Definitive Business Plan, Second Edition, The

Preparing for the meeting

Usually your first meeting is a round-table discussion, a general chat. You are more likely to make a formal presentation at internal corporate reviews. Sometimes this is requested at second or third meetings with external sources of funding – but I have seen or made formal presentations at probably only 1 in 100 outside business-plan meetings.

Nevertheless, it is important to be ready to give a formal or semi-formal presentation of the plan. Whether or not you expect to make a presentation, it is a good idea to prepare enough slides or handouts to take you through the key points. Again, the key is remembering what the audience wants to hear and telling it to them.

Try to find out who will be at the meeting and how they ...