For many small business owners, giving pitches is the most difficult part of the entrepreneurial process. You know it’s a great idea, but getting others to realize it and be as enthusiastic about it as you are isn’t always easy.
Many people view pitch meetings as boring – and they often are. Before the meeting even begins, attendees have a negative outlook that sets the stage for inattentiveness. It’s a tough crowd, but if you follow the tips below, you can deliver a pitch your clients won’t soon forget.
- Show and Share Your Product
One of the biggest mistakes many pitch-givers make is not showing their product. While some products can be difficult to prototype, you should always have something visual to show the attendees. A mock-up of your product is better than no visual at all.
Also, if it’s possible, you should give samples of your product to the people you’re asking to fund it. Giving branded corporate gifts will not only let them know what their dollars are going towards, but will also ensure your idea remains at the forefront of their minds.
- Get Your Point Across Quickly
As technology advances, human attention spans are shrinking, so you must capture your audience’s attention quickly. The first few minutes of any pitch are the most important. If you ramble on too long, you’ll lose people before you’ve had a chance to wow them with your product. If this happens, it doesn’t matter how great your idea is, it will get lost along with your audience’s attention.
- Limit the Number of Slides You Use
Another way to bore your audience at a pitch meeting is by showing too many slides. Yes, you are excited and have a lot to share, but keeping those slides to a minimum (13 at most) will prevent the attendees from nodding off to sleep.
If you need a little help in creating the perfect slideshow, try Googling “Pitch Deck Templates.” This easy search will return millions of results, giving you everything you need to create a short but memorable sales pitch.
- Talk About the Competition
This is a crucial step in the pitch-giving process. Letting your investors know who your competition is and why your idea is better than theirs is the point at which most attendees decide whether they’re in or out.
Talk about the need for your product and how it will fill that need better than anything your competition already has. Be sure to touch on any specific needs today’s society may be demanding and how your idea addresses those needs best.
- Include a Tagline
Taglines, also called sound bites, are catchy lines that stick in the mind better than data ever could. Remember Steve Jobs? When he first introduced the MacBook Air, he called it, “The world’s thinnest notebook,” and everyone remembered that.
If you want people to remember your product, you need to create a tagline that effectively describes it in a catchy phrase people will remember and enjoy repeating.
Giving a good pitch where everyone remains attentive and on the same page can be tough. It’s the hardest part of the idea process, but if you master the tips outlined above, you can ensure your clients won’t be able to get your pitch out of their minds for a long, long time.
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