Bruce Freeman's 'Small Business Professor'

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Bruce Freeman, the Small Business Professor, answers a new small business question every week. This week's column is about communicating effectively to attract customers, and the importance of the elevator speech. That one minute you have to get someone's attention and peak their interest in your business.

The column is distributed today through the Scripps Howard News Service to 400 newspapers across the country, including the Palm Beach Post, the Syracuse Post-Standard and more.

According to communications consultant and coach Lauree Ostrofsky, "what you say will either turn people onto your business, turn people off or, worse, leave no impression at all. The key is to have a clear idea about what needs to be said immediately and what can be said later, once you have their attention."