Tasks and resources for class May 12

Hello, everyone! These links will help you see how much you can learn by using the Internet and the library. Please follow up by contacting at least two of these organizations and send me a note about what you learned. We will discuss it in class next Monday night as we practice English.

I have contacted the Latino Chamber of Commerce, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, and the Boulder/Longmont Small Business Association seeking assistance, including mentors.

At 8:00 pm, Dan Benavidez, a Longmont leader, will join us to talk about his experience in the community as a businessperson and environmental activist. He founded an export-import business and is on the boards of EcoCycle and the Longmont Symphony. His sister is active in Longmont Sister Cities, a nonprofit that brings teens from a Japanese city and a Mexican city to Longmont and takes Longmont teens there to foster intercultural communication. Dan and Lee generously obtained the tickets to the mariachi event this Saturday night that were awarded in class.

Mary

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Boulder business license:
I Googled "Boulder business license" and found this site: www.ci.boulder.co.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=
view&id=3214&Itemid=1494

Colorado state regulations:
You will also find information at www.revenue.state.co.us/main/home.asp.

Have you been to the Boulder Chamber of Commerce office yet on Folsom? It would probably be a good idea for you to look into their business training program (contact Sharon King at sharon@boulderchamber.com), and also stop by and pick up any information they have for those interested in opening a business in Boulder.
www.boulderchamber.com.

You can also find business data at:

www.longmontchamber.org
www.longmontsba.org
www.infolongmont.com/business/bresources.html

You will find contact information for city, state and federal business-related offices at:
www.infolongmont.com/business/bresources.html#Important

Longmont Economic Gardening Initiative: Any business in Longmont is eligible to participate through a combination of peer counseling, access to research data, data analysis, market analysis, plus competitive and industry intelligence. The initial interview, counseling, research data, and data analysis are free. (Keep trying if you don't get a call back.)
www.ci.longmont.co.us/legi/

Here is a list of businesses that are members of the Latino Chamber of Commerce. Call someone who has the kind of business you are interested in and ask them about it. You might find a mentor!
www.latinochamberbc.org/adm/adming/
listamiembros.php

Here are some more sites found by Googling "export import business":

www.importexporthelp.com/
(see links at bottom of page)

www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/businessideas/
startupkits/article41846.html

Export-Import Bank of the U.S.
www.exim.gov/

The Boulder Public Library has books on the subject:
http://nell.boulder.lib.co.us/search/X?SEARCH=export+import+
business&SORT=D&searchscope=11

Find books on starting a business at the Longmont Public Library. You can Google "Longmont Public Library" and search the catalog for "start a business":
http://library.ci.longmont.co.us

The Boulder County Business Report is an excellent source of information, at the library or online:
www.bcbr.com/

Also see the Boulder Economic Council site at www.boulderbusiness.org/

I Googled "popcorn business" and found several sites, including one about a business plan at www.smallbusinesspoint.com/sbppopcorn.aspx

I found an interview about Doc Popcorn at www.newwest.net/topic/article/an_interview_with_a_colorado_
popcorn_maven/C65/L36/

www.docpopcorn.com/ (franchise opportunities available)

I hope this gives you more to move forward. You really contribute a lot to the class.

Thanks!

Mary

Write and Practice Your Pitch

At www.dictionary.com, you will find 27 meanings for the word “pitch.” You’re probably most familiar with the way it’s used in baseball, “to throw, fling, hurl or toss” an object.

When we talk about “the pitch” in business, we mean what you say about what you can do for a customer or a client when you want “to sell or win approval for something or someone by advertising, promotion, etc.” It’s “a line of talk designed to persuade.”

You may use your pitch wherever it is appropriate to talk business—perhaps in an elevator, standing in line at the bank, at a meeting of a business group, waiting at your child’s school with other parents, or even “cold-calling” or stopping by to talk with the manager of a business who could use your help.

“Customer” is usually used to describe someone who buys a product or service that is the same for nearly every purchaser. Shoppers, diners and users of dry cleaning services, for example, are customers. Target has lots of customers. The company hires market researchers to study what they want to buy according to their ages and locations.

