Consistent Message

Branding is the consistent message for your business marketing. Branding includes all of the details of your business from how you answer the phone to your logo to your flyers to your website and of course to your sales process. Is your message consistent? Do you have a mission statement that helps to keep your message consistent? Do you have specific themes that are consistent from one marketing piece to another? Advertising the lowest price in one flyer and then the next flyer boasting of your years of expertise - do not have consistent messages. They may have the same colours and the same logo but the messages should match as well. You may change the words a little bit but keep the message consistent so that people will remember you. To create a consistent message for your business, call Cheryl at 647-287-0320 to book a consultation. Cheryl Rankin Fit For Business 647-287-0320 info@fitforbusiness.ca www.fitforbusiness.ca

Words - Marketing & Sales

Words for Marketing & Sales - Use the words of your target market not your own words. Too many advertisements, presentations and articles are written in the words of the seller. Words that are jargon just to the industry, words that only certain people use in real life. Even if your target market company is using those words, is the decision maker of your product or service using those words. You may be selling technological advancements to upgrade a factory but the CEO is not a hands on technology person or an engineer -- use plain English words. use the words of your target market. When you use industry specific jargon or acronyms then automatically explain them as you go along. Not that you are insulting anyone but you just do not need them stuck trying to translate something that they feel they should know but they can not remember the word at the moment. Talk in a way that your client can easily understand you and your point and watch your marketing improve, your sales improve and of course the bottom line improve. For help with your content or editing call Cheryl Rankin at 647-287-0320. Cheryl Rankin Fit For Business 647-287-0320 info@fitforbusiness.ca www.fitforbusiness.ca

Sales vs Marketing

Having a tough time closing sales?

Go back to your marketing. Chances are you do not know enough about your client. The more you know about your target market the easier the sale is.

If your clients never go on the computer then do not market on the computer; do not send them quotes on the computer and do not ask them to pay on the computer.

If your clients are extremely busy then do not waste their time. Respect their busy life and ask for time and make it as useful as possible. Potential fitness members love to get a free workout when they tour a new facility. They get to do their workout and test the facility without having to go to their old facility after their tour.

If your clients are ladies who buy all of their food at the local health food store then start working out some marketing opportunities with the health food store.

If your clients are brand new business owners who think they can do it themselves then include that in your marketing -- get faster results than doing it on your own.

If clients that do their own home repairs are your clients then you may do something like - get the project done on time and get back to normal. How long did your last project take?

All messages throughout your marketing and sales should reflect your client and your conversations with a prospect.

Book Fit For Business to create a marketing action plan for your business so that your sales will be easier and you will close more deals.

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

Boosting Cashflow

Boosting Cashflow

Cashflow is a serious issue for business owners.

When money is tight you really need to be super careful about all purchases.
1. avoid any long term commitments - do not sign up for 1 year of advertising; buy 1 month
2. start with urgent purchases
3. write down all upcoming purchases so you can put them in the correct order for payment
4. pay bills ontime when possible - save the interest; build up good rappore so if you need an extension some day they will trust you.
5. talk to the people you owe money so they know what is going on
6. collect outstanding payments
7. be sure all bills are sent
8. go get more clients

Do not stop marketing - if you have no money then market with no money.
1. phone old clients; current clients and potential clients
2. send individual emails
3. set up some joint ventures
4. use commission sales people
5. go door knocking - old-fashioned but it works well

If you have no cash in your business then how does your business function? How do you buy food for your home? Get your cashflow more predictable and under control.

Call for a free introduction to business consulting and let's see how we can fix your cashflow problem today.

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

Making A Tradeshow Work

Making A Tradeshow work for your business takes some planning. Do not waste your time or money unless you plan for success.
1. Confirm that your target market will attend the event.
2. Ask what advertising the event has done to get attendees.
3. Be visible - have a sign that stands up (at least on the table) Make sure people can see your info from the other side of the walkway.
4. Create handouts that match your target market.
5. Figure out how to attract people to your booth - candy, draw, fun activity.
6. Collect names of potential clients - draw, newsletter sign-up.
7. You need to be visible - stand up as much as possible.
8. Be ready - offer a smile and say hello to everyone. Do not sit and read the paper. Ask a question that helps you decide if they are a potential client.
9. Talk to people - engage people in conversation. Booths with visitors attract more visitors.
10. Follow-up

Whether a tradeshow is $50 for a small business owner at a local event or $5,000 for a national level; being prepared will help the success of the event.

To create your tradeshow plan, marketing pieces and / or staffing for your event, please call Cheryl Rankin, Fit For Business at 647-287-0320,

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

Recession Marketing

Is the recession slowing down your business?

Be sure to adjust your marketing to suit the times and the changing needs of your clients.

