Perfect Pitch
Power Through your Investor Presentation
Isn’t it every entrepreneur’s dream to attract investors? It seems like a challenge if you haven’t done it before. Starting in the right place is essential. Investor pitches happen in the boardroom, at investor conferences, and even across the table at the coffee shop. The setting doesn’t matter as much as knowing what to expect and being prepared.
Start by making a great first impression.
You may not walk away with a check the first time around. Your pitch is a sure way to build credibility and establish trust. You never know who is in your audience or why they’re there.
Keep your pitch to 10 minutes. It’s enough time to press your case. Not everyone in the audience will pay attention to each and every word. Expect some to drop off quickly. Keep your pace. Pitch to everyone as if they are on board.
Detailed, densely populated PowerPoint slides will push away your audience. First of all, it is too much to read for understanding. Secondly, why does the audience need you if they can just read your slide instead? Slides are pepper. There to reinforce your point, not be the point. You want the investor to listen to you and maybe even start to like you.
Know your presentation backward and forwards. Why? You will be thrown off track by questions and requests for more detail. You prepared your pitch to flow. Answering questions can get you off track. Go right back to the next prepared point. Keep going. The better you know your pitch, the more you will be able to move your points around and still make sense.
Your goal is to make sure investors understand the crux of your presentation. Know your pitch like the back of your hand. Practice! Practice! Practice!
Understand that conferences are full of investors with no interest in what you have to say or have no intention of investing in any opportunity. It’s not you, and it’s not your presentation. There are too many reasons for this. Don’t take it personally.
Nothing you say will be kept confidential. Be careful about disclosing details. You may be sorry later. Keep proprietary information guarded.
Don’t expect everyone to sign an NDA.
First, they don’t want to be held liable for talking about you or your deal. Second, they don’t want to be responsible if someone else talks about you.
The fact that you are an expert in your field is enough to open doors. The meeting is a golden opportunity to build relationships you may not otherwise have. Making a good impression with an investor expands your network. Time and effort well spent.
Investors should leave with a copy of your deck and your business card. Your contact information should appear in the footer of every slide. This eliminates the need for you to track down folks in your audience. When they have your contact information, it is a cinch for them to follow up based on their interest.
Preparation will make or break you. It’s true, the more prepared you are, the luckier you will be. Cool, calm, and collected is a sign of confidence. When you are confident, you build trust. People sense this just as they can see when a presenter is nervous and not sure of what they are saying.
Work on your presentation skills. Use video to see what you look like when you present. Do you look nervous? How are your facial expressions? Are they helping you or hurting you? Watch yourself. You will see what your audience sees. Rehearsing in a safe environment lets you make needed adjustments. It may be uncomfortable to see yourself and hear your own voice. It will build a confident you.
You may have a great idea and the talent to pull it off. Putting together the perfect pitch takes time, effort, and practice. Make your plan. Be bold when facing your audience. You will grow, and your company may well too.
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Douglas Pilarski is an award-winning writer & journalist based on the west coast. He writes about luxury goods, exotic cars, horology, tech, food, lifestyle, and workplace issues!
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