Top 10 Tipse for Pitching

from Gust.com 17 Dec 13 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

Insider tips for “pitching” Investors and
ways to increase their chances of getting Funded.

1st Invest in your own company, to show you have some “skin in it”. That you passionately believe in what you are doing. You know your business better than anyone else, so you have to be willing to take that first “risk”. Otherwise, no one else will.

2nd Family & Friends are the next best option, because they’re investing in you, not your business. If you believe it and are passionate, they will believe in you.

3rd Bootstrap [Always, always, always !!!] to get going. Don’t try to raise a round of funding or borrow money without a “proven” product or service. Investors buy “proven” products. Dreamers have millions of un-proven ideas.

4th Money is a Marriage. If you are thinking about raising Capital & giving away a part of your company, think of this as getting into a marriage. Treat your Investor Relationships as if they’re your “intimate” Partner. Disclose everything to them so they can help you with any obstacle.

5th Briefing * of 1 page, to get straight to point – which is ready to send to potential Investors, as well as something even shorter. A great Email with one or two lines [like a Mission Statement] about your business is critical and will be an effective way to grab their attention.

6th Elevator Pitch’s goal is to get a meeting, so make it compelling. Practice it on everyone you meet, when they ask you: “What do you do? Upload a written summary or video of your elevator pitch to your Linked In & other Social Media profile. Startups with a video get more initial attention from Investors.

7th Pare your Pitch to different lengths. You’ll need to make Pitches for different scenarios, and certain lengths are better than others depending on the situation. Here are the different Pitches: Blurt – one sentence (about 10-15 seconds), Elevator Pitch – 30-90, Mini-Pitch – a quick 5-10 minutes, & full, Formal Pitch of 15-20 minute – for Angels & VCs.

8th It’s all about you !!! The presentation to Investors has to be given by the Entrepreneur or Founder – who originated the idea. You can’t have your partner, VP of Sales, or anyone else deliver it. It’s your baby. Most Investors bet on the Jockey, not the Horse.

9th To tell the Truth. There is no BS when talking to investors – the truth is the truth. Get to the important points straight away and communicate only the very topline aspects of your business. No one reads spreadsheets or deep details during presentations.

10th Revenue Driver is the most important number in your Financial Projections. It is the first thing investors will focus on, and they’ll ask themselves, “Do I believe this number? If they look at it and think it doesn’t make sense, all of your other financial assumptions will be in question. Show a good Cash Flow – that proves you can grow !!!

* Peter at Wiz4biz can help you with your Briefing & Executive Summary.

Comments: Is there any other thing you need to do for Pitching?