Category: Business Playbook

28
Jan

Marketing Your Small Business: Target the Right Audience

As a small business owner, every dollar counts. That’s why it’s essential to be efficient and make sure your marketing efforts are reaching the right people. The key to success is to clearly define your target audience and tailor your marketing efforts to appeal to that specific group of people. Talk to them where they are.

“Stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in.” —Craig Davis

To be the most compelling in your efforts, it is important to talk to the right people about the things that are of interest to them. One of the first steps in identifying your target audience is to determine demographics. This includes things like age, gender, income, and education level. Understanding these factors will help you create campaigns and messaging that will resonate with your target audience.

“Focus on the core problem your business solves and put out lots of content and enthusiasm and ideas about how to solve that problem.” — Laura Fitton

But demographics alone aren’t enough to fully connect with your target audience. Understanding your audience on a deeper level will fortify your ability to personalize messaging and the customer experience. To know your audience more intimately, consider psychographics, which include things like lifestyle, values, and interests. With awareness of audience psychographics, you can create campaigns that align with their values and interests, making them more likely to engage with your brand.

“Content marketing is really like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.” – David Beebe 

Another important aspect of targeting your audience is understanding their behaviors. For example, if your target audience is primarily on social media, it makes sense to focus your efforts on building a strong presence on those platforms. Or if your target audience is more likely to search for products or services online, it’s important to focus on local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to increase your visibility in search results.

“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” — Andrew Davis

Building a strong online presence is essential for any small business. A well-designed website and active social media channels can help you reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. Additionally, by optimizing your website for local SEO, you can make it easier for potential customers in your area to find you. An email platform can assist you in delivering the right message to the right people at the right time. 

“When you combine the Buyer Profile with Buying Insights, you will have clear guidance for the decisions you need to make to win their business.” Adele Revella,

Create a persona for your buyer. Buyer personas are detailed descriptions of a company’s target customers and can be time-consuming to create and maintain as they change with market trends and the company’s offerings. Invest in the process. Explore the variables that affect how prospects decide to purchase. What is the customer journey? What does your buyer care about? What are their needs? What features matter? What holds them back from deciding to buy? With this insight, you can create messaging and efforts to actually affect change. Revisit the persona regularly and update it to reflect changing landscape of the the times.

For every business owner, it’s important to take the time to understand your target audience in order to tailor sales and marketing efforts to reach and appeal to them. By understanding customer and prospect demographics, psychographics, and behaviors, you can create customized campaigns that will resonate with them and ultimately drive conversion. With consistent messaging, building a strong online presence and utilizing local SEO techniques can also help increase visibility and reach potential customers. Having the right strategies in place to address the needs of your prospects, you can make the most of your marketing budget and see real results for your business.

15
Jan

How to Create an Effective Marketing Event Calendar and Massively Change Results

Create a marketing calendar of actions that works backwards from desired annual revenue. 

Creating a 12-month launch and promotion calendar that works backwards from your desired annual revenue can be a game-changer for your business. It’s a powerful shift in thinking that can help you scale a profitable business that works for you, even when you’re not working.

CRITICAL PRIORITIES: It is essential to focus on your critical priorities and sequence your efforts so that you’re not working late nights and weekends. By following these steps, you can create a marketing calendar that will generate the leads you need to fill your programs and help you achieve your goals.

CALCULATION: The first step in creating this calendar is to calculate the number of people you need to say “yes” to in order to achieve your goal. Once you know this number, you can work backwards to determine the number of leads you need to generate, and the promotions and launches you need to execute.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: A great way to start creating your calendar is to think about the different stages of the customer journey. This includes awareness, consideration, and decision making. For each stage, you need to create content that is tailored to the specific needs of your target audience. For example, during the awareness stage, you might create blog posts or infographics that provide helpful information to people who are just learning about your industry. During the consideration stage, you might create case studies or webinars that demonstrate the value of your products or services. And during the decision making stage, you might create email campaigns or social media ads that encourage people to take action.

