long run you save time and energy.

c) Write down your shopping list as you think of the first thing you need.  Whether it is the grocery store, Staples or Canadian Tire, starting a list makes it easy to identify when you need to go and helps ensure you get everything you need in one trip.

d) Repeat your successful morning routine.  Professional athletes tend to have very specific routines before they compete - they eat the same foods, wear the same socks, etc.

e) Sleep is a huge factor in your success so figure out your bedtime routine. Having the same bedtime can improve your sleep.

f) Focus for an hour then take a couple of minute break and then pick a new task.

The more good habits you have the more successful you will be.

To figure out what habits will help with your success, consider the following questions:

Are you most productive on the days you go for a walk in the morning?

Are you excited for the days that you have meetings out of the house?

Did you notice that the days you build in breaks between meetings you get so much done?

Is there a noticeable difference in your efforts when you play music?

Need help to set up your success habits?  Book a business consultation with Cheryl Rankin, Fit For Business.

Cheryl Rankin

Fit For Business

647-287-0320

info@fitforbusiness.ca

www.fitforbusiness.ca

on facebook, linkedin, x, instagram, alignable

 

Do Not Sell Anything!

To have the most success in sales - do not sell anything!

Help your prospect buy your product or service.  Have you ever had a pushy sales person?  They were not taking the time to find out anything about you and were pushing the sale on you.

- confirm the prospect's need
- identify how your product / service will help them solve their need (problem)
- confirm the prospect's timing (when do they need your product?)
- confirm the prospect's budget

What does your prospect need in order to buy your product?

- do they need to test it out? (try on shoes?)
- do they need to have more than one price quote? (an insurance company gives you 3 quotes so that you can be ready to buy)
- do they need testimonials?
- do they need a sale?
- do they need extra details and explanation?
- do they need to see some before and after pictures from previous projects?

Take the time to give your prospect the information they need in order to help them buy your product and you will not have to sell them anything.

Book a sales consultation and boost your revenue starting this month.

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

2025 Fit For Business Tips For Success

Now is the time to set yourself up for success.  Do not try to be perfect as the novelty will wear off too quickly.  Try to improve and get on track and stay on track.  Here are some tips to help you.

1 - Write down your goals

2 - Start your day at the same time each day

3 - Track your efforts each day for a week - does everything align with your goals?

4 - Identify the 10 tasks you would like to get done today and give them each one hour in your calendar

5 - Block time for meetings - actual meeting time, travel time, prep time and follow up time

6 - Set up your system to track any new contacts and your follow-ups / interactions

7 - Assign at least 1 hour a week to work on the future / long term goals

8 - Confirm timeslots for your meals and any personal activities

9 - Monitor your efforts - if you made 100 phone calls, how many voicemails did you leave?, did anyone book a meeting....

10 - Review your marketing action plan and revise if needed

11 - Document any repetitive tasks so you can make them easier in the future

12 - Identify any tasks that you could delegate - are you charging enough to pay someone else to do them?

13 - Get outside everyday - fresh air and sunshine definitely reenergize you

14 - Back up your files - if you do not have a back up system then email yourself any super important documents so you have a copy

15 - Read - block at least 15 min a day to read

16 - Have a single calendar.  Incorporate all of your calendar appointments into one place

17 - Schedule one coffee meeting a week with a prospect, client or referral source 

18 - Continue to market even if you are crazy busy - an occasional post or an email once in awhile will make a huge difference in the long run

19 - Network in-person at least once a month.  Online networking does not always create a local foundation for your business.

20 - Identify your reward for your success but also identify your reward for your efforts

21 - Stay inside your budget.  Even marketing opportunities are not worth overspending.  Find other marketing options until you have the money for the larger opportunities.

22 - Take business cards or note down new contacts.  You might not buy from the new contact but your prospects might and you could get some good points by connecting them.

