Marketing Your Plan

The purpose of this section is to highlight practical steps to sell the plan to

prospective investors. These steps include preparing facts, preparing logistics or mechanics of a presentation, hand-outs tone of voice, financial emphasis results, visuals, practice, handling challenging questions responding with the best answers making an enthusiastic close and sealing the deal.

Guidelines - effective presentation of business plans

1. Preparation. Be sure that the plan is complete with each part done well.
2. Line up your prospects from the sources listed earlier
3. Plan a quality presentation. Try to arrange for good round the room introduction, if practical. Begin by passing out a clear and complete half page agenda. Investors don't like surprises, and are generally pleased to know that you have a well thought out action plan.
4. The agenda should show the plan title the people involved, phone numbers, perhaps ten subjects, and the time each person will need to speak. Keep it well spaced not too fast not too long. Design the presentation for up to three presentation make it flexible enough for one person to present. Divide the time among speakers, if possible, use people who articulate and properly and present in a friendly manner.
5. Know your audience interests. Specially highlight the facts that your audience will be interested in. Make sure that you allow for questions from the audience and more discussion style meeting rather than a one way communication. Keep enough time at the end for anyone to ask questions/ clarifications.
6. Use your tone of voice selectively. Show respect and sincerity regardless of the audience level of authority.
7. Start friendly and remain friendly throughout the meeting.
8. Emphasis financial factors and this is the most important element to most investors. Show profits, sales and loan repayment schedules etc. Show why people will buy your product or service. Give as much evidence as possible (feasibility studies, market opinion, use and sales tests.)
9. Emphasize results not methods. Finance people are not interest in the systems used in production, marketing and personnel. A brief statement of these is usually enough.
10. Use all means necessary the keep attention focused on the plan. Possibly use the AIDA model i.e. attention, interest, desire action.
11. Inform before trying to persuade. Sell the most important features of the plan first and make the plan more attractive.
12. Use simple color slides or flip chart as aids to the presentation - especially important in covering important points.
13. Remember that a smaller chart gives you a number of advantages. It is easy to carry can be presented almost anywhere - in a plan, car, at lunch, at a desk and can be used many times over without looking shabby.
14. Flipchart should mention the SWOT factors as investors like plan where a lot of strategic thinking has gone in.
15. Have resumes of key staff. Each one should include a good picture related experience in the field and other pertinent information.
16. Have product samples and pictures of the plan, production line, staff, equipment package, design, dealer fact sheets and in-store displays or whatever will help you generate as this gives life to the idea. This a type of more persuasive communication which goes a long way in convincing your prospects.
17. Have summaries of research and feasibility studies or tests. Include success stories or testimonial letters from satisfied customers.
18. Hand out a copy of the plan. With a small group you can go through the plan itself with a larger group hand out the plan at the end so that you maintain their attention during your presentation.
19. Allow ample time for discussions, questions and clarifications.
20. Stay professional. Be calm with good quiet self control.
21. Provide a one page summary of the plan.
22. Make sure that the hand outs include the agenda plan, a summary, resume research summaries and product samples or service pictures.
23. Outline the next three priority steps for each part of the business.
24. Close enthusiastically with a confident, optimistic, determined, sensible, sell planned summary. Repeat any brief points that your listeners seem to enjoy. Emphasize SWOT Emphasize also that the plan is well organized controlled and proven.

Business Plans Presentation Format