CHANNEL PLANS: You also need to think about the different channels you’ll use to promote your business. This includes social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, and paid advertising. For each channel, you need to create a plan that outlines the specific tactics you’ll use to reach your target audience. And it’s important to sequence these tactics so that you’re not working late nights and weekends.

CONTENT CREATION: One of the keys to success is having a clear and focused content strategy. This means creating a 12-month content marketing calendar that will help you generate the leads you need to fill your programs. Knowing your critical priorities is essential to making this happen. Focus on creating content, promoting your business, and serving existing clients all at the same time. And again, it’s important to sequence these priorities so that you’re not working late nights and weekends.

Working backwards from your desired annual revenue to plan key marketing activities is a powerful shift in thinking that can help you scale a profitable business that works for you. By focusing on your critical priorities and sequencing your efforts, you can create a marketing calendar that will generate the leads you need to fill your programs, and help you achieve your goals.

  • Calculate the number of people you require to say “yes” in to achieve your goal, then work backwards to determine the number of leads you need to generate, and the promotions and launches you need to execute.
  • Boost business with a powerful shift in your thinking to support you in scaling a profitable business that works for you (on autopilot—even when you’re not working)
  • Build your 12-month marketing calendar so you have enough leads to fill your programs
  • Know the Critical Priorities you must focus on to create content, promote, and serve existing clients all at the same time, and sequence them so you aren’t working late nights and weekends.
28
Jul

Sales & Marketing Go Hand in Hand to Boost Your Bottom Line

As a business professional, you understand the importance of generating revenue and increasing profits. One of the key ways to achieve these goals is through effective marketing. Many people think of marketing as a separate entity from sales, but in reality, marketing plays a crucial role in supporting and driving sales.

When it comes to building a successful business, marketing and sales go hand in hand. Marketing sets the stage by creating awareness, building interest, and generating leads. Sales then takes over by closing the deal and turning leads into customers. But it’s not as simple as just having a sales team in place. Without effective marketing, the sales team may struggle to find and engage with potential customers.

The purpose of marketing is to attract and engage with potential customers, and ultimately drive sales. This is done through a variety of tactics such as advertising, social media, content marketing, and public relations. By creating a strong brand and consistent messaging, marketing helps to establish trust and credibility with potential customers. This sets the stage for the sales team to come in and close the deal.

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to marketing is that it’s not just about creating pretty ads or catchy slogans. It’s about understanding your target audience and tailoring your message to speak directly to their needs and pain points. By doing this, you can increase the chances of turning leads into customers.

Another important aspect of marketing is measuring and analyzing the results of your efforts. This allows you to see what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments as needed. By constantly testing and optimizing your marketing strategies, you can continuously improve your results and drive more sales.

Marketing also addresses product development. By understanding the needs and pain points of your target audience, you can design a product or service that meets those needs better than any alternative. This is a pivotal facet of marketing as it ensures that your offer is aligned with the needs of your customer and is more likely to be successful in the market. Additionally, the process of creating a compelling solution for your target audience can also help to inform and guide other aspects of your marketing strategy such as messaging, positioning and pricing.

Marketing makes money. Or it fails. In short, marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin. Without effective marketing, the sales team may struggle to find and engage with potential customers. By understanding your target audience and tailoring your message to speak directly to their needs and pain points, you can increase the chances of turning leads into customers. And by measuring and analyzing your results, you can continually improve your efforts and drive more sales.

As a strategic director, fractional CMO, business consultant, or hired gun, my job is to help you win by making you more money. And one of the best ways to do that is through effective marketing that supports and drives sales. So, let’s put the ball in play and get in the game. Together, we can make you rich while enriching the lives of those you serve.

 

11
Mar

Pricing Strategy: Keep It Simple

Don’t overcomplicate pricing. When it comes to setting prices, many people get overwhelmed.

Pricing is based on many factors. Ask yourself: How are your services delivered? Hourly? One and done? In the service industry, packages are most popular. What products do you offer? How are you positioning your offer (mass appeal, high value, luxury, etc)?

