Corrections or additions?

This article by Kathleen McGinn Spring was prepared for the

September 26, 2001 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights

reserved.

To Impress VCs Don’t Be Too Slick

You have a great product or service, an excellent

business

plan, and — thanks to your rich uncle’s huge infusion of cash

— a powerful marketing plan that has led to substantial sales.

But don’t think you can now walk up to the venture capitalists (VCs)

with your hand out.

In fact, that large amount of money spent on marketing may cause the

VCs to wonder if your sales really reflect the true value of the

product

or service. "Venture capitalists like to see sales," say the

organizers of the New Jersey Entrepreneurial Network’s meeting on

Wednesday, October 3, at the Doral Forrestal, "But they don’t

necessarily want to fund multi-million dollar marketing budgets. If

you want to attract the attention of outside investors, you must be

able to generate sales creatively and inexpensively."

The speaker at the October 3 meeting is Joe Allegra, co-founder

and CEO for 10 years of Princeton Softech and now a venture partner

with the Edison Venture Fund. His subject: "Guerrilla Marketing

Tactics that VCs Want to See." The meeting runs from noon to 3

p.m. Pre-register for $35 by Friday, September 28. Or pay $45 at the

door. Register at 609-279-0010 or E-mail rfrawley@sswhb.com

The October 3 meeting notice notes that guerrilla marketing can range

from honoring the discount coupons of competitors to getting free

editorial coverage of your business. It is "achieving conventional

goals with unconventional methods, such as investing energy instead

of money. It has been proven to work for small businesses because

the concept is simple to understand, easy to implement, and

inexpensive."

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