Do Business Well

Types of Media

1. Direct mail. Direct mail can be very effective, though you’ll be fighting hard for attention in a medium that is saturated with highly sophisticated competition. What follows are some general rules for reaching a list of known customers, whether business to business or consumer:

A. Start with the envelope. Print something intriguing on the outside that will make your target curious about the contents. One mass mailer who sends our company at least two or three mailings per week puts “personal and confidential” on the envelope. It’s amazing, but folks are actually more likely to open that envelope first. Continue Reading »

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Now that you’ve determined whom you want to addressyour business plan to, you need to consider what—and howmuch—that audience really wants to hear. Fred Gibbons of Software Publishing Corp. says that he intentionally kept his business plan to a maximum of ten pages because he knew that venture capitalists appreciate conciseness and brevity. And, indeed, he received compliments (not to mention offers of financing) from each of the three venture capital firms he presented the plan to. He was also able to show the same plan to potential suppliers and key employees because, in addition to being easy to read, it emphasized the company’s plans for aggressive sales and marketing that would lead to substantial but controlled growth. Continue Reading »

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