her. If at all possible, dont mail copies of your business plan, or summaries of your plan, to people before you meet. Your presentation loses a great deal without your personality and enthusiasm. 1     1.Its a good idea to number each copy of your plan and keep track of who gets which plan. That way you can remember to follow up with everybody. Also, if youre selling stock in a private offering (see Section D2, below), you need to keep track of who gets the plans.     6. Follow Up     After a week or ten days, telephone all of your potential backers and ask if they have any questions. If they do, you can answer them on the telephone or make an appointment to meet. Remember to ask for the money you need. B. How to Approach Different Backers     Chances are you have long since decided whom to approach first for a loan or investment. For example, you might decide to first approach your father, then the Bank of Newcastle, then the Small Business Administration. If you havent decided yet, review Chapter 4 and develop a list of priorities now. Here are some ways you might approach specific types of backers.     1. Friends and Relatives     The first rule of borrowing money from people close to you is that you want to be very sure they can afford to lend it to you and that you will be able to pay it back. Everyone who works with small business financing can tell horror stories about business owners who had to deal with both the failure of their enterprise and a bunch of angry relatives. Put simply, its no fun.     If you want to ask a relative or friend for a loan, much of your approach depends on the people involved and your relationship to them. We cant tell you much about either of these areas, but here are some general suggestions:     Approach your friends in a respectful and organized way. Dont spring your request on anyone in a social context.     Dont assume your relatives and friends know all your plans and accomplishments, even though they know you well. Make your presentation just as professional as for your banker, even if its less formal.     Tailor your presentation to your audience. For example, if you stop by your brothers place early Saturday morning wearing your banker meeting best, he will probably laugh you out of the kitchen. But bear in mind that your brother will be as interested as a banker in seeing your well-thought-out business plan.     Above all, give the person youre talking to a graceful way not to lend or invest. Remember, this is a business proposition, not proof of someones feelings for you. Once everyone is assured an easy exit if they dont have the money or desire to invest, you may find they will be relaxed enough to give you a fair hearing.