Sales: Perfect Elevator Pitch

A Hard Selling Elevator Pitch will have all Pertinent Information to Quickly Communicate Your Message to Your Potential Customers.

For those unfamiliar with an Elevator Pitch–it’s the thirty-seconds you have to convince an interested fellow passenger that your company does exactly what he or she needs and wants. Most people can’t do it in half an hour, because they don’t know what to include and just ramble on trying to tell everything.

Here are the elements that MUST be included to deliver a can’t-miss 30-second sales pitch

1.   Description of your company, product or service.

2.   What it does for your customer or client.

3.   Include the profile of your ideal customer.

4.   Information that convinces a client you understand them.

5.   Factors that make you better than your competition.

Once you have determined what your five points are, you can easily include them in a prepared “elevator pitch,” which can be used anywhere.

At SCORE we’re constantly asked to explain what we do, so here is a 30-second example I often use:

“SCORE is an Organization of successful entrepreneurs and executives–from every known industry–who volunteer to counsel and mentor businesses at no cost–from start-up thru to success. As a resource partner of the SBA, SCORE’s free counseling service includes business plans, financing availability and seminars that teach all aspects of business management.”

For those not familiar with SCORE, it easily sets up a dialogue which continues to include specifics on what we can do to help them reach the level of success every entrepreneur is looking for.

You can get an online workshop on attracting and retaining customers.

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Starting: Is Now a Good Time to Start?

Start a Small Business for Long-term Success. It’s Like a Good Marriage. Built on a Strong Foundation.

If you start your small business during a recession and handle it well–you will be ahead of the pack. 

You will have seized an opportunity and found a market niche that will become more and more profitable as the economy recovers. This is what makes a successful entrepreneur and a profitable business.

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Ask yourself if your product or service is viable in a good or bad economy. Just because there may be a market niche now doesn’t mean you can offer any product or service and it will sell long-term. A flawed idea never works in the long term. Start with a strong foundation.

You must do extensive market research. To find how, Ask SCORE online. Determine if your product or service is needed at all times, both good and bad, because these bad times shall pass and the economy will recover.

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Start Up: Starting a Business During a Downturn

On the Assumption You Have the Three Necessities for Going into a New Business:

• 1. You have experience, knowledge of the business and some management skills.
• 2. You like what you do and do it well. 
• 3. You have one objective make money.

Although many advise against starting a business during a recession, here’s how I see it,  the best time to do something is NOW.

Consider these positive points because of the poor economy and limited credit availability:

• Your Competitors are weakened – perhaps even going out of business – or retiring sooner. All are pulling back, possibly opening a hole for you to slip into with your niche.

• EVERYONE will negotiate – in the recession, because credit is tight, suppliers will give you good terms

• You can get things cheaper – you can find good sales on everything from office furniture to office supplies. Inexpensive office space is available – although a home office may still be the best idea.

Learn more about What to Do and How to Do it –Click here: Starting Your Business | SCORE

Send me some of your tips on why NOW  is a good time to start a business!

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Free Business School for Entrepreneurs

Anyone In or Starting a Company Can Get a Practical Business Education for Free at any of Hundreds of Campuses Around the Country.

 This free “University” has thousands of “Professors” who received graduate “degrees” while running their own business or working at a large company.  This free nationwide hands-on business school was started 45 years ago to help business owners become and remain profitable.

You can pick any of the 11,000 faculty members, with experience in your industry, who can guide you through the many stages of running a business. As well, seminars and workshops on all aspects of business are held at more than 400 “University” campuses in the U.S. Click Nearest Campus for the nearest campus.  http://www.score.org/findscore/index.html — and enter zip code. Find a business professor to advise via email – click -http://www.score.org/index.html.

This free School of Higher Learning is SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business”. Find the nearest location by going to   and putting in your zip code.  Write me for more about SCORE University and how to get your own “Graduate Degree”.

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Marketing: Web Site Building for Small Business

It’s time to market your business online. SCORE can help you with some quick tips from Network Solutions.

Check out this online presentation for simple steps to creating your small business Web site. When you think about getting started, make it simple. Think about your needs and what makes sense for your business.

Here are other web site building tips to help your online presence:

5 Tips for Domain Naming from SCORE.
Small Businesses Become Virtual Giants on The Internet
Ask SCORE online for advice.

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Check Out The Competition

Now is the time to pump up your sales by finding out what your competitors are doing – right and wrong – and then finding a way to do it better.