- consider adjusting your target market
- can you package your product /service in a new way? Personal Training for golfers is still personal training but it is packaged differently
- can people pay in a new way? Buy 3 sessions and save.
- partner up with another business owner to get the word out
- try new communication methods (linkedin, blogs, newsletters, twitter,etc)
- can you sell something new to the same clients?

To get a marketing action plan for the recession - call Cheryl today at 647-287-0320.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
www.fitforbusiness.ca
twitter (FitForBusiness)
info@fitforbusiness.ca
647-287-0320

Stand Out - Get More Sales

What are you doing to make your business stand out in comparison to your competition?

During a recent vacation to Montana, I noticed a few businesses trying hard to stand out:
- 70% off sale at Herberger's department store
- a huge Eagle statue at the entrance to a camp ground near Glacier National Park
- a real estate agent's office is in an Art Gallery / Gift Store
- a Toy Store rents strollers for the day to travellers
- a brewery called The Great Northern Brewery Company opened a restaurant bar and recently started doing tours....because of the tours we stopped to buy lunch and a beer sampler package for two and then souvenirs
- some stores in the tourist towns have public washrooms. When washrooms are hard to find it guarantees your store visitors

Now what about your business - what can you do to stand out in the crowd?
Stand out in a crowd and get more attention and get possible clients to check out your business and in the long run get sales. Boost your sales by using your marketing to stand out.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
* now on twitter (FitForBusiness)

Great Promotional Product

I attended 'Powernetworking' lunch meeting yesterday and won a door-prize. I was extremely impressed with my prize from Janet Auty-Carlisle of Living La Vida Fearless. Janet is a life coach who always says that she helps people talk about, deal with and plan for the 'elephant in the room'. In other words she helps you with your big challenges.

Now that prize - it is writing paper made from Elephant Dung. I am not joking - elephant dung. The purchase of this paper actually helps protect elephants in Thailand. There was even a pen that looks like a branch with an elephant on it.

Too many business owners never bother to find a good match for a give-away or a door-prize. Janet has found a product that totally matches her business and her philosphy.

Thank you so much for the gift Janet.

If you need help choosing the right promotional item, please call Cheryl at Fit For Business 647-287-0320.

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

New Networking

Networking is a great way to market your company thanks to the personal touch and of course the power of word of mouth marketing. Are all of the networking events the same these days?

It is up to you to make each networking event useful. The easiest and fastest way to get results from networking events is to help other people.

Find out what type of people they want to meet and help to introduce them to others in the room. You now have two people who will remember you and in tunr also try to help you. Sometimes a good idea for someone else is just as good as your sales pitch for your own business. They will remember you and in turn will try to use your services or give you a referral.

A happy client tells one or two people about your business, while a grumpy one tells thirteen people. Even a contact at a networking event who is pleased with your help will tell one or two more people about your business. Be memorable for good reasons - help other people when you see them at networking events.

Use networking to grow your business to the next level. In many cases, networking is faster, and less expensive than advertising.

Join Fit For Business for the current workshops and/or think tanks every Friday. Details are on the web-site - www.fitforbusiness.ca.

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

Strong Summer Sales

Good afternoon -

I just got off the phone from presenting a tele-seminar for Women In A Home Office. The topic "Strong Summer Sales" was a very popular one because many businesses experience a slowdown in sales during the summer. Here are a few notes from our tele-seminar that may help you:
- don't give up on the summer, if you are pro-active you can help set yourself up for success
- your clients go on vacation but not all at the same time
- stay in touch with current clients with phone calls, newsletters and blogs
- create a special summer promotion to get them to buy now
- create some new exposure for your business by wearing clothing that advertises your business or donating a prize to a golf tournament
- can you give people samples so they can test it out
- find partners so that you can advertise their products and they will advertise yours (no cost!)
- do you have any new services that you can offer people?
- summer may be the perfect time for your client to buy so tell them why they should buy now (get them ready for September, save money, time to implement the ideas)

To listen to this tele-seminar then check the web-site www.womeninahomeoffice.com.

To book a Brainstorming For Business session for your summer plan, call Cheryl at 647-287-0320.

Enjoy your summer!
Cheryl
Fit For Business
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Women In A Home Office

A special thank you to Anne Stone from Women In A Home Office who invited me to be the guest speaker for their tele-seminar on Sales and Marketing For Small Businesses. We had a great discussion on how to improve your sales and marketing without spending alot of money. The really neat thing was that some people were in Ontario and there were people all the way to Calgary, Alberta.

I have never been to a networking meeting that covered so much distance. If you hate traveling to your networking meetings or training sessions, consider Women In A Home Office networking group and/or consider setting up your own tele-meetings. It was neat!

I think we may do another tele-seminar on June 15th - watch for details coming soon.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
www.fitforbusiness.ca