Getting Business Grants - First Impressions Count

Many people planning on opening a business, mistakenly believe that

, if they are eligible for business grants they will get one. All they have to do is apply. Nothing could be further from the truth. In addition to eligibility criteria, every government program, I know of, has a set of assessment criteria, used to determine whether a proposal is suitable for funding. These criteria are seldom communicated to applicants because they simply dont ask. Lets face it. If you know what your proposal will be assessed against before you apply, you stand a much better chance of getting approved.

So how should one go about getting the required information? You begin by making an appointment to visit the local office of the department or agency you are applying to. I can not over emphasize the importance of this step. Nothing can replace the effectiveness of personal contact in this situation. If this is not possible, phone. Never do a blind submission. When your proposal lands on someones, desk they should be familiar with it and have been expecting it. Otherwise you are asking too much from your proposal. Let me explain.

Any business funding proposal is designed to do two things, inform the reader and provide a rational as to why you should receive funding. The best business plans in the world are nothing more than words on paper. Thats OK for providing information but you should never rely solely on them to provide the funding rational. Most economic development officers decide early in the game, whether or not they like your proposal. Call it their predisposition. If they are positively predisposed, you are merely asking your business plan to reinforce their first impression. If they are negatively predisposed then you are asking your proposal to convince them to provide you with funding. It is much more difficult to convince someone than it is to reinforce his or her initial inclination. The problem with blind submissions is that you dont know what the officers predisposition is and therefore what you are asking your proposal to do, reinforce or convince?

By visiting the office you not only get the assessment criteria but you get a feel for the officers initial impression and you have a tremendous opportunity to positively influence it. They get to hear about your proposal and they see how excited and determined you are about the proposed venture. Remember they are assessing you and your idea so you want them to meet you, and if possible, like you.

Once you have determined what business grants and other business funding programs you are eligible for (subscribe to the Business Guide to do that) you make your initial contact and created a good first impression. Next you need to find out what criteria your proposal will be assessed against. I'll cover that in my next article.

by: Sharon Monahan

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