Melanie Hicks passed away on February 15, 2009 at forty years of age. She experienced a fatal epileptic seizure. She was a career horticulturist and long-time Landscape Ontario member. Melanie was an independent sales representative for Leo Gentry Wholesale Nursery of Damascus, Oregon, in the Ontario and Quebec territory. She was formerly employed by Kato’s Nursery, Abbotsford, BC, Kobes Nursery, Bowmanville, ON, Angelo’s Garden Center, Concord, ON and PAO Horticultural, Hornby, ON.

Melanie will be remembered for her ebullient and infectious personality and passion for horticulture. She will be sorely missed by many.

Congratulations to Monica Olenroot on the successful launch of the Benefits for Women social network! Visit www.benefitsforwomennetwork.ca for great articles, blogs and forums with discussions to help you with your business.

Here is a list of the traditional networking events in February…

February 19 – Lunch and Learn
Putting your best Face Forward with Kelly Weldrick – Make-up in Motion 11:30-1:30
Carruthers Creek Golf, 650 Lake Ridge Rd. S. at Bayly.
Cost $25.00 members $30.00 non members.
Please register with a credit card to attend. 905-426-8822

TD Canada Trust is hosting a Financial Forum on Feb 19th
“Understanding Your Money and the Markets” in 2009
The guest speakers are Patricia Lovett-Reid VP TD Waterhouse, Bob Gorman, VP TD Waterhouse Private Client Group and Don Drummond, SVP and Chief Economist. This event is free and is being held at the Ajax Community Centre on Feb 19th from 7pm – 8:30 you may call Lucy Thomas Mgr of TD Canada Trust Ajax directly at 905-428-3211 X 250 to register or email me your name to register.

February 25 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Open Forum session 1895 Clements Rd. Unit 122 Pickering
$5.00 members $10.00 non members
Come out to discuss challenges you face with your business – This weeks topic Selling in today’s market. We will also have a presentation by Irene Anderson on fining your hidden talents to help you with sales. Seating is limited. Please register.

It is important in difficult times not to loose track of how crucial a solid marketing plan is for your business to survive. All of us business owners and managers have to make adjustments and cut backs…but your advertising and marketing is more important these days than ever before. The competition will be fiercer for that expendable dollar in a consumer’s pocket. Buying habits are going to change. This is the time to make sure your business card stands out, your website is fabulous and your advertising jumps out of the pages at your potential customer.

Survival is going to be for the business with the best planned marketing, the best execution of marketing materials, and the best advertising campaigns. Here is something I found in Toronto Life:

“Recessions can provide a perfect opportunity. They clearly reward the aggressive advertiser and penalize the timid one. Many studies with the same conclusion; 80 years of well-documented research shows that companies that invest in marketing during a down economy come out ahead. Whether it’s sales, profits, market share, return on capital or market value, the spenders end up better off than the cutters”.

Here some very quick tips re things you should consider:

• -Maintain unparalleled customer service.
• -Try marketing and advertising ideas you have not tried before.
• -Partner with complimentary businesses to reach more customers.
• -Negotiate or renegotiate everything.
• -Go back to old customers and contacts and work them.
• -Take this time to build your brand – both corporate and personal via social networking. Make contacts, write something, start a blog get connected through as many avenues as possible in person and on the web.
• -Make sure your marketing materials stand out from the rest and ensure your website offers a customer-friendly experience.

Stay focused and keep in mind that this is the time to be more diligent about your marketing efforts with a plan that is assertive, hard hitting and uncompromising.

When faxes cames out I can recall myself and an agent at W. Frank Real Estate dragging a sales representative to the fax machine when our manager told us that faxed deals were legal – what a time/gas saver for sales representatives!!!

Smart sales representatives embraced technology moving forward, and were once of the first industries online when the web went commercial. They’ve been optimizing and blogging for years, so it’s really no surprise that social networks are all the craze… especially Facebook.  

Here are eight popular realtor facebook groups (at time of writing):

• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12036836742
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2260266530
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2259810038
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38294295366
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12592291207
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204581382
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12036836742
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12036836742

 

Many thanks to David Cohen of Small Business Big Ideas for inviting me to Royal Canadian Air Farce‘s final flight, the last episode of air farce as the show has been cancelled after 16 years on CBC.

The show was AWESOME… In the Parliamentary crisis, desperate leaders woo the Vice-Regal Decider; A store clerk works his musical holiday spirit; Jim Flaherty’s financial package has stimulated the wrong Dion; Jack Layton and a silent partner practise their coup-making; Friday Night News; Bank Lady Edith Wilkens and Jerry the Bitter Clown outline a new investment; A car salesman drives a self-squeezing bargain; Farce Flashbacks. 

As usual, I took tons of pictures which are now up on my facebook page… http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52701&l=07064&id=555021901

Watch for me (in the audience) when the taping airs – tonight at 8pm on CBC.