Three pricing models for service businesses:

  • HOURLY: your client pays for your time
  • PROJECT: your client pays for a tangible deliverable such as a logo or a time-based deliverable such as consulting — this is the easiest price model
  • RETAINER: your client pays a recurring monthly amount for a specific number of hours whether used or not

Three general pricing strategies and the +/- for each:

COMPETITIVE: Charge standard industry rate, plus or minus. This is easiest to start, establish price aligned with competition and increase as your reputation grows.
+you know what the market will bear
-clients may be willing to pay more based on value and positioning

PENETRATION: price your product or service at your lowest agreeable rate to build a base of clients or consumers
+get clients quickly
-likely you will be undervalued

NEED: what you require for income (what do you want to earn, and divide it by hours for service or units sold for a product)
+you get what you need
-this doesn’t account for all time or all value

A HYBRID approach with these strategies is optimal. Determine a price for your offer or package, then discount to build your client base and get results, then reduce the discount to raise your price as demand grows. Alternatively, add value with bonuses. This keeps the price for your product or service at the highest level.

Consider who you serve and what the competitive arena of alternative solutions available to them. This will give you an indication what the market will bear and you can adjust for penetration and necessary income. It is important to price at the highest level because you can always discount or reduce, which is easier than to raise prices once established.

7
Nov

#ScriptYourShift for Sweet Dreams

As a business owner who helps other companies create business plans, personal plans, and strategic plans, it can feel like I don’t even have enough hours in the day to get everything done. Lately, in fact, I have been low on sleep, trying to cram in that one last thing before I go to bed every night. With the seasons changing, my body and emotions have been shifting, and I have been out of touch with my body telling me to practice self-care always.

Part of running a business for businesses is sharing your vulnerabilities because there will always be something that resonates with the reader. I encourage you to reach out to me and let me know what resonates with you, to see if we can take this journey toward our thriving futures together.

Everything is a learning experience, and at one point this past week, I had crammed so much in that I was overbooking, and found myself overwhelmed with the sheer amount I had to do and the little time I had to do it. Like others who take pride in how hard they work, I had considered my work haul and long hours to be a testament to my strength – but this week it got the best of me, and I knew I needed to make a change.

For this reason, I made a decision to cancel or reschedule any appointments and tasks which were over-booked, and I made a point of ending work each day at a set time and letting myself sleep early. Lately, I had forgotten a little how valuable it is to take care of yourself, and it felt so relieving and calming to have sufficient sleep again.

I chose to go through one task at a time at work, from start to finish, because so often being overwhelmed comes not from how much effort and time is required, but rather how many results we are trying to achieve at once. Learning to not demand of yourself the ability to grossly multi-task, and learning to get through one thing from start to finish before starting the next, is invaluable to a business owner.

It is crucial to always remember that we are only human, and, more importantly, that that is okay, and that it is not okay to expect our superpowers to always be on display. For me, letting people know that they are superhuman only sometimes and must accept that they will not be superhuman all the time is part of the #ShiftYourScript strategy. If working with me sounds like a fit for you, reach out today to learn more about how I can help your company prosper.

Business planning does not simply involve a layout of all the details for operating the business – as a strategic planner, I also work closely with the entrepreneurs and business owners to effectively run their companies by keeping their own personal lives and their emotions and well-being accounted for. As they say, if your room is a mess, you are a mess….and if you are a mess, then your business will be a mess, and your life will be a mess.

If what I say resonates with you, then reach out to me today, and we will get started putting your script in order, one step at a time, breaking through all the barriers holding you back from a thriving company. Planning a business takes time and diligence – and I am here to guide you every step of the way.

 

9
Apr

10 Points You Must Cover in Your Initial VC Pitch

You are a startup looking for a VC and a VC is looking for a startup. So how do you convince a VC to take your call or meet with you? You send them a deck — make sure it is stacked in your favor.

