How to Deliver a Powerful Pitch to Investors and Get Funded

Pitching to investors can be scary, but you can’t do without it if you want funding for your startup. Only a small percentage of pitches are funded each year due to the tough competition out there. In this wise, your pitch must stand out from the rest so as to attract the right investors. Truth be told, your pitch presentation will influence the investors’ final decision. The following suggestions are what you need in order to create a lasting impression during your presentation.

Prepare in advance

Apart from getting some important documents like your business plan and financial statement ready, you must practice your pitch consistently. Be genuinely passionate and confident about your ideas because no one wants to risk investing in someone who is unsure of himself or herself. This will go a long way in convincing investors that your ideas are worth investing in. It’s imperative to research about your investors in order to know if they are the right ones for your industry, the type of businesses that they’ve invested in and how successful they turned out to be.

Consider storytelling

Due to the fact that investors have been exposed to data and statistics over the years, filling your presentation with too much of these elements can make it boring. Without mincing words, storytelling has proven to be a very effective way to make an audience pay rapt attention to any speaker. The bottom line is that the story should relate with the problems your products and services are poised to solve.

Maximize your time

Less is more. This popular saying is applicable when pitching to investors. You don’t need to spend several hours explaining your project and all other important things. Investors value their time and it will be advisable to use your time judiciously. Find a way to summarize your ideas and deliver it within 5-10 minutes.

Define your target market

Your brand can’t exist in the first place if there isn’t a particular target audience that you intend to meet their needs. It’s also impossible for your products and services to appeal to everyone at first. As a matter of fact, getting to know your target customers via research is paramount. The data garnered during the research is useful for creating demographic groups.

Reveal your unique selling point

The market is already saturated with products from different brands that serve the same needs. After you’ve introduced your products or services, show investors the factors that make them unique than that of the competitors. They won’t take you seriously if those things can’t be provided. In addition, let them understand the particular problem that your products or services will address.

Design a customer acquisition plan

Designing a foolproof marketing plan is a must have for every brand regardless of its size. Investors are really interested in how your customers will be reached. As you prepare the pitch, remember to add the best of your marketing ideas and techniques.

Include an exit strategy

An exit strategy is important, but some entrepreneurs rarely think about it. Presenting it to investors often give them the assurance that they will realize huge returns on their investments. Perhaps you have plans of going public, getting acquired or selling your shares later on, reveal what the exit strategy entails clearly.