It's All About The Pitch

You’ve noticed a problem, and created your company to offer a solution. Great. Now it’s time to get funding and get noticed above the other companies offering their own solution to the same issue you’re addressing.

?Talking about your brand and sharing your passion is a great way to get investors interested, but what comes next will really seal the deal — the pitch.

?Your pitch can’t be improvised. It can’t feel like anything less than the most professional presentation of your company, your goals, and what you can accomplish with the support of proper funding.

To really nail it, you need a pitch deck. This tool keeps you on track during your pitch. It ensures your messaging is on point and engaging. Most important though, with a strong pitch deck to guide you, your audience will come away with a clear understanding of your value proposition.

?I’m serious when I say, it’s all about the pitch.

?The goal of a pitch

?No matter who you’re talking to, whether they’re thinking of investing millions or just thousands into your company, the pitch should always be the same. It’s there to share your business idea quickly and succinctly, leaving investors ready to invest.

?A pitch deck is what helps you bring things home without overloading your audience with too much information. It enables you to present your business, your goals, and your strengths in an attractive and dynamic way, which can increase impact.

?If an investor is seeing three pitches in a single day, but you present the best deck, the one that they remember most, you may be the one getting that investment capital.

?What a pitch deck covers

?A strong pitch deck will persuade investors to invest in a concise way that still includes all the necessary information about your idea, team, and growth opportunities. You need to address the problem you’re trying to solve and how you’ll go about doing it while also demonstrating why the market needs your solution and why there’s profit in your idea.

?Remember, your pitch (and the pitch deck) are often the first impression of your business an investor will get. Keep it positive and powerful and don’t shy away from trying to build an emotional connection to your brand.

?Specific slides to include in your pitch deck can vary, but some key areas to cover are:

???Company overview

???Why the market needs your company

???Company values

???Goals — both immediate and in the future

???Product standouts — why you’re different from the competition

???Your team — their expertise is going to make this all happen

???Marketing strategies

???Key financials

???Use of funds and who your existing investors are

?The more specific you can get the better, and the more enthusiasm you can show for your idea and where it could be headed, the more powerful your presentation will be.

?How to keep it concise

?I get it, When you’re excited about something, it’s hard to know when to stop talking about it; what details to hold back. As an entrepreneur, you may find yourself in this situation any time you sit down to work on your pitch. Your excitement is key to the presentation, but you’re giving a pitch only.

?Think about it like a movie. Your story is the screenplay that the movie is based on, but the pitch is the preview. You only need to hit the highlights. Your goal is to provide enough information to hook in investors. To that end, keep any content in your slide deck short. Concise sentences and paragraphs that aren’t more than three sentences is ideal.

?Slides should be brief and not bogged down by copy, so incorporate visual elements to break up your words and enhance your points. Graphs and charts make great visuals in this area, but pictures will work too. Even a formatted pull quote gives the eye a rest from all those bullet points.

H3: A pitch deck is not a business plan

?If you’re struggling to keep your pitch concise, you’re probably thinking about it like you would a business plan. Stop! They’re not the same, and separating the two can help you keep the pitch short, sweet, and informative.

The biggest difference between the two are their appearance. Your pitch deck is a visual tool, while your business plan is meant to be read. While both may contain visual elements, slides use graphics to enhance a concise presentation. Your business plan will use them as evidence for what you’re writing about.

Additionally, a business plan may not be even be necessary for your company. While they are a traditional part of business development, they’re more effective for a company with a concrete path to success. For an emerging business, that's likely to change a lot along the way, the pitch will prove infinitely more useful.

Tell your story with the perfect pitch

?Pitching your business is not easy. You’re always up against something, so don’t waste the time you get to tell your story, and don’t doubt the story you have to tell. If you ever feel stuck, and need a spark, contact the Ispirare Group . We’ve been inspiring companies of all sizes to tell their story and communicate it well. With our help , you’ll be able to stand up tall and proud and deliver a straightforward pitch.

We’ll also help you perfect your pitch deck. This is your best investor tool, one you’ll use continuously throughout the life of your business (so don’t forget to update it) to drive innovation forward. We’re here to make sure you got this!