23 - Encourage contacts online to connect with you directly so you have their contact information.  If the social media website goes down or closes - you lose all of those contacts.

24 - When you complete a project, finish it down to the last detail and do not leave any lose strings.  

25 - Be confident - you can do it.  Use daily affirmations if you need to help convince yourself you can do it

PS - sign up for the 100 day business challenge to improve your business.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1101067946869?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Cheryl Rankin

Fit For Business

647-287-0320

info@fitforbusiness.ca

www.fitforbusiness.ca 

Business During The Holidays

Is your business very quiet at holiday time?  Are your clients busy with other things? Are your clients limited with funds due to holiday spending?

Here are 12 ideas to help you be productive during the holidays.

1 - Stay on a routine as much as possible.  If you always start work at 9am then start at 9am.

2 - Do a minimal amount everyday.  Even one hour a day can keep you in the game and keep you productive so you do not start 2025 at a dead stand still.

3 - Check emails daily.  Delete anything you do not need.  Only deal with the urgent ones.

4 - Create a 'to do list' for 2025.  Whether it is emails you ignored or other tasks, take the time to put them on your to do list.

5 - Respond to emails that require your attention.  "Quick note to confirm I received your email.  I will respond in the new year.  Happy Holidays!"

6 - Write one article you can use for your blog, newsletter or website in the new year.

7 - Send yourself an email with an idea or task that you do not want to forget by using your phone -- stay off your computer so you do not start checking emails but do not forget that idea or task.

8 - Set up your calendar for 2025 - do you have a paper calendar or online one?  Take the time to block the timeslots for your repeat meetings and other dates you already know.

9 - Work on organizing any receipts and finances you can when things are quiet.  Consider hiring a bookkeeper if you have too much to catch up on - they will catch you up and set you up for success going forwards.

10 - Invite great clients, referral sources and potential clients for an in-person coffee.  You can enjoy the chat, get to know them better and plant a seed about how you can help them or they can help you in 2025.

11 - Are you caught up?  Do you owe any clients or potential clients proposals or notes?  Use one block of time to get one more task off your list.

12 - Holiday time is for family.  Enjoy the time!

PS - sign up for the 100 day business challenge and start growing your business exponentially! Click here to sign up.

 

Cheryl Rankin

Fit For Business

fitforbusiness@rogers.com

www.fitforbusiness.ca

647-287-0320

Getting Your Message Out

Getting Your Message Out

Everyone is bombarded with incoming information and advertisements so how do you get your message through?

Marketing text books many years ago said that people need to see your advertisement 7 times before they decide to buy from you.  Definitely it is worth getting your message out to people multiple times so that they know you and remember you.

1 - consider sharing helpful tips which help prove you are an expert

2 - share often

3 - use multiple communication techniques

- in-person

- email

- social media posts

- pictures on social media

- videos on social media and your website

- presentations

4 - be memorable

- being helpful and not just being a pushy sales person helps create a positive image and in many cases a memorable one

- do you have a catchy slogan that people will remember?

- can you help your prospect before they hire you?  Consider inviting them to your business networking group as your free guest.  Consider liking, commenting or sharing one of their social media posts.

- excellent pictures or videos can leave a strong impression

- take the time to connect with people and not just give your sales pitch (have coffee with any prospects; have coffee with any possible referral sources)

5 - be consistent

- Stay focused on your business message and avoid sharing pictures of cute cats or dogs if your business does not involve cats or dogs.  

- Use the same words.  It is amazing when someone else can repeat your 1 minute business introduction and pass your message along.

Remember that a single post is not the magical solution.  Market in different ways and often.  Be sure to stay on topic so that you can be memorable.

Please reach out if you would like a complimentary chat to see how we can help your business.

Cheryl Rankin

www.fitforbusiness.ca

info@fitforbusiness.ca

647-287-0320

 Is your business stuck?

Sign up today for the 100 day business challenge.

You will receive an email each day with a challenge to review and improve one piece or your business.