Start by developing and refining the reasons why the VC should meet with you. Organize your presentation with most persuasive and logical order of reasons. Make sure to punctuate with visuals — simply add headlines or bold leads to your paragraph or include illustrations. And, definitely, cover the ten critical points.

  1. THE DETAILS. Announce the name of your company, where it is located, the round, how much capital you wish to raise.
  2. THE PLAYERS. Introduce your team. Include the expertise each person brings.
  3. THE USP. Capture attention with your Unique Startup Proposition — what are you solving? Is this a necessity or a luxury? What is most impressive about where you are with it right now? It could be the team, the technology, the growth, etc. Get the VC excited about the possibilities.
  4. THE POTENTIAL. Show the VC the size of the opportunity. The projected market must be large enough to provide ample return on investment. Do your homework here and make it relevant to your specific vision or solution. Complete this picture with how you stack up to beat competition. Explain how you plan to scale.
  5. THE THING. Present your product. Whether it is a prototype or a blueprint, an app or a service, include as much detail as you have defined. Use all media that is available to portray the product with optimal clarity.
  6. THE PLAN. Outline your go-to-market strategy. How will you approach and capture your market? What will help you build your tribe? Do you have a website?
  7. THE WAY. Explain your business model. How will you generate and capture revenue? Online, salesforce, multi-tiered marketing? There are many options.
  8. THE KIPs. Show the numbers. Not just a spreadsheet, include charts or graphs that quickly communicate your Key Indicators of Performance or success.
  9. THE ASK. Yes. Ask for it. Let the VC know your needs — the money, the time, the support, the connections — and request to meet in person or via Skype to proceed with next steps.
  10. THE CATCHPHRASE. End with a battle cry. Make it unforgettable so that whatever the decision regarding your request, your startup will be remembered.

Make sure your presentation is clear, concise, and complete with compelling information and arguments. Brand the pages in a way to give repetitive attention to your startup name, logo or other identifying feature. Prepare the narrative for your presentation, ensure that it translates with or without you. May the VC be with you.

Also published via Medium and originally created for Invest Southwest, here.

8
Mar

Pearls of Wisdom

It was an honor, a privilege, and a joy to step out on stage and present “Script Your Shift” to the Pearls of Wisdom tribe. What a perfect place to cut a groove in this new chapter of my life. In case you missed it, here is the video. For a Pitch Perfect session, eMail me at Tamara@TamaraParisio.com. Let me assist you to create the script for your starring role in your success!

SCRIPT YOUR SHIFT. Write down your goals. Business Plan, Personal Manifesto, or Strategic Map, put pen to paper to improve performance. Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study on goal-setting with 267 participants (it only takes 30 to be statistically significant). She found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down. A modality employed to make the process entertaining rather than daunting is to approach your plan as a script for your success. And, you are cast in the starring role as the lead character. Here are three examples of clients who stepped into the celebrity of their success.

Anita Miranda the Official Lipstick Reader

CHARACTER

From psychic fairs to celebrity parties and luxury events, Anita Miranda stepped up into high heels to expand in stardom as The Official Lipstick Reader.  

CAST

After establishing her starring character, Sherry Anshara attracted the supporting cast, including influencer Vishen Lakiani of mindvalley.

SCENE

To set the scene, Donna Sparaco shows up in full character, Daily Dose A Donna, to motivate and inspire with her proprietary program, Set Your Dial to Joy.

Download a pdf of the Script Your Shift handout.

22
Jan

Six Keys To Learning From Failure in Your Startup Endeavor

Most startups fail. Much like the game of baseball, failure is part of the process. How you deal with failure will determine your success.

“Learn from failures. Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” — Steve Jobs

Understand what caused the failure. Identify the error and find the solution for it. Then, every mistake becomes a lesson. Study it — grow from it. Forge ahead to success.

STUDY FAILURE

In every startup failure, there are many details in the process. Looking at each step, every decision, and finding which play worked and which didn’t will reveal the cause of the failure. It might be one choice, or a series of choices that didn’t work together. Assess and learn from the mistake.

