People dealing with entrepreneurship are often perceived as self-confident and able to persuade people in whatever they want. However, most of them confess to dealing with tremendous anxiety related to pitching investors. It is no wonder you feel intimidated when you have to stand up and speak in front of a large group of potential investors and you are aware of the fact that your performance can either improve or ruin the entire company. Despair no more, experts from the other side of the table reveal their tips and tricks about what you should do when pitching. The very investors give out the dos and don’ts to everything from how to start your deck to how to make a good impression.
Chairman of The New York Angels Brian Cohen gives out his tips
The famous Brian Cohen who is chairman of the New York Angels says you should talk about your financial plan. He emphasizes that it is important to state your main revenue stream and express why the thing you are presenting is believed to be profitable and how you think you are going to make money through all that. If you are not sure how to reach your financial goals, you should better opt for professionals. Opt for experts at Pherrus Financial Services. What is more, you should talk about the market trends related to your product because investors like hearing something new and you will make an excellent impression by giving them this piece of information.
The hints from Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder
Reid Hoffman from LinkedIn suggests you should do a background research on investors you are going to pitch. You need to know what businesses they supported in the past and what they are generally interested in so you can alter your presentation to suit their needs. Sometimes, it is not all about the money. Investors can give you more than just financial means, as they ask numerous thought-provoking questions they can improve your products. Be ready to become a keen listener in order to promote your products. The basic rule is show, do not tell. You need to give your investors examples to support everything you say so be ready to have some quotes from your credible costumers. Do not avoid areas which are risky when it comes to your business, because the investor will see them anyway. When you show them that you have already identified potential concerns you will provoke confidence instead of doubt. Finish your presentation with the most important slide which will have a powerful message to stay in minds of investors for a long time.
Tips and tricks from Chance Barnett, CEO of Crowdfunder
Do a bit of networking and find someone credible and trustworthy who can get you introduced to the investors. Instead of presenting endless bullet points you should tell a story. Present a huge opportunity to do something and the way how your company will do it in order to dominate that market, then present your team and tell that you believe your product is viable and that you need the money for growth.
David Rose, serial entrepreneur reveals his secrets
David Rose believes it is vital to keep the angel pitches at 15 minutes length and VC meetings less than thirty minutes. He emphasizes that you should show your desire, passion and belief that your product will succeed no matter what. Make a handout with in-depth information on your company, but be aware of the fact that it should be different from the presentation. By all means you should not read out your speech or gaze into the screen. You are doing business with people, not computers so relate to them, make eye contact, be the master of your body language and you will be good to go.
Pitching does not have to be cause of your headache. Just follow simple tips from the people who invest money in projects such as yours and once you realize what they want, you will be ready to strike any deal in a matter of minutes.