Spend a half an hour each day on 100 pieces of your business and watch your business grow exponentially.  Marketing, sales and more topics to turn around and / or grow your business to the next level.

To Register and pay with a creditcard - click here

To register - please e-Transfer your registration fee to fitforbusiness@rogers.com

Cheryl Rankin

Fit For Business

fitforbusiness@rogers.com

647-287-0320

Networking For Business Prospects

Here are a few tips that will make your networking more successful.

1 - know your target market

2 - have a strong one minute business introduction

3 - your prospect may not be in the room but know that the people in the room have contacts that might be your perfect prospect

4 - keep track of who you networked with in case any of your contacts might need them

5 - figure out how to help at least one person in the room

#3 above is at the core of networking.  A room of 10 people who each have a contact list of 1,000 means that there are over 1,000 contacts that you are trying to connect to.  Leave a positive impression with everyone in the room.  They could connect you to your perfect prospect.

A consultant that I met many years ago, said he went to small business networking events for 3 months.  His target market was large businesses like McDonalds, Air Canada, and Home Depot.  After the 3 months he had connected to arrange 3 introduction meetings and got two clients.  His prospects were never at those small business networking meetings.

Cheryl Rankin

Fit For Business

647-287-0320

Gardening For Strategies

 Do you do any planning or thinking when you are in your garden?

After a crazy summer schedule, I found ragweed / golden rod weeds taking over my garden.  Well that is not good since I am allergic to ragweed! Not good at all!

I blocked time to get rid of the ragweed.  

step 1 - decision to pull out the ragweed and not just chop it off (Do the project correctly the first time and do not have to worry about having to redo it.)

step 2 - try pulling it out to no avail.....the roots are too strong 

step 3 - review the strategy - new strategy - water the ground and see if it makes it easier to pull the weed

step 4 - try again......some of the weeds came out with this new strategy

step 5 - review the strategy - new strategy - try digging down to break the roots before pulling them out

step 6 - wow - it worked - the rest of the weed came out

When working on a business project, try a strategy but evaluate the strategy before repeating it.

Did it work? Was it effective and efficient use of time, energy and tools?

Consider other strategies to reach your project goal.  Learn from my gardening experience that some of the best results come from changing strategies during a project.

Cheryl Rankin, Fit For Business

fitforbusiness@rogers.com / 647-287-0320

100 Day Business Challenge

100 Day Business Challenge

Do Not Sell Anything!

Do Not Sell Anything!

To have the most success in sales - do not sell anything!

Help your prospect buy your product or service.  Have you ever had a pushy sales person?  They were not taking the time to find out anything about you and were pushing the sale on you.

- confirm the prospect's need
- identify how your product / service will help them solve their need (problem)
- confirm the prospect's timing (when do they need your product?)
- confirm the prospect's budget

What does your prospect need in order to buy your product?

- do they need to test it out? (try on shoes?)
- do they need to have more than one price quote? (an insurance company gives you 3 quotes so that you can be ready to buy)
- do they need testimonials?
- do they need a sale?
- do they need extra details and explanation?
- do they need to see some before and after pictures from previous projects?

Take the time to give your prospect the information they need in order to help them buy your product and you will not have to sell them anything.

Book a sales consultation and boost your revenue starting this month.

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

20 Tips for 2020

20 Social Media Tips for 2020

1 - Keep your business and personal posts separate.  A few posts that show you have personality are great but if every second post is personal then your target market may get distracted and forget what you do for business.

2 - Build your list.  Posting to 20 people means that only 20 people will see your post - grow your list.

3 - Start a group - use your business name and start a group.

4 - Start a business page - use your business name to start a business page.

5 - Join other groups and review their guidelines.  Can you post tips and hints?  Can you post advertisments?

6 - Join other business pages, especially the ones of business friends who may help share your messages.

