How To Crash and Burn Your Funding Pitch

"It's ok, I've done this many times before"

In the first-ever funding event I ran, three out of four companies presenters/CEO's told me this. I took them at their word and then witnessed a car crash of an event opportunity for all of them. Those three presentations sat at different places in the sliding scale of mediocrity, one nosediving into the jaw-droppingly bad zone.

After the event, I contacted each of the investors present to ask them what stood out in the evening, both good and bad

Of the forty investors who responded, not one of them had a good word to say about any of the three CEO's who presented their opportunities, who thought that the need for some coaching was completely unnecessary. This article will highlight the biggest disappointments of that evening as well as few others. It is also the reason that I started running a pitch workshop.

1. Missing The Point

There is only one point of a pitch versus a presentation: To get investors interested enough to continue the conversation. If that happens, they will let you know when it's time to go into the detail. Like a movie trailer, you need only the best bits to them in it.

Most investors I know invest in people first and their business second. You may have a fabulous business but if you come across as unprepared, boring or arrogant (which often surfs a fine line with confident), this will almost always see funding doors close very quickly. A bit of humility can go a long way when positioning yourself or your business.

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression

Investment can be time-intensive for some investors and they are not likely to hand their money over to anyone that they do not like, or who refuses to acknowledge the gaps in the business. By acknowledging that you know where the weaknesses are and have a plan to address this, you are far more likely to get a favourable response than trying to blag your way around it. Good preparation is everything.

2. Pitch Fatigue

The first few pitches may well be filled full of energy, personality and optimism but a few unsuccessful pitches later you may not feel the same way. Taking regular rejection and remaining positive is an almost impossible task to most. Fifty pitches later even the most charismatic CEO can start to sound a bit jaded and battle-weary. The decline happens slowly and without coaching or feedback, it can happen unexpectedly over time.

If you are not feeling excitement talking about your opportunity, you probably shouldn't be pitching it!

3. Tech Dependence

I have watched more people than I can remember go to make a pitch and lose their notes/powerpoint/presentation/tech just before they start...and stand there looking lost in the headlights. There are many things that can happen that could knock your pitch off track and it is your duty to mitigate this risk as much as possible.

Knowing your pitch without any notes or visual aids is a must. Do this and you massively reduce the list of things that could go wrong.

4. Your mouth is saying one thing, but your body says another

Body language is critical during a pitch. So often it gives people away. You do not need to have a degree in advanced psychology to sense that someone's body is not congruent with their message. There is way too much on this subject to go into too much detail, but the big mistakes here include nervous swaying, stepping backwards as you answer key questions, awkward hand movements or hands hidden.

Look at your pitch as a journey to the final of a big competition. Run it by friends, family, children, speaking groups, coaches or whomever you can find who will listen and give you honest feedback. Investor friends are very good friends to have at times like this! Your real pitch should be one sentence that gets people interested enough to start asking questions. If your one sentence doesn't work every time: change it!

5. Passion: the often glaringly missing ingredient

If you do not feel passion as you pitch, the odds are that you have missed the mark. Public speaking is an art that needs to be practiced. Individual emotional responses affect all of us differently, which is why there is no substitute for continuous testing and feedback. Speaking as you would to a good friend is a good goal to set yourself.

A bit of energy can go a long way. Are you presenting from your head, or flowing from your heart? Because there are a lot of great businesses out there looking for funding. So what are you prepared to do to make yours stand out? One thing is for certain: doing the same as everyone else is unlikely to help you.

If you would like to improve your pitch, you are welcome as my guest to join me and do so. It will almost certainly not happen overnight, but you never know!

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