|
Poor Folk Marketing.com
|
marketing iedas internet marketing online marketing offline marketing | |
|
Featured Business, Start a Personalized Candy Wrapper Business: Wrapcandy.com |
|
|
| |
| |
| Home | Small Business Information | Pay Per Click Advertising | Affiliate Revenue | Web Promotion | |
|
|
|
Age Old Marketing Technique Improves Business Plan Executive Summaries
Every business plan book tells you how the Executive Summary is your opportunity to provide a brief overview of your business plan; capture your readers' attention and imagination; and, summarize the plan's highlights and key selling points. So, why am I telling you these 3 things when you probably already know them? Because it's useless advice unless you employ one, not so obvious, age old marketing technique to make these points come alive. This one technique is the key to the ultimate success of your business plan and its ability to attract potential investors. More importantly, it will help you raise money for your business?potentially a lot of it. Best of all, it costs nothing to "do" and can save time finding serious investors. The not so great news is it's rarely found in "business plan" books or on most business plan websites. It's one thing David Galdstone doesn't tell you how to do in his popular "Venture Capital Handbook." You won't find it in David E. Gumpert's book, "Burn Your Business Plan." In fact, the Small Business Administration, Business Plan Pro, and other popular business plan web sites never mention it. A Wall Street Favorite This ONE marketing technique is used by the most prestigious investment bankers on Wall Street to raise millions of dollars in equity and debt financing for their clients. It's how major newspaper publishers trigger the public's curiosity and sell newspapers. So, what exactly is this powerful marketing technique that single handily can unleash the value in your business plan? It's writing interrupting and engaging headlines. See, I told you it was simple. Marketers and news people have always understood how effective, well-written headlines make it easier for readers to scan for information. Through experience and testing, they've learned that the public reads little else when deciding whether or not they are interested. And, I'm telling you that busy investors are no different. Why Isn't Everybody Using It? Good question... see, most people providing advice about business plans are lawyers and accountants. People who get marred in legalese and make their money by making things complicated. They also tend to confuse headlines with hype. The truth is that you can use headlines to provide a more powerful overview of your business plan, capture your readers' attention and imagination, and better summarize the plan's highlights and key selling points -- all the things they say your Executive Summary must do, without resorting to hype. Moreover, well thought out headlines, when taken collectively, succinctly tell your business plan story. Just by scanning the headlines in your Executive Summary, your readers will be able to know exactly what your business plan is all about and whether or not it fits their investment strategy. The success of your entire business plan may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the plan's individual sections. These headlines must arouse the investor's curiosity and self-interest. I have seen time and again, cases where business plan writers, both professionals and do-it-yourselfers, struggle writing content for hours, for days-fixing it, polishing it, rearranging it. Yet, when it comes to headlines, they put in no thought or effort, often resorting to the same old "information-less" sub-headings used in every sample business plan or template. So let me ask you this: What good is all the painstaking work on content if there are no headlines to first stop investors and make them want to read your plan? How To Give Investors A Reason To Want To Read! Absent any previous knowledge of your business venture or plan, investors have little else to spark their curiosity and self-interest. In the absence of headlines or the presence of poor ones, the best writers in the world can't write content that will sell the venture. They haven't a chance. Because if the headlines are poor or lacking, the business plan will not be read. And business plans that are not read do not get funded. Before starting on possible headlines, review the content in your Executive Summary. Somewhere in this content you are likely to find the four or five key selling points of your plan on which to base your headlines -- not the exact words for the headline, but the concept on which your headlines will be based. Now spend all the time you need to get the best headlines possible, then rewrite and polish your content till it flows naturally from headline to headline. Remember, headlines decide whether or not investors stop a moment and look at your business plan, or even read a little of it. And, headlines that appeal to investors' self-interest, give news, or arouse curiosity in this order are often the most successful headlines. Go take a look at the Executive Summary in your business plan. Do you use headlines to capture your readers' attention and imagination and better summarize your plan's highlights and key selling points? If not, you're missing a great opportunity. Go ahead, step away from crowd and write headlines that offer investors something they want. When you do, they will take time to read the content in your business plan. Mike Elia is a chief financial officer and an advisor to venture capitalists and leverage buyout specialists. His business plan ebook "Business Plan Secrets Revealed" shows how to make your business the most appealing investment choice to venture capitalist, bankers, and other business investors. For his free business plan guide click here.
