Perfecting Your Pitch: 3 Ways to Enhance Your Elevator Pitch and Captivate Investors
It's every entrepreneur's worst nightmare: the terrible pitch.
You know a truly bad elevator pitch when you hear one - a shaky-voiced delivery full of "umms" and long pauses; an unprepared speaker stalling to remember details or fumbling standard questions; a monotone business owner droning on far, far too long.
But any entrepreneur who knows the basics of delivering an elevator pitch to investors (and who has at least some experience with public speaking) is unlikely to deliver an especially abysmal one.
What's more common is something you've certainly seen if you've ever attended a demo day or pitch contest: the perfectly average pitch.
It's the one that's so mediocre that you forget the entrepreneur, business, and investment opportunity the moment the pitch is over.
Don't let that happen to you.
Pitching your business is all about grabbing investors' attention, standing out from the crowd, and making your business seem like a remarkable and compelling opportunity.
So even if you consider yourself a pitch-giving professional, consider the following ways to enhance, improve, and perfect your pitch to make it more captivating.
Tell a Great Story The typical pitch can be roughly divided into four parts: a) the problem, b) the solution, c) the "where you are," and d) the "where you're going.
" But engaging your listeners is all about hooking them in to what you have to say.
If your problem doesn't impact them, your solution won't captivate them, and your present and future won't matter to them.
That's why you need to tell a good story - one that's structured to engage every person in your audience.
Your business' history is likely far less streamlined than you make it out to be in your pitch.
But think about the great stories you've heard - in person, on the radio - that have really stayed with you.
How many were linear a-b-c-d stories? In your pitch, share your business' unique history through a sense of plot.
What has actually happened to you? What experiences led you to launch your business? What concerns caused you to pivot? What events have been your biggest breakthroughs? Those anecdotes will keep your audience intrigued and make you more memorable.
Speak like Yourself When pitching to an audience, you might undergo a transformation from Usual You into Entrepreneur You.
A common side effect of that transformation is a strong shift in the language you use.
You may think that using startup-tech buzzwords or complex terminology makes you seem more impressive to investors, but it often does the opposite.
A pitch full of Silicon Valley-speak turns people off, and overusing industry jargon makes it sound as if you're reading your business plan.
Don't be afraid to speak as Usual You in your pitch.
This doesn't mean you need to "dumb down" your delivery so an eighth grader could understand it; you're still addressing a sophisticated audience.
Just keep it simple.
A straightforward pitch from a person using common vernacular is far more appealing to listeners than one delivered by an EntrepreneurBot.
Model your pitch language after how you'd discuss your business over breakfast.
Boost Your Closing A common pitch problem is an ineffective ending.
Entrepreneurs who deliver the "inverted triangle" version of their businesses to investors - with all the important information shared first - often coast middlingly to the finish.
And a closing of "please get in touch with me if you're interested" doesn't carry much weight.
Keep in mind that if you're telling a good story (like we told you to), your audience will be engaged with you to the very end.
That means you don't have to share your most interesting or critical info up front.
Finish your pitch powerfully by saving some of your best material for last.
Pinpoint at least one "wow" factor about your company or its traction - an impressive partnership, a major customer win, a big contract, a standout number - and hold onto it until you've delivered at least three quarters of your pitch.
Then go for gold by being direct about your investor opportunity.
How could investors benefit from investing in you? Why should someone invest? Finish with a strong and compelling call to action that investors won't soon forget.
What are your tips for a great pitch? Let us know in the comments.
You know a truly bad elevator pitch when you hear one - a shaky-voiced delivery full of "umms" and long pauses; an unprepared speaker stalling to remember details or fumbling standard questions; a monotone business owner droning on far, far too long.
But any entrepreneur who knows the basics of delivering an elevator pitch to investors (and who has at least some experience with public speaking) is unlikely to deliver an especially abysmal one.
What's more common is something you've certainly seen if you've ever attended a demo day or pitch contest: the perfectly average pitch.
It's the one that's so mediocre that you forget the entrepreneur, business, and investment opportunity the moment the pitch is over.
Don't let that happen to you.
Pitching your business is all about grabbing investors' attention, standing out from the crowd, and making your business seem like a remarkable and compelling opportunity.
So even if you consider yourself a pitch-giving professional, consider the following ways to enhance, improve, and perfect your pitch to make it more captivating.
Tell a Great Story The typical pitch can be roughly divided into four parts: a) the problem, b) the solution, c) the "where you are," and d) the "where you're going.
" But engaging your listeners is all about hooking them in to what you have to say.
If your problem doesn't impact them, your solution won't captivate them, and your present and future won't matter to them.
That's why you need to tell a good story - one that's structured to engage every person in your audience.
Your business' history is likely far less streamlined than you make it out to be in your pitch.
But think about the great stories you've heard - in person, on the radio - that have really stayed with you.
How many were linear a-b-c-d stories? In your pitch, share your business' unique history through a sense of plot.
What has actually happened to you? What experiences led you to launch your business? What concerns caused you to pivot? What events have been your biggest breakthroughs? Those anecdotes will keep your audience intrigued and make you more memorable.
Speak like Yourself When pitching to an audience, you might undergo a transformation from Usual You into Entrepreneur You.
A common side effect of that transformation is a strong shift in the language you use.
You may think that using startup-tech buzzwords or complex terminology makes you seem more impressive to investors, but it often does the opposite.
A pitch full of Silicon Valley-speak turns people off, and overusing industry jargon makes it sound as if you're reading your business plan.
Don't be afraid to speak as Usual You in your pitch.
This doesn't mean you need to "dumb down" your delivery so an eighth grader could understand it; you're still addressing a sophisticated audience.
Just keep it simple.
A straightforward pitch from a person using common vernacular is far more appealing to listeners than one delivered by an EntrepreneurBot.
Model your pitch language after how you'd discuss your business over breakfast.
Boost Your Closing A common pitch problem is an ineffective ending.
Entrepreneurs who deliver the "inverted triangle" version of their businesses to investors - with all the important information shared first - often coast middlingly to the finish.
And a closing of "please get in touch with me if you're interested" doesn't carry much weight.
Keep in mind that if you're telling a good story (like we told you to), your audience will be engaged with you to the very end.
That means you don't have to share your most interesting or critical info up front.
Finish your pitch powerfully by saving some of your best material for last.
Pinpoint at least one "wow" factor about your company or its traction - an impressive partnership, a major customer win, a big contract, a standout number - and hold onto it until you've delivered at least three quarters of your pitch.
Then go for gold by being direct about your investor opportunity.
How could investors benefit from investing in you? Why should someone invest? Finish with a strong and compelling call to action that investors won't soon forget.
What are your tips for a great pitch? Let us know in the comments.
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