Let’s face it…we’re facing one of the toughest marketplaces when it comes to selling… If you are facing longer wait times, customers who aren’t so quick to decide and or pay, customers who need to more support from you when it comes to making a buying decision, increased competition and pricing pressures…then you may seriously want to learn how to sell more strategically…on November 28th at the Business Advisory Centre from 9:30-4:00 pm…You can tap into selling skills that will help you manage your selling process more productively… Sign up for an all day workshop that will have a positive effect on your bottom line… Transform Your Selling Style.

The Small Business Big Ideas Show Presents: Double Your Closing and Opening Ratio With Conversational Selling and tap into 3 prospecting/cold calling strategies that will improve your results. Join David Cohen host of the Small Business Big Ideas Show and expert marketing mind Tom St. Louis will help you unlock the keys to the kingdom as far as you integrating sales strategies that get you results…If you want to improve your sales performance and stay on track in this highly competitive marketplace then you want to register for this one day event on November 28th, at the Business Advisory Centre Durham.

Do sales happen as a natural consequence of a conversation between you and your prospect? Do you get closer and closer to the sale until the ‘close’ is inevitable and easy -and completely natural? Or, do you spend your time “visiting”with your prospect and then find yourself “following up” on a sale that never materializes? Can you even get in the clients door? Do you give up after 3 to 4 attempts?

HERE’S THE DEAL…

A lot of well intentioned business people who don’t think of themselves as sales people struggle with the basics. They are so afraid of being “pushy” that they assume a passive role in the selling process. Or, worse, they fall into the fatal trap of thinking that selling is all about talking about their product or service ad nauseum.

If selling is a struggle for you, it’s because you are doing it the hard way. We will be happy to show you how to sell like a natural. You will get the mindset, principles, strategies and scripts that will shift your selling life forever.

Plus we will show you how to crack the door open with 3 hot cold calling strategies…we will lead you
through the cold calling process and take the pain out of calling some prospect out of the blue. You will
be reminded of why you are calling someone now and what you can in fact do for them to improve their results in this economy.

DATE: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28th (9:30-4:00 PM)
WHERE: BUSINESS ADVISORY CENTRE DURHAM
COST: $69.00 (Plus GST) FOR THE DAY…
HOW: REGISTER BY CALLING 416-630-3527…
PRESENTERS: TOM ST.LOUIS and DAVID COHEN

Tom St. Louis has been marketing and selling for over twenty years. He has worked with large international brands and small start-ups. He will show you how selling can be a fun, touching, meaningful and profitable experience. Log onto www.zerald.com to learn more about Tom.

David Cohen is host of the Small Business Big Ideas Show and has coached and taught thousands of small business start-ups in his work with various self employment training programs. His 3 powerful strategies to making cold call fun is an interactive dynamic session. Log onto www.smallbusinessbigideas.com to learn more about David.

You are invited to a morning of networking and learning, featuring Award Winning Trainer, International Speaker, and Best Selling Author Rory Sheehan at GRAND & TOY Whitby, 150 Taunton Road West, Unit 7, Whitby, ON L1R 3H8 (October 30, 2008 7:30am – 8:30am with a network session to follow Breakfast and coffee supplied).

Rory Sheehan will teach you how to manage a conversation and how to guide the prospect in the direction of completing the sale.  Asking the right questions will give you the information you need to identify the prospect’s true motivation to buy, and that understanding will make selling far more manageable.  As a participant in Questions You Must Ask Every Prospect, Rory Sheehan will teach you the 8 power questions used by top sales producers.

If you are serious about selling, or determine to succeed in your own business, Questions You Must Ask Every Prospect will definitely make you more money.

SPACE IS LIMITED
Call 905-655-1274 to reserve your seat today and tell him that Sue Sutcliffe sent you.

at the Verity Club on Queen Street in Toronto. What an impressive club!  Cathleen Filmore of Speaker’s Gold taught us lots of stuff and I have lots of homework to do!

• The tricks of the trade in creating irresistible promo material
• Getting a higher media profile
• Finding your clients and getting gigs
• Putting on your own successful events
• Affiliating with others to increase income and influence
• A fee schedule that reflects your true worth
• Working with agents and bureaus
• Writing/publishing your book
• The pros and cons of self published vs. getting an outside publisher
• Developing your own foolproof marketing/sales formula
• Customize your own action plan to put into place right away

DURHAM REGION, ON OCT. 22, 2008: Every successful small business tells a story, if you only care to ask, says Rick Spence of Profit Magazine. Spence shares these fascinating success stories at the Business in Motion conference October 22nd at the Oshawa Golf and Country Club. These thriving companies earned a spot on Profit’s 100 fastest-growing companies and Spence outlines the creative management ideas, brilliant tactics, and clever sales strategies that got them there.