7 - When someone asks you to join their group or follow their business page - do it and then send them a private message "I followed your page, please consider following mine at https://www.facebook.com/FitForBusinessConsulting/ "

8 - Be helpful in 9 out of 10 posts.

9 - 10th post can be an advertisement.

10 - Use pictures and /or coloured backgrounds.

11 - Stay positive - if you always complain then you send out negative energy and people prefer to buy from people who are positive.  

12 - Be timely - if it is the holiday season then include that in your post.

13 - Try videos - they can be short and sweet - 2 minutes.  Whether it is a facebook live or a You Tube video link, they add extra energy and attract more viewers  to your post.

14 - like / comment / share - if you help your contacts share their information then they will help share your contact info once in awhile.

15 - Set up an event - you can set up a facebook event and you can invite your contacts to the event.  They will receive an email to the event but may not receive emails for individual posts.

16 - Post regularly - try to post daily.

17 - Post a link to your blog or newsletter articles.

18 - Be sure to remind people to go to your website and sign up for your newsletter.  If the social media site ever closes down you do not want to lose all of your contacts.

19 - Check the inbound messages in your account regularly in case you have a lead.  You can also send private messages to people who seem interested in your posts.

20 - Remember that social media is part of your marketing plan - not your whole marketing plan so you should still meet people in person, phone people and email people individually.  Consider getting a booth at a business tradeshow or a commuity event to introduce your business and use your social media accounts to stay connected and build your business relationships.

Fit For Business can take care of your social media accounts for you.  Call today to get our introductory social media services rates at $60 plus tax a month.

Cheryl Rankin

Business Consultant

Fit For Business

info@fitforbusiness.ca

647-287-0320 

 

2020 is here.  Is your business ready to go? Are you ready to go?

A business plan will help you confirm your focus and what resources you need in order to succeed.  An existing business plan should be reviewed and updated in order to be as useful as possible.  

Your focus - identify your goals and what products or services you are selling in order to meet these goals.  Your goals will start as an annual goal but it is best to break them down into  monthly and even weekly goals so that you can create your tasks / actions you need to perform in order to meet your goals.

Your resources - in order to meet your business goals, what do you need for resources?  Whether it is raw ingredients for manufacturing products or new software to manage your schedule or staff in order to meet the production and delivery needs of the business - you need to identify the resources and confirm when and how to get them.

You - identify the skills you need in order to meet the goals you have identified.  If you need some more skills then do some research on how to get those skills.  Identify how you will actually do the work that is needed. Confirm whether or not you have enough time to do all of the tasks necessary or if you need to hire someone to help.

Most people are not actually ready to run their business at the level of their goals.  Taking time to prepare will help insure that you can actually grow to that level, attain the success you dream of and most of all make sure that you do not burn out.

Cheryl Rankin

Business Consultant, Fit For Business

info@fitforbusiness.ca

647-287-0320

Fit For Business - 100 Day Challenge

Fit For Business - 100 Day Challenge

Social Media

Social Media -

Everyone is excited about having social media as a way of promoting their business.  Focusing on it as your only source for marketing will limit your options for your business.

In real life when you see a neighbour once in awhile in the winter and you wave at each other -- these moments in time help you stay connected during the cold winter when no one sees their neighbours as often as the summer.  In the summertime, we have BBQs and invite them over; stop and chat in the driveway and even invite each other over for a coffee.  Friendships are built on the longer conversations and chats but the winter waves and quick hellos, help bridge the time in between.

Social media is like the winter bridge - it helps you stay connected with people in between your real life meetings or phone calls.

It is possible to start business relationships on social media websites as well.  In this case, you are best to take the relationship even slower than in real life.  When you interact in a meeting, you can watch for reactions that will help you communicate with the person.  On the phone, we sometimes ask for clarification if we are unsure how the person is reacting.  On social media, most communication is done in slow motion -- one post out and then a reaction could be an hour later or a day later.