MORE RESOURCES:
Small-Business - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Australian Workplace Agreements - How They Work For You The employer / employee relations environment has been constantly evolving during the last 25 years. In Australia, as in many western nations, the balance between employers and employees has shifted back and forwards usually in response to supply and demand. Local Search and Internet Yellow Pages - A Whole NewVocabulary for Small Businesss Buyers want both online and local information about where to buy Most small businesses are local in nature, serving people who live nearby. Their customers found them through traditional methods like the Yellow Pages or newspaper ads. Arent Small Businesses Lucky? Why? Because they have access to world class public relations no matter how small they are.That's one way of saying, take care of your key target audiences, Mr/Ms small business owner, and they'll take care of you. Small Home Business: Ad Copy Secrets So it's time to invest some finances into advertising your business and you are considering producing a flyer to advertise your business. Rather than sweat all night on writing the perfect flyer, first take some time to consider what the experts have found to be effective. The End -- Fireworks or Fizzle? Seems as though there are a lot of business closings going around lately. Everywhere I look small businesses -- one on top of another -- are closing their doors. Creative Business Card Marketing Announcements can be handed out as a business cardAnnouncements can be more than just a press release that lets the world know that something special has occurred at your place of business or to you personally. You can make announcements for almost anything. Don't Quit Before You Get to the City! We were more than excited. Our women's doubles tennis team had won our division, successfully competed in three rounds of the playoffs and had emerged as finalists in the city competition. Debt Collection Techniques Here are some sound debt collection techniques that can be followed by businesses to mitigate the bad debt crisis:Sending a pre-collection letter. Hiring a collection agency. The Failures Guide to Small Business Success How many "get rich schemes" have you joined? Or have you invested in numerous legitimate business endeavors only to have them not work for you? Have you started you business and now facing a complete shut down? Do you consider yourself a failure? Are your loved ones pressing you to give up?Risk-taking is a large part of entrepreneurship, in fact it is what drives it, and it's why so many people avoid small business, despite its many potential rewards. Those of us who have tried it only to have failed may find ourselves right back where we started, which could leave us feeling like total failures. Starting a Business in New Hampshire Hew Hampshire car wash market. Well we have visited every city in New Hampshire over the population of 10,000 at least twice, the larger ones four and five times talking to many people in various industries. 10 Ways to Start a Business on a Budget If you've been thinking about starting a business, but are held back due to cash-flow issues, there are plenty of ways you can get your plans off the ground. Though your vision may be to own a big store, restaurant, warehouse, or office, consider starting on a smaller scale. Breaking The Chains! Everyday, customers and business owners are bombarded with billboards, logos, print and electronic ads from huge corporations. With annual ad budgets that are more than our businesses' SALES in an entire year, our small independent businesses are getting squeezed out of consumers minds (and wallets) more and more each year. How to Become Successful in the Field of Financial Consultants Financial Consultants are one of the fastest growing industries today. More and more people are requiring the services of a finance consultant to get out of debt, and/or prepare for educational and retirement expenses. Is Your Small Business Name Important? You bet a name is important. Many small business owners try to come up with a clever name for their business rather than one that explains what they do. Professional Car Care Businesses You Can Start If you are in the professional car care business you may be looking to expand your business, for that no one can blame you. But which add on service makes the most sense? You will have to make an honest assessment of your current clientele and decide that for your self. Outsourcing - A Positive Approach For Small Businesses Outsourcing is the strategic use of outside resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and resources. Small business owners can outsource non-core functions to specialized and efficient service providers. The Role of the Business Model and Strategy for Business People will always stress that having a well researched business plan is key before you start your business. Although creating a business plan is often an important step in the evolution of a business, particularly if you need financing or you are not experienced at running a business, it is not necessarily the essential first step. Hiring A Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Business Grow Are you a home or small business owner and you're Webmaster, receptionist, and assistant all in one, but you've found that there isn't enough time in the day to complete all of these administrative tasks? A "Virtual Assistant" could be your answer.In today's tough economical times it's hard to think of hiring someone else to assist you, but it may be more cost effective than you think. How To Create A Business Note That Is More Attractive To A Note Investor You are selling your small business (business value under $1 million for this article). You would like the buyer of your business to come in with an all-cash offer, or be able to qualify for an SBA guaranteed loan. Blowing Your Own Horn - A Key Marketing Strategy for Small Business -- Building Credibility Through Success Stories --Successful solo entrepreneurs spend quite a bit of time building and expanding their networks. These networks can cover a broad spectrum - professional associations, community service, school or alumni networks, virtual communities, athletic groups, neighborhood associations.
|
| home | site map |
| PoorFolkMarketing © 2007 |