“There are no negatives in life, only challenges to overcome that will make you stronger.” ― Eric Bates

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Take full and complete responsibility for your own actions, decisions, and intentions. Own it. Say it out loud — I was wrong. I struggled. I made a mistake. Understand your justification and the rational for decisions you made; and realize where your thinking was wrong (even though they seemed right at the time). This will give you the power to adjust. And, it will build confidence for going forward.

“The harder you fall, the stronger you rise.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo

HAVE CLARITY

Struggle is often perception and projection more than reality. When confronted with a hurdle, ask yourself “If I were to let this be easy, how would I approach it differently?” Get your subconscious aligned and in gear to see the solution.

“Life always gives us another change: It’s called ‘To Move On’.” ― Ana Claudia Antunes

BOOST CONFIDENCE

Your brain registers every goal achieved — small goals and large ones. Every accomplishment motivates you to achieve more success. You just have to deliberately be conscious of them. To do this, keep a list of your accomplishments. At the end of the day, every day, write down achievements — large and small — and take a few minutes to savor them. Let this boost confidence and self esteem as you forge ahead. Look for the possibilities. Seize the opportunities.

“The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.” ― George Bernard Shaw

MANAGE WORRIES

When you start to imagine pitfalls, visualize what will go right instead of what will go wrong. Don’t repeat or dwell on stories of past mistakes. Move on as fast as possible.Focus your mind on the positive, like that fresh idea, the easy commute to the office, and the latest accomplishment, rather than focusing on what bad thing could or did happen. Stay in the present moment.

“Never feel intimidated by defeat nor death, but rather intimidate life with your dreams.” ― Auliq-Ice

CARRY ON

Push through your resistance to failure and liberate yourself from fear. Relax and remain focused on the task at hand. Trust your intuition. Rather than worry about what could go wrong, generate solutions to any imaginable problem. This will give you confidence to proceed.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” — Paulo Cohelo, The Alchemist

Treat failure as a lesson. Ask yourself, “What did I learn?” rather than beating yourself up for making a mistake. Don’t bring the negative energy from yesterday into today. Today is a new day.

1
Dec

Manifest Destiny in 8 Key Areas

Take Action in 1 Area at a Time with These 6 Steps

There are eight key areas to self-actualization: Visibility and Voice, Relationships and Love, Purpose and Destiny, Career and Prosperity, Health and Vitality, Spirituality and Connection, Impact and Influence, Creativity and Manifestation.

Select one area and focus your intention to create a change. The other areas are affected. Success in one area leads to improvement in another.

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.”— Dalai Lama

  1. Set a Bold Intention. Break through a pattern of being stuck with focus and intention. Focus your energy from your heart. Select a specific outcome in a key area. Then, allow your mind to open and create the strategy.
  2. Remove Inner Barriers. Identify and release your limiting beliefs. Connect with your deeper truth so you can show up authentically and realize the experience you desire.
  3. Create from Inside Out. Cultivate your intuitive mind. Ask yourself, “If all of life organizes around my success, what do I desire to create?” Connect with your self. Allow yourself to access an inner source of knowingness. Be curious and receptive.
  4. Generate Support. Surround yourself with people who encourage you. Create partnership. Enlist assistance.
  5. Create Accountability. Design a project where you are accountable to something bigger than your self. Show up. Grow into every step.
  6. Make a Commitment. Do what it takes every day. Get organized. Get training. Get going. And, as advised by Wallace D Wattles, “Do, every day, all that can be done that day, taking care to do each act in a successful manner.” 

Spend time every day with your Playbook. Review your vision, contemplate your dream, feel your purpose, and list your actions. Share this process with those who support you. Let me know which area you are working in and how that work changes everything.

21
Aug

Positioning Your Product or Brand

Positioning is a facet of the marketing strategy that aims to give your product or brand a distinct perception — relative to competing brands — in the mind of the customer. An historic campaign for Avis reflects this: “Avis Is Only №2, We Try Harder.”