I wish there was statistics to guide everyone -- traditional marketing takes approximately 7 marketing touches to get someone to seriously think about buying from you.  Social media interactions need ____ touches to get someone to call you and get serious about buying your product.

So back to the basics - social media should be one part of your marketing plan.  Not your whole plan.  Do not stay hidden by your computer and try to run your business - get out and use other marketing strategies to build up your list and work on the relationships and of course close the deals.



Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320

Marketing at Events

Marketing at Events

Events have a variety of ways for you to market your business
- have a booth / table
- be a sponsor
- be an attendee
- be a speaker
- provide a door-prize
- provide gifts or coupons for the bags
- be the organizer
- be a guest of someone who has an extra ticket
- have your business cards or flyers or product on someone else's table

To choose which things to do at an event
1) what is your budget?
2) who is the target market for the event?
3) how many people do they expect to attend?
4) are you ready to market? (have handouts or a draw or signage)
5) will you have exclusivity for a booth?

Sometimes the best events that you can attend have nothing to do with your business and you go as an attendee and talk to a vendor and they buy from you or connect you to someone that will.

Attendees can not market directly to other attendees or vendors at large tradeshows.  The organizers will not be happy and ask you to leave or fine you for trespassing.  You can have conversations and enter draws and mingle.

Get out and attend events - it will give you energy and give your business some exposure.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320

Networking to market your business

Networking to market your business -

If you do not want to make cold calls and you do not have a full bank account for advertising then consider networking to market your business.

meetings - regular business networking meetings will give you business friends, some business referrals in the long run and depending on the group some education to help you grow your business to the next level.  If people buy from someone they know, they like and they trust then this type of networking can help you market your business.

tradeshows - small business tradeshows are a networking opportunity that also has some marketing opportunities to purchase a booth / table.  Having a booth / table means that people come to you to network which can sometimes make it easier to network.  It gives you a chance to show off / display what you do.  Networking at event like this also gives you a safe way to network - you can visit all of the tables.  They want to talk to everyone.  Talk to them to find out what they sell and only after they ask what you do should you tell them.  They paid for the chance to have a table and you are a participant.

networking events - these events can have from 15 to 50 people.  Everyone attends these events in the hopes of selling their product or service.  First strategy is to listen to the other person and then you will get the chance to promote yourself.  In many cases, you can start a business relationship with someone at an event like this.  You may go home with many business cards but only a few strong leads or opportunities to have coffee and continue to build business relationships.  The good news is you now have business cards that you can follow up on - phone them!  Ask them if you can send them your newsletter.

large networking events - these events have over 100 people.  I suggest having a few different goals -- 1) I want to go home with 30 business cards 2) I want to meet 3 people that we schedule a coffee meeting and 3) I want to help at least 3 people so they remember me later.  Trying to get all of the business cards means that you will not get time to shake any hands.  Trying to have long conversations with people means you only meet one person.  Try and balance your time.

To help find business networking meetings and events -
www.businessconnectionexchange.ca
www.biznetworknews.com
www.thenetworker.ca

To book a business consultation to discuss your networking needs call Cheryl at 647-287-0320.

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

Social Media and Your Business

My goal for social media and my business is:


1 - increase my number of business contacts (mostly in the GTA)


2 - build up my credibility and demonstrate my expertise


3 - create some community




Obviously it is a goal of the majority of businesses to increase the number of contacts so in turn they have more prospects and in the long run more clients.  Just having more friends or followers does not necessarily make it useful.  One twitter contact that I have posts a quote everyday.  The followers of this twitter account (myself included) enjoy and appreciate the quotes.  At no point in the past two years have I noticed the business owners explaining what she does.  It does not matter how many contacts if no one knows what she does.  I also think it is extremely ridiculous to have thousands of contacts in other countries unless there is a chance that you could buy from them; they could buy from you or you could learn from them.  If none of these things are possible then that contact is only a number and is not helping your business.


