09/06/2017
"13 Tips on How to Deliver a Pitch Investors Simply
Can't Turn Down" (Part 2)
__Be laser-focused.
Many of you asked me this week to say a bit more
about "pitching," including what the word really means.
For an entrepreneur, a "pitch" is what you say and
present to potential investors to market yourself, your
idea and your business concept -- not just to inspire
them to invest, but to rush to be first in the queue!
Like I said before, our great reality shows on Kwesé
Inc are now the best place for African entrepreneurs to
see and hear from the best of the best in the world on
this topic... and also watch people who "fail" to get
investment (which is the majority). You can learn a lot
from them, too!
Today though, in response to your requests, let me
share the first of three parts of an excellent article
from Entrepreneur magazine, written by Neil Patel, a
young entrepreneur who gave me permission to
republish it (remember the importance of intellectual
property). It's called: "13 Tips on How to Deliver a
Pitch Investors Simply Can't Turn Down." Today I'll
share #1 thru #4.
I urge you to study and discuss each of these tips with
your friends. You can also use them to assess the
pitches and business approaches made by others on
Kwesé Inc shows like Shark Tank, Adventure Capitalist
and The Profit, because it will help you understand
what it takes to secure funding from investors, when
you get your chance. It's important not to treat such
shows as mere entertainment because they're there to
help you sharpen your skills!
Neil Patel's "13 Tips" are excellent, and I will republish
them all. But let me give you the most important tip of
all: Securing funding from investors who require you to
make a pitch, is won or lost long before you arrive to
make your pitch!
__It's going to be decided by the PREPARATIONS you
make in the months and weeks leading up to that
pitch.
In his article, Neil writes:
"Your pitch is the single thing that could either get
your business off the ground or plunge your idea into
eternal oblivion. It matters.
The rule of thumb for investors is that for every 100
investments they make, only 10 will go big.
Let me take that rule of thumb a step further. For
every 1,000 pitches an investor hears, he or she will
fund only 100 of them. Statistically, the odds for
success are not great. You can beat the statistics,
however, by crafting a pitch that turns heads and gets
funded.
What are the ingredients of an ultra-compelling,
irresistible, outstanding, and unforgettable pitch?
1. Take only ten minutes.
Timing is critical. The less time your pitch takes, the
better.
A brilliant idea means nothing unless you can distill it
to a few moments of sheer power. The more concise
you can be, the more effective you will be. Here are a
few timing pointers:
# If you say that you’ll take “only X minutes,” then take
at least one minute less.
# If you are told, “You only have X minutes to pitch,”
then take at least five minutes less.
# If you say, “One last thing” or something similar, then
make sure it’s truly the
one last thing.
# Move at a good pace. Don’t rush at the end.
# If you’re using slides, don’t get stuck on one slide for
more than three minutes.
Here’s the great thing about taking ten minutes. If the
investors are really interested, they’ll ask questions. If
they’re not interested, then you will have saved them
(and yourself) some time.
2. Turn your pitch into a story.
Storytelling is a scientifically-proven way to capture a
listener’s attention and hold it. Besides, it makes your
pitch unforgettable.
Investors are bored with spreadsheets, valuations and
numbers. If they want that information, they can get it.
What you can offer that no term sheet can convey is
the story and pathos behind your startup. Everyone
loves a good story, even the most data-driven investor.
So, tell your story and tell it right. You're bound to gain
attention, and the funding will follow.
3. Be laser-focused.
Investors' time is their most valuable asset. If you
convey a respect for their time, they will interpret that
respect as your ability to treat their funding with
respect.
Because time is important, you need to develop an
absolute focus on the core components of your pitch.
What are those core components? They're detailed in
the following tips.
4. Explain EXACTLY what your product or service is.
Show your potential investors a picture of, or give them
the actual product to handle.
Be careful not to drone endlessly on about your
product. Honestly, investors don’t really care about
your product as much as they care about the money
that your product will make. The sooner you get to the
good stuff -- the money -- the better. . ."
To be continued. . .
Image credit: Nature Picture Library. African fish eagle,
Chobe River, Botswana.Copied