In developmental stages, determine the positioning you intend for your product or brand. Research and market feedback will help you discover if it is aligned with actual consumer attitudes. If not, then marketing messages can help close the gap or change perception.

Positioning is an art. Great positioning tells a compelling, attention grabbing story — a story that resonates with your audience. — Rebel Brown

The positioning process begins with identifying a market problem or opportunity, then developing a solution — often based on market research, segmentation and supporting data. Once positioning is determined, it will help align and guide marketing efforts and business objectives. The perfume I use is the indulgent scent for pleasure seekers. Thus, the tone and manner of messages, images, events and PR are created to consistently express this in all communication.

Again, positioning is the perception of your product or brand in the mind of the customer. Perception is reality. Aim to establish the highest and best use for your brand among your audience. And, be open to emerging alternate audiences, too. Here are some examples of common positioning strategies and how they might translate in the marketplace.

DEMOGRAPHICS Place your solution among those best served by gender, age, income, area, etc. If you try to be everything to everyone, you may not appeal to anyone.

PRICE Present your solution as an affordable option with a low price point or elevate your products or services among the competition with a high price point to create a perceived value (or reflect a real value).

DISTRIBUTION The environment and locations where you sell your product communicate quality and value propositions like convenience or specialty items. Select your sales channels to align with your desired positioning.

AFFINITY Find your tribe. Those who desire to align with your proposition. Position your solution to engage group loyalty of customers with a common, personal denominator.

Positioning is how you communicate benefits of your solution to your audience. Everything from where you make your product, how you make it, where you sell it, and for how much will convey subtle queues to the market. Align positioning elements with the overt messages employed in promotions, advertising, and public relations. Ultimately, positioning is how your market sees your solution among the alternatives.

13
Aug

How to Realize your Vision in 3 Key Steps: Think it up. Feel it in. Act it out.

Think it up. Feel it in. Act it out. These three steps are crucial on the path of realizing your vision for your life—personally or professionally. Every entrepreneur starts with an idea. For successful dreamers, this vision drives action aligned with achieving the end result. Oftentimes the process is automatic. And, to amplify the probability of success, you can make this a mindful method.

Let’s look at each one a little more closely.

Step 1 — think about it. Be conscious of your thoughts and manage them. Intentionally think about your dream in productive ways. Create your thoughts. Then let your thoughts create  your plan. Ponder openly and confidently about your vision. Consider the highest good that will come from your goal.

In your daily life, think of ways to step into what you aspire to create. Write down these ideas and the milestones on your path to realizing your vision. Make a map of the journey. Think through each facet of  your adventure. Your thoughts are very powerful, because they affect how you feel.

Step 2 — feel inside it. Allow yourself to feel what it is like to experience your dream. What does it feel like to be on the path to achieving your dream? How do you feel doing the work you long to bring forth in the world? Touch the textures. Smell the aromas. Taste the flavors. Listen to the sounds. See the results. Take your thoughts and feelings very seriously.

Meditation is a great tool to assist you. Meditation is a game-changing practice. For just a few minutes each day, take the time to cultivate the feeling of what it is you desire, and experience it. Allow yourself to dwell in the feeling, the excitement, the joy of realizing your life’s vision. The feelings that come forth in meditation manifest in your life—whether only in the meditation or echoing it in your experiences when you take action.

Step 3 — act on it. Take action from a place of alignment with your vision. Many who pursue big dreams take action from a place of ego. They push with the force of “I’ve got to make this happen!” Or they fall prey to beliefs such as “I’ve gotta hustle and work hard.” Or they come from lack and think “I need to do this.” Or they shut down and play small wondering “Who am I to do this?” So they never do anything. Align with your vision and recognize limiting beliefs to thwart them along the way.

Acting in alignment with your thoughts and your feelings, engage others. Support from friends will boost your confidence beyond the limits of your logical mind. Connect with your dream personally and this equips you to notice when you are out of sync so you can quickly realign with your vision.

Take a pen and paper and jot down the three steps. Note your thoughts. Write out your feelings. And list the actions you take every day toward living that vision, personally or professionally! This is a plan for your business and a plan for your life!