Building up credibility and demonstrating your expertise is important for almost all businesses.  Even businesses that sell products can demonstrate expertise.  9 out of 10 posts should be helpful - tips, events that your target market may be interested in, product introduction / highlights, and of course staff introduction.  Including articles that you have written in your social media will highlight your knowledge and including articles you find on the internet, in newspapers or magazines highlights the fact that you keep up on the industry.  Documenting your speaking opportunities definitely demonstrates that other people believe and understand that you are an expert.


Community is a big deal when you live in a small town.  The new comer takes awhile before they are accepted.  In the social media world, community can help get your message out to more people.  It is extremely tough to make enough deals to have specific contacts like, share and comment on every post and you in turn comment on theirs -- so you need to post things that people will like, share and comment on without you prompting them every-time.  The posts that seem to get the most attention are the ones that start a discussion.  Post your opinion in a statement and then watch other people react.


If your sole focus on social media is to get sales then it will be a very difficult adventure.  It takes many other factors to build your list, build your credibility and build your community before the sales part becomes easier and more consistent.


If you need help with your social media then call Cheryl Rankin, Fit For Business at 647-287-0320 or email info@fitforbusiness.ca


facebook / linked In / twitter - let's connect!

Business Proposals

Some small business owners request proposals and some larger corporations or cities request formal proposals.  Be sure to match your proposal to your prospects needs and wants.

1 - are they just looking for something in writing to help clarify the deal?  send an email with the details that you discussed

2 - are they looking to compare your proposal to other ones?  confirm what details they need in order to compare on an even level.  In your discussion be sure to highlight why you are special and a better fit for their needs.

3 - formal proposals - usually they require some testimonials - get them now and have them ready for your next proposal

4 - formal proposals - match your experience and your expertise to their requirements that are outlined.  Follow their format as much as you can so they find the information easily.

5 - get to the point - do not get too wordy.  If they are reviewing 6 proposals, they do not want to spend an hour reading each one.

6 - get it in on time

7 - call to confirm they received it

8 - follow up to find out who won the work and ask for feedback on your proposal -- usually they will tell you

9 -search out proposals / projects that fit your qualifications and apply

Fit For Business can help you prepare your next proposal.

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

Managing a Sales Team

Managing a Sales Team

It is great when you have more than one person selling for your business.  You can grow exponentially.  Once you have a team you need to manage them.

- set goals together - when the goals are set without their input then some salespeople will get frustrated and say that you set the goals too high
- give them what they need - do they need marketing materials in order to present your business professionally?
- train them - make sure they know the product / service - inside out and backwards (if it is a product that they can test  - personal training - then have them test it)
- review the marketing plan with them so they know what messages are being delivered to the prospects
- review the production / delivery of your product / service so that the sales team can make realistic promises ( it is bad when they promise delivery in 2 weeks and you always need 4 weeks)
- monitor / manage them - everyone should give daily / weekly / monthly reports to someone
- reports - some reports could be visible on the wall if everyone works from the same office
- rewards - talk to them to determine what rewards they want and what rewards will make them work to their best potential
- appreciate them - be sure to stop and talk to them and thank them (every day if possible)

To set up systems to manage your sales team, call Cheryl Rankin at Fit For Business 647-287-0320, info@fitforbusiness.ca.

Sales Training DVD - purchase this excellent tool as part of your training program for your sales team. "Shape Up Your Sales"

Fit For Business newsletter - send us an email and get our business tips sent directly to you.

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

Boosting your sales

Increase your sales / revenue

- to boost your sales you can sell to more people, sell to the same people more often or sell more stuff to the same people


What else can you sell? 
- Can you add a new service and sell it easily to your clients?
- Can you sell someone else's product or service to your clients?
- Will another business owner sell your product or service to their clients?
- Evaluate whether or not you can sell to your clients more often.


Stop moving and evaluate what you can sell, what are you selling and see where you can open up your options and grow your business to next level.


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