business plan presentation

business plan presentation

The Power of a Persuasive Business Plan Presentation

1. Introduction

The number of financial advisors is increasing at a rate faster than the average population growth. This is forcing financial advisors to spend more time and money getting a new client. As a result, effective marketing is becoming more crucial to the financial advisor’s practice. The most effective way to reach a new client today is over the internet. Over the past five years, the internet has grown in popularity and so has the complexity of marketing an advisor’s services. A Genuity survey revealed that over the next three years, high net-worth investors expect to switch from using the phone as the primary approach with their advisor to using the internet. This means that advisors must be prepared to market themselves and their services on the web to acquire these internet-savvy clients. This white paper will discuss why internet marketing is vital to a financial advisor’s growth, how consumers are utilizing the web today to research financial information, and the step-by-step process for creating an internet marketing campaign. The most effective way to reach a new client today is over the internet. Over the past five years, the internet has grown in popularity and so has the complexity of marketing an advisor’s services. A Genuity survey revealed that over the next three years, high net worth investors expect to switch from using the phone as the primary approach with their advisor to using the internet. This means that advisors must be prepared to market themselves and their services on the web to acquire these internet-savvy clients. This white paper will discuss why internet marketing is vital to a financial advisor’s growth, how consumers are utilizing the web today to research financial information, and the step-by-step process for creating an internet marketing campaign.

2. Crafting a Compelling Executive Summary

The task is to distill down the essence of your entire business into a short document. It must be a compelling and attractive document that is outstanding enough to grab the attention of the reader. You are compelled to grab enable him/her understand the business, get excited about it and feel invested. This should not be an outline for the business plan, but rather a sales document. It must be ambitious and interesting. This is usually the situation that it could be the only part of the business plan that possibly a lot of potential investors will read. To achieve this goal, the executive summary is written after all the other components of the business plan have been prepared. This enable the author to have a clear understanding of what he/she is trying to present. A typical executive summary could be in the word limit 2 pages, but must encapsulate all the main points of the plan. This is the summary’s first chance to grab the reader’s attention. The first sentence which is the to be the “tag line” must be strong and sum up the rest of the summary. A typical first sentence might be “Company X in an emerging company that with strive to do whatever it takes to build _________”. This is the creator’s only chance to hold the reader. If the summary cannot capture the reader’s attention then the plan will not be considered a worthy read.

3. Presenting Your Business Model and Value Proposition

· Model of value: Most investors give you the opportunity to lead your presentation with a brief overview of your business model. When determining whether or not to meet with you, many will be trying to assess the basic mechanics of your business, how it operates and how you will be using their investment funds. In these circumstances a well-prepared visual presentation can really earn you some credibility with the investor. Designed properly, it is also a great opportunity for you to concisely explain your business model to your market, until an investor, regardless of funding, is obviously looking for a return on the investment. A good model will convey your approach or method of providing a product or service to your customers. There are many different typologies of business models to choose from. A simple Google search will provide you with many; to simplify things here you might define a technology-focused business model vs. a bricks and mortar business. E.g. Skype vs. typical Beautician. Next you might want to do a compare and contrast with how you model is different from any competitors and then explain how you will it be improved in the future. Note that a generic business model will suffice for many smaller businesses as the main aim here is to get a concept across. A business model canvas is a great tool for laying this out.

4. Demonstrating Financial Projections and Return on Investment

Showing that your business can achieve sustainability and profitability is crucial for any investor. Every investor wants to see how they can make returns on their investment, and why they should pick your business over the thousands of other businesses seeking their investment. The easiest way to do this is to paint a very clear and realistic financial picture for the investor to understand and follow. Going into this level of detail with the investor also shows that you have fully thought out and considered your business proposal, which will translate a sense of confidence in your business. Confidence sells. Confidence also means that investors minimize their risk, so they are more likely to invest if they are fully confident that you have a clear plan. Fully confident investors mean a higher chance of securing investment and an increased investment amount at a lower cost of equity. Step five is all about teaching you how to the right and wrong thing about your business to an investor in the most effective manner possible. We will be going through the key areas that you should focus on and really drive home to the investor and what you may want to steer clear from or just give brief details. Finally we will end with common pitfalls that you should avoid.

5. Closing with a Strong Call to Action

A “strong call to action,” or CTA, is one which determines what the next steps are at the end of a presentation. This may continue the action the audience has already taken (such as R&D into the company and a sharing of potential interests), or introduce a new one entirely. It must be remembered that the CTA needs to lead to conversions and sales, so should not simply say “we’ll keep in touch,” but instead organize a future meeting or make plans for further discussion. A good CTA will create a sense of urgency and relate to the audience on a personal level. It should also be realistically achievable to the timeframe required. To develop a CTA, a presenter needs a concrete understanding of what their initial goal or objective is. They should be decisive and confident; are they asking a customer to buy something outright, or trying to build brand loyalty and recognition? It is also useful to list the benefits of products/services and outcomes of the deal. This provides the audience with a clear image of what they are getting into and makes a CTA that much more enticing. Choosing which technique to employ depends on the specificity of the sale, and what format the CTA will take (such as a sales pitch or a video).