The most successful pitches have a rough outline that goes something like this:
- Get me excited about your thing
- Take it away from me
- Tell me what I need to do to get it
- Tell me how I’m going to make money on it
When working with teams on their pitches, hands down, the hardest part is getting them to a solid #1.
It isn’t about story, it’s about getting the person you are talking to interested enough to keep listening.
An investment deal is like a marriage – they actually last longer than most marriages – so investors need to want to do business with you, and the first part gives them incentive to move on.
In the third section, you need to be solid about how you can deliver what you are asking. I’ve seen teams with a rock solid #1 unravel here because they didn’t ask for enough money, or they didn’t have the right team in place, or their financial assumptions were wrong, or the worst sin of all – they arrogantly claimed they have no competition.
If you nail the four steps though, the only other thing you need to really watch out for is attempting to overcome objections that no one has actually raised.
I see teams all the time putting slides into their deck that volunteer information that isn’t necessary, things that would come up in the due diligence round (if at all) but not in a pitch room where every little thing counts against you.
Stick to the four steps, and answer questions that come up, but don’t add anything extra that isn’t needed.
Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/What-are-good-storytelling-techniques-for-startup-pitches
Originally Posted On: 2015-12-31