Have a story, a vision, a why.
How did you come up with the idea for your project? What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome them? Storytelling will help you capture your audience's attention. Focusing your pitch on your vision, your story, and your "why" will sell better than simply presenting a product or service.
No room for excess.
To keep your audience's attention, be sure to be quick, concise, and precise in your speech. This will help pique your audience's interest; you can elaborate further during a second meeting or a question-and-answer session.
Know your market.
Investors are looking for the next market leaders. When pitching your project, it's important to highlight the opportunity you've identified in the market and how you plan to address it. Highlight why your product stands out from the competition. It's the size of the market and the investor's affinity for the product that will help them make up their mind.
Anticipate questions.
There's no secret here: you need to be 100% prepared to confidently answer any questions you might be asked. When pitching your project, don't forget to include some key figures: How much money do you want to raise? What level of revenue do you need to reach to be profitable? How long do you expect to take to be profitable? You don't want to overwhelm your interviewer with figures, but it's necessary to show that you're prepared and that you've mastered your business.
Focus on potential.
One of the best strategies for convincing an investor is to show them why your product or service is different from anything else on the market right now. It's not enough to just solve a problem; you have to do it in a way that no other company can match, and you have to be able to demonstrate this in your pitch. Highlighting patents, licenses, or distribution agreements can support these claims.
To train.
In front of your family, friends, or colleagues. Encourage them to ask you questions—they'll think of an angle you hadn't considered before. Ask them to time you, so you'll be aware of the timing of each part and can practice sticking to a "target" time. It can also be a good idea to plan several versions of your pitch—30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes—to plan for all eventualities!
Here's what your pitch should look like to be as impactful as possible:
- Capture your audience's attention with a catchy phrase.
- Describe the problem you identified in the market today.
- Describe the solution you want to provide.
- Explain why your solution stands out from your competitors.
- Summarize where you are today and where you want to go. What is your vision?
- Highlight your team and why you are qualified to achieve your vision.
- Clearly state what you want to achieve from your interlocutor.
- Summarize your project in one sentence.
- Thank your audience for their attention.
- Invite your audience to ask you questions.
