admina new day. Pitching is no different. It’s like art class.
I am going to use a very far-fetched idea but hopefully you will get the points that are important.
Start off with a completely clear presentation board. Don’t use a three-month-old presentation for a brand new client or prospect.
Create the atmosphere. Some people have the opinion that in order to do a good pitch you must be ever so serious right from the onset.
Don’t open the laptop as soon as you sit down, but rather admire the stylistic taste of the office of the person you are pitching too. People like it when you notice.
State your purpose
Why are you there, but more importantly why are they interested? If you are there for an investment pitch be clean and make the first slide all about “the purpose”.
The purpose could be “To get information to people quicker than any device on earth” (this is the example we’ll use).
State the problem
This canvas is white and it’s boring to look at, but here’s what I want to accomplish by this idea.
“People are dying to gain access to information quickly, and spend lots of money and time going to high school, college and postgraduate school only to get into huge pools of debt.” Now they’re listening.
What you can give, state your solution
“We have invented a chip that can be inserted behind your ear with soft data on the chip and because of the frequency of the electronic system the information gets planted in your brain and you can get four years of business school in 20 seconds.”
Make it personal
In our example ask them if they would like to learn a new language? Make your problem and solution something they can relate to.
Assure them that the timing is right. Explain how it all came down to this point. “I was in school for a whole year, tried to listen intently, failed my exams and lost a lot of money. Today in order to be considered for a job you must have educational credentials.
How big is the market?
Who would be interested? This is where you would capitalise on the realities but also the possibilities.
Who wants to see this painting? Who really wants all of this knowledge that the chip offers?
Now you talk about how it’s based on targeted audiences.
In Africa where there’s need for information on agriculture, the demand for agricultural knowledge chips will be huge.”
Give simple statistics of people in Zimbabwe that would benefit from this product.
Who else is competing for this market?
Know the competition. State who they are and why there is a difference between your product and theirs.
The actual product
What exactly is the product? “It is a chip that is made up of silicon and metal that has a transmitter. Anything on the chip gets transmitted to your mind and it becomes part of your knowledge repertoire. There are no side effects, in fact the frequency that the chip resonates at is the same as a cellphone. The transmission is done in 20 seconds and can be reused as many times as you’d like.” This is the tangible expression of your solution.
The business model
This is simple and stated — Revenue Model, pricing, distribution, people interested right now.
Who is on board?
The team makes it happen, and your relationship capital is important to display. Why is this the team that can get you to where you all want to go?
Financials
Show the financials and keep it simple. The P and L, the balance sheets, the cash flow and the predicted cash flow and then the current shareholding.
Finally, offer the deal and make it clear. Do not fudge on your numbers or take a walk around the mulberry bush while trying to please everyone.
Make it plain and clean and highlight how much value that you think is in your “art”.
Remember this. Most people you are pitching to are looking forward to getting home, so that the fun part of their day can begin.
Don’t bring a pitch into a firm that makes the account executive or investor leave the real world and dive into his own day dream world.
Hold him in your choice of colours and creativity and bring him into your dream.
Make it delightful to watch and listen to what you are presenting.
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