Greasing the Path to Success: Finding the Confidence to Step Up to Key MomentsWritten by Nina Ham
Whether it’s making a prospecting call to a promising business contact, giving an informal “elevator speech” to a networking group, or attempting to close a transaction, there are certain key moments when putting your best-dressed foot forward really matters. Some of life’s fortunate people seem to be naturally at their best finding confidence under pressure. The rest of us have to learn. Confidence matters. Few would argue that developing confidence is a good investment. You’ll be more comfortable and therefore more motivated in your marketing efforts. It’s difficult to sustain an effort over long haul – a requirement, for successful networking and marketing – if we’re miserable doing it. Furthermore, marketing and branding experts tell us that confidence is #1 reason people buy what they buy. Where do they get confidence to try product or service for first time? From you, from your confidence in what you offer. Confidence on command. Let’s say you have to make an outreach call to someone who can potentially refer you business. Stomach butterflies are on a rampage. You’ve scripted call, but your voice is still flat with anxiety. How do you suddenly summon confidence? Confidence is like one of body’s involuntary muscles. You can’t make it fire on command. It either fires or it doesn’t. But smaller muscles around it, contributing to its tone and strength, are voluntary. You can help yourself build confidence by doing small things. You probably already have a repertoire of quick-fix confidence-builders that work for you. From my years of helping people grow, here are some of my favorites. Practice Talk about your product or service, with strangers as well as acquaintances. Do it again. Do it frequently, whether “successful” or not. Keep interval between short.
| | What is an Investor Ready Business PlanWritten by Howard Schwartz
What is an Investor Ready Business PlanA Business Plan, as all good entrepreneurs starting out in life should know is foundation, or rather a springboard, towards establishment and growth of a new business. A business plan is an essential tool for companies raising capital – and your business plan needs to be Investor Ready. What is an Investor Ready business plan? An investor ready business plan is a document that has been professionally prepared to meet needs of both Venture Capitalists and Angel investors. In your Business Plan, you should be able to see your own project through investor's eye. Your plan must be able to answer concerns of an investor. The investors, both VCs and angels, are risking their hard earned capital by investing in your venture in hope of long term returns that are worth many times their original investment. An Investor Ready Business Plan demonstrates to investors that you are an expert in your industry and that you have a clear mission. An entrepreneur addresses these needs by prepareing a comprehensive and detailed view of their business objectives and goals. Some important sections that address different concerns of investors are below: Management Investors invest in management - not just ideas. It is very important that you express your knowledge, passion and dedication to your business as best as you can. The competence of your team along with their experience levels and their commitment levels are also factors that investors look into before making their investment decisions. Customers It is important to communicate to investors that you understand needs and requirements of your customers and to articulate your marketing strategy within your business plan. Product/Service Description A complete description of product or services offered by you should be outlined in detail. A description of overall market for your product or service, along with details of your customer base is essential. The investors need to know reach and kind of customers your product / service is catering to.
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