 

21
Jun

6 Tips to Hone Your Investor Pitch

There’s the windup, and then there’s the pitch.

The pitch is critical to every startup. It’s your story; your identity; your compelling reason for being. And you have to get it in the strike zone in order to keep your company alive and to ensure that it thrives. Pitching your startup to investors—or to potential customers—can be overwhelming.

You have to know your stuff—your budget, your offerings, your advertising, your brand story, and more. This is your lifeline to resources. And, your future rests on the success of your delivery. To assist you to perfect your pitch, here are a few tips to get your story straight.

Know your why.

Storytelling is all the rage in advertising, and now in business branding. Sharing your story in the most compelling, powerful manner builds connection and credibility among potential customers and with investors.

Once you have your why—the reason you do what you do—it is much easier to find those interested in that passion. And, it is often said that when you are focused on your why, the how shows up and the what doesn’t matter.

Have a plan—a booming business plan.

The greatest idea in the world will not have a chance in surviving execution without proper planning. A solid business plan that clearly expresses your strategy and tactics, including how capital will be used, plans to scale the business, and reasonable anticipated growth will give an investor confidence that there will be a return on their money.

A solid plan shows the investor that you are knowledgeable about your product, the competitors, the market opportunity, the industry, and the future of your business. Reinforce your business plan with the critical details. Determine your break-even point, then customize the plan to demonstrate monthly cashflow. When the business is your baby, your pitch is especially essential to build a community of credibility and support.

Show sustainability.

Sustainability is continuous viability and longevity. It is key to obtaining funding from VCs and angel investors. It is also critcal in earning respect from industry professionals and gaining credibility among potential customers. There’s a difference between a flash-in-the-pan and an idea that inspires early adoption.

Customers and investors are savvy enough to know when a product has the potential for longevity. Everyone who will invest, purchase or support your company needs to know that you will be around for the long haul and you have a plan for how to do that successfully.

Know thy audience.

Tailor your pitch to your audience, whether it’s potential investors, a sea of customers, or a panel of judges. When speaking to investors, focus on the numbers, viability, and sustainability of the company. Let them know what’s in it for them—in the short term and in the long run.

If you are competing in a startup battle, presenting to a panel of judges, focus on your business as a whole. This will be the broadest pitch you give. Don’t leave out important details when you cast a wide net. If your investors are new to the industry, be sure that you speak in clear terms—don’t lose them in jargon and acronyms. Regardless of how well a panel understands your business, remember that you are in charge of the effectiveness of your pitch. No excuses.

Rehearse, a lot.

It may seem obvious, yet people often neglect proper practice. They may feel too much practice could make them seem stiff. While actually, the more you practice, the more relaxed, comfortable, knowledgeable, and “natural” you’ll be. This gives the impression of expertise. And, the better you know your stuff, the less likely you’ll be thrown off course by questions or derailed by nervousness.

The mere thought of public speaking makes many people nervous. The good news is that presentation skills can be honed, making the experience less worrisome. Practice is the secret to elevating your skills. Create and rehearse a variety of pitches so you can readily respond in different situations. From a one-minute elevator pitch to a thirty-minute talk, preparation and practice are the keys to communicating your message powerfully.

Show your stuff.

Give your audience a reason to remember you. Create a memorable phrase or give your audience hands-on time with your product (if possible) are a couple ways to be remembered. Consider what distinguishes you and what differentiates your product. Communicate that clearly and powerfully to ensure that, at the end of the pitch, your audience won’t stop thinking about your business.

Pitching your business starts with the proper wind up. It’s about the mechanics. It is like casting a fishing line with the appropriate bait into the hungry crowd and then waiting patiently for the bobber to dip with a fish on the hook.

Take all of the advice you have studied, ask for feedback, perfect your pitch, practice, and learn from every experience to improve with each and every presentation. Hone it and own it. And know that when you simply deliver your well crafted, well rehearsed elevator pitch, you have got the room interested in what you have to say.