“Client” is sometimes just a fancy way of saying “customer.” But there is a difference: it usually describes those who receive personalized services from lawyers, accountants, hairdressers, real estate salespeople, caterers, wedding planners, contractors, architects, consultants and anyone who has a small business that tailors a product or service to individuals.

If you own a small business, you must identify and understand the needs of each client. You can learn about your client’s type of business by reading about it, but you must also conduct careful interviews, listen well to your client and take notes.

Whether you have customers or clients, continually improve your service to fully satisfy their particular desires--or someone else will.

But first, you must get their attention.

To do that, you need to have a pitch.

On this page, you will find out how to pitch your services or products in a way that will quickly tell anyone who you are, what you have to offer and how to reach you.

Writing your pitch helps you clarify your goal. Two other definitions of pitch are “a specific plan of action” and “to begin to work in earnest and vigorously” (as in “pitch in and get the job done”). Answer these questions in your pitch:

• Who are you?
• What have you got that people want to buy?
• Why are you better than the competition?
• How does your listener get in touch with you?

Branding: Having a pitch reinforces the image of your business. Use it on the back of your business card, on a flyer, in an ad, when you meet people and in many creative ways. Use it on the phone and in a job interview. Say it to your mirror.

So how do you do it? Here is a sample format for your pitch:

• “Hi! I’m Maria Martinez.”

• “I’m an expert in eco-friendly cleaning services for homes and businesses. I’ve been doing this for four years and have many delighted clients.”

• “We can help you find economical solutions to keep your premises in a condition that adds value by making you and your visitors glad to walk in your door. And because we want you to know that reliability and satisfaction are guaranteed, we are bonded and insured.”

• “Here’s my card with a coupon on the back. I will give you a free on-site analysis of how to make your property sparkle. Please give me a call or send me an e-mail 24/7 and I’ll get right back to you. We are the best when it comes to cleaning your environment responsibly.”

Remember: Most people make up their minds about you in a very short time, so PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Time yourself.

Ask people for feedback. Keep notes on the reactions of your listeners and which ones hire you and why.

Leave your pitch on your voice-mail and listen to it critically. Over and over again.

Don’t worry about making mistakes—just keep improving!

Caution: If you’re attending a social event, giving your pitch might be considered rude. Nevertheless, in the U.S., as soon as people know your name they often ask, “What do you do?” So you need a short, memorable pitch that is no more than 15-30 seconds.

Create an opportunity to let people know what you do at a social event by first asking them what they do. They will probably then ask you what you do. Keep it short. Use all your senses to read their body language to know if you’ve gone too far in talking about yourself and, if so, quickly change the subject. It’s a balancing act—you don’t want to miss a chance to help someone if you can do so inoffensively.

THE IDEAL SOLUTION

Isn’t this what you want your customers or clients to think of your service?

Welcome to the Spring 2008 ESL Pro Class!

The mission of ESL for Professional Life is to help U.S. immigrants improve their English skills, advance in their careers, make friends and contribute to the life of the community. In doing so, they will naturally share with others what is wonderful about their own native cultures and languages and enhance appreciation for the diversity of this nation. As individuals who are working toward bettering their lives through innovation and entrepreneurship, they are the essence of the American dream.

The dynamic content of ESL Pro arises from the lives of students. Materials, exercises and assignments are co-developed and updated with volunteers and students throughout the course of the program to meet participants’ stated goals.

ESL Pro values the unique contributions of each individual's native language and culture and seeks to enrich each student's life through the mutual sharing of experiences. Students are expected to be proactive in helping each other to progress, in modeling self-directed and lifelong learning, and in sharing their skills by volunteering in the community.

The program, based in Longmont, Colorado, is offered for entrepreneurs in 2007 and 2008 through Intercambio de Comunidades with the support of Micro Business Development.

www.intercambioweb.org
www.microbusiness.org

All materials are copyrighted by Mary Golden or the source cited. For further information, email tesolgold@yahoo.com.