“These ideas aren’t written down anywhere — you only hear them when you sit and talk with these guys, and most people don’t get a chance to do that. These companies have made a huge impact in their marketplaces very quickly; they’ve managed to grow and yet still hold together. It’s all new, it’s all Canadian, it’s all current and it’s all relevant.”

“Rick Spence has more business knowledge in his little finger than most people gain in a lifetime,” says Sue Sutcliffe, one of six high-powered business experts that share the stage with Spence at the one-day event. Sutcliffe, an engaging professional speaker, promises there will be plenty to learn and lots of innovative ideas to take away.

“I love giving business owners new ideas, and challenging them to sift through and find the ones will work for them,” says Spence. But it doesn’t end with gathering new ideas: “Then I challenge them to execute. It’s too easy to go back to the office and get back into the grind. Nothing ever changes; you lose that initiative. I’m going to challenge them to overcome that.”

Media personality David Cohen notes that one such idea can be worth the price of admission. The much-loved business coach and sales guru kicks off the day with a lesson in how to be unstoppable. Susan Scott of Full Circle Communications talks about powering up your business with strong branding. Sutcliffe, an expert in Internet marketing, reveals how mixing business with pleasure on social networking sites like Facebook can boost your business quotient.

In the afternoon, best-selling author Jennifer Hough takes the podium to coach effortless marketing techniques. Business consultant Peter Cluff counsels safe risk management. Tiffany St-Germain, of Shop Aware Inc., exposes the hidden business resources you didn’t even know you had.

The day promises to fire up your business and shift it into overdrive. Get in the driver’s seat and go! The Business in Motion conference runs from 8 am.-5 pm. It includes breakfast, lunch and time to network. Passports are $179, with an early bird price of $149 before October 7. Visit www.businessinmotion.info for more information and to register, or call 1-866-926-6378. Sponsored by Canada Post Venture One, The Green Thumb Florist , Small Business Big Ideas, aWEBthatWORKS.com, Full Circle Communications, Durham Region, Avanzar Computer & Office Supplies, Clarington Pro Sound, Zsuzanna Porter of Royal LePage Conect Realty.

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Rick Spence and the other speakers are available to speak to the media upon request. Speaker bios and topic descriptions are available at www.BusinessInMotion.info.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Susan M. Scott
FULL CIRCLE COMMUNICATIONS
905-720-1647

David Cohen
SMALL BUSINESS BIG IDEAS
416-630-3527

Sue Sutcliffe, The Web Coach
aWEBthatWORKS.com
1-800-579-9253

Increase Your Sales
Communicate Better, Faster & Cheaper
Network with all the Right People
Download software, utilities & graphics
Read the News before it hits the stands!
Information at your Fingertips
Update Information Instantly!

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Increase Your Sales

Since your web storefront never closes, clients and prospective clients are free to order when it’s convenient to them… no busy signals… no telephone tag… and most importantly… no dissatisfied customers.

Web Sites present your products and/or services at a fraction of the cost of traditional print methods. When printing your marketing materials, you buy in bulk. You have to be sure that the printed information is correct and stays the same for as long as your printed materials are still in stock. Mistakes or changes are costly. With a web page, updating, editing and changing are immediate and cost effective, there is no waste… there is no time delay… there is no self-recrimination. As an added bonus, if you decide that you do want some printed materials, your web page will let you know whether your material is effective before you spend the money on printed marketing materials. If potential clients do not contact you from your web materials, why would they contact you from your printed materials?

Since you can show graphic images of your products and/or services, catalogues are no problem. Even if printed full colour brochures are beyond your budget, on the web… it’s no extra cost!

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Communicate
Better, Faster & Cheaper

E-mail (electronic mail) allows you to send messages and files to other people: Quickly – anywhere in the world in minutes, Easily – with a click of the mouse, and Inexpensively – no long distance charges / postage. And since your clients can collect and read your mail at their convenience (from anywhere in the world), your communication will be better received.

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Network
with all the Right People

Subscribe to Usergroups (there are currently over 10,000 to choose from). They are classified by subject, which allows you to communicate with experts in your field, and others that share a common interest.

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Download software,
utilities and graphics

If you see something of interest on the Web, you can download the material to your computer using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). It may sound difficult, but in reality it is “point and Click”, the program will prompt you!

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Read the News
before it hits the stands!

Most newpapers, periodicals, and magazines are now publishing online. Stay informed. Read the issues that directly affect your business … and find opportunities for more business.

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Information at your Fingertips

Search Engines and indices make it easy to find what you are looking for. Whether you are looking for your competitor’s pages or background information on one of your prospects, market research has never been easier.

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Update Information Instantly!

Your Webmasters (Desktop Imagery) can instantly update, change, edit, add or delete any information on your Web Page.

The proof is in the pudding, check this site out regularly and you will find modifications and additions regularly. Not a problem.