List your top five competitors and study their web sites to:

• See what product or service features are being stressed
• Get a list of their customers/clients
• Learn their approach to reach and convince their target audience
• Find their main selling points.

Then say “I’m better than my competition” and do the following:

• List the qualities – features — of your products or services
  List benefits to customers
• Determine what your customer REALLY wants and needs — do customer research to learn why they’re in the market to buy what you’re selling
• Then fill that need

For a FREE online workshop click on: Analyzing Your Competition

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Leadership: Earn Your MBA – Master of Business Acumen

College is almost beyond reach for our kids. But what about us? We want to learn more to help our business in this bad economy. Now, there is a FREE Business University for ALL small business owners – “SCORE University” – where you will receive your MBA (Master of Business Acumen). Everyone has access to over 10,000 “college professors” who have practical-experience graduate degrees in all business disciplines. (For a clearer definition of SCORE University write me at: alvinscore@aol.com.)

SCORE “professors”, who are business counselors, have an average of 40-years experience in their industries and are available to mentor any business owner (or start-up) in any industry. To find the right “professor” at a SCORE U campus near you, click on SCORE campus then enter your zip code and voila! A map will show you the office location and where you are. It will be easy to make an appointment to start your “business school classes.”

Or to find an on-line professor with whom you can discuss any and all your business concerns, visit Ask SCORE then ask your question and pick any SCORE U “professor” to start your free business masters class. There are 1,500 “professors” from which to choose. You can select by industry and/or find someone near you.

Whether you go to a SCORE location or find a “professor” on-line, you can pick and choose the best mentor for you. Each location has a variety of counselors and you have the opportunity to find the right one for you – all free. If you want to extend your college business education, enroll at SCORE University for a free “MBA” Master of Business Acumen and look forward to a more successful business.

 Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Leadership: Sharpen Your Business Tools

I just read about two lumberjacks competing over who could fell more trees. One worked continuously without stop for the entire day, while the other took breaks. At the end of the day the one who periodically stopped, had piled more lumber than the other. Amazed at the outcome, the diligent lumberman asked the other how he could cut so much more, when he took many rests during the day. “Oh, I wasn’t resting. I was sharpening my saw!”

Consider your business and the importance of sharpening your tools. It could be updating your marketing or selling techniques, or improving your products or services to meet customers’ changing needs, or learning new methods rather than doing the same “tried and true” that needs modernizing.

Free excellent business seminars are available online from SCORE. Click Business tools and sign up for a way to sharpen your business tools and make your business grow and thrive.

Tell me some of your tips for improving business.  Use the comment box below.

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Grow: Recognize the Opportunity & Grab It!

The phone call at our two-year-old publicity service company was inquiring if our film crew was available to shoot a news film of the Atlantic City Baby Parade. The honest answer should have been, “I think you called the wrong number, we don’t make films.” Instead, we said “Yes, let’s talk” and asked for more details about the project.

As a fledgling communications company we produced and distributed press material to reach all media in the proper format — but not film. Included was a TV service that placed six 8×10 still photos and script on live, women’s interest daytime TV shows. Here was an opportunity to convert a wrong number into a new service about which we knew very little, other than some companies did them.

When the price with our client was established, we hired a company to shoot, edit and distribute the publicity TV news film – and we all went on location with the client understanding that the film crew worked for us. It was so successful that two of us enrolled in film school.

We were a publicity company that now had a new and profitable product to offer. Over the years we produced 2,000 message films – all because of a wrong number and our ability to recognize an opportunity. Think very carefully before you tell a customer “No, we don’t do that”. You may be missing a great opportunity!

Use the comment box to tell me your ideas on how to recognize a good business opportunity.

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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Sales: Make that Sale – Especially Now!

Learn the Key to Sales Success

Remember that old advertising adage, “Sell the Sizzle Not the Steak.” Of course, it referred to getting the readers attention by making the promise of a memorable dining experience – rather than the availability of a well prepared meal to satisfy your hunger. Those marketing experts used the phrase as a metaphor in appealing to a customer’s perceived desire to get the most benefit from a product.

People don’t just buy products or services. They buy the benefits that fulfill their needs which are derived from the products.

The best sales people in the world understand human nature almost intuitively. Think of how much more you can sell if you see their needs or wants from THEIR perspective and not from yours. You must sell your product or service because that’s your business. They will only buy if it satisfies THEIR needs. So, once you ascertain what your customer’s real needs and wants are, you can adapt your sales approach to exactly fit what they want to buy.

Leave comments of some of your favorite sales ideas and they’ll be used in future posts.

Alvin Roselin, SCORE New York
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