Top 10 Hints for Your Next Pitch

I have been doing the judge/investor thing at more and more pitches lately, and I thought I would share my top 10 hints for your next pitch. But before that, my top 1 hint for a successful pitch:

• Hint 1: It's not about you It's about a business the investors might like to invest in. While personal stories that demonstrate your commitment and drive toward the success of the business can be inspiring, it's hard to be genuine about your emotions after the 50th time you say it.
• Hint 2: Don't get defensive Just answer the questions and don't be offended by them. If you think the investor is attacking you and respond by fight (or flight or faint), you are mistaking the intent of the investor and demonstrating your lack of maturity and thoughtfulness.
• Hint 3: Don't argue with the investors If you don't agree with them, don't turn it into a back and forth. Consider that they might be right, or that your explanation might not have been convincing. Provide more information or back off and move on. Try "I'd be happy to discuss this with you after the event, or during a break." Try to take it offline.
• Hint 4: Don't befuddle them with BS Honest simple answers work. BS is readily detectable by many investors. It's better to be an expert in your field, or to simply say you will look into it and be happy to get back to them. Then do it, or what you just said will be considered more BS. Included with this is "DUABDT". Which I just made up for "Don't Use Abbreviations Before Defining Them". And if you can avoid it, don't use them at all.
• Hint 5: Relax, you are a professional Your profession is as a CEO of your company. Act like it. "Don't be nervous, don't be flustered, don't be scared... be prepared." (from the song "Be Prepared" by Tom Lehrer)
• Hint 6: Make it interesting If the investor is bored they won't hear you. Your enthusiasm and the compelling nature of your presentation should shine through and engage the audience you want to engage. Things that make it LESS interesting (and that you should not do) include playing a video during your pitch, doing a demonstration during your pitch, trying to be engaging by asking investors questions and expecting (or worse yet waiting for) answers.
• Hint 7: Get to the point They should be interested or not in 10 seconds. That means you need to say the most important thing first and say it in less than 10 words. Then you have to show why it makes business sense with the rest of your time. "At Angel to Exit, We Help Grow Companies" - get it? The rest of your pitch should also get to the point in a similarly direct and understandable fashion.
• Hint 8: Do your homework Everything you say should be backed up with facts and references. If they ask, you should give them the references. If they are claims likely to not be believed, like huge addressable markets, you should reference them on the slide and probably in your talk.
• Hint 9: Practice practice practice Everything you say should roll off your tongue as if you were born saying it. It is common to pitch a company hundreds of times before getting funding. So be ready to say the same thing hundreds of times, and of course, make improvements along the way. But better yet, make most of the improvements before you pitch to real investors even once.
• Hint 10: Hit your marks You should start when they say GO and end on time for the slot you have been given. Taking extra time does not win you more attention by the investors, it earns you impoliteness points and likely they will turn you off before you get to the end..

The list goes on, but this article does not...

Conclusions

Pitching is opening a sale to investors, not closing it. Make it really good and really count and don't make the mistakes I have identified here.

More information?

Join our monthly free advisory call, usually at 0900 Pacific time on the 1st Thursday of the month, to give your first 10 seconds of a pitch and then see if we want to know more.

In summary

Top ten lists are one of the things people actually seem to want to read. But don't ignore the other to 100 things you need to do well to pitch well. But more than that, have a good company to pitch, or you are wasting your time and ours.