Get RIGHT to the POINT
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When you are in a position where you carry a lot of responsibility and you are having an opportunity to listen to other up and coming hopefuls, it is always good to be supportive and give guidance where necessary. However, there is one thing I often notice that I have to say does tire me out and frustrate me, and that is the amount of people who given the chance to talk to someone to get feedback on their idea, simply can’t get to the point of what they are planning to do. This one skill will ultimately kill not only their idea but also any potential investor.
Here are some reasons why people can’t get to the point:
1. They lose confidence in their idea and start rambling
2. They have no actual idea/point to make so are just making things up as they go along
3. They think going around in circles is somehow how you sell an idea to someone
4. They are in awe of the situation they are in and lose focus
5. They have spent too long thinking about their idea and not executing it so feel they have all the time in the world
Being able to get to the point of what your idea is about tells the investor many things:
- You are a no-nonsense person
- You have a clear idea of what you are doing
- You are going to manage in the way
- You are someone who likes to get things done and accurately
- You clearly have confidence in yourself and your idea
The benefits of not wasting time waffling are huge. No customer is going to sit there waiting for the salesman to get to the product. He has to be pretty entertaining to keep the audience interested.
Learning how to get to the point of something is the key to getting started. Practice on yourself by asking yourself these questions and see if you can answer them in less than 15 words each:
1. What is the product/service?
2. What does it do?
3. Where can you buy it?
4. When will it be on sale?
5. Who is the company owner?
6. Why is it better than any of its competitors?
If you can say all the answers clearly in short sentences you are off to a great start. If you have any ‘but’s in the sentence, time to rethink your answer.