(nod of thanks to Seth Levine, Gordon Whyte and David Teten for blogging about these tip sheets when I first put them on my site)
1. Get to the “ah-ha” immediately: Why is your business a great investment? What’s in it for investors?
2. Attend to audience and desired results first. Everything you say and show serves both or doesn’t belong in the pitch.
3. Cut the PowerPuke clutter – .ppt file is not “your presentation” it’s a visual aid. Keep only slides that illustrate your talk. Chuck the rest.
4. Those slides you kept? Chuck a couple more and streamline the rest. Try to read your slides from across the room. (Stuff the detail where it belongs – in an appendix of your business plan.)
5. Say something on slide titles – replace “Company History” with “Substantial Value Built” (Investors recognize a management team slide without you labeling it “Team” – use the title to tell them about your team.)
6. Prepare effectively. Practice in front of your team, in front of a camera, in front of a group of laypeople, get their feedback, refine the logic flow and try again.
7. Know your best style. Earnest, clear speaking beats stilted, overproduced and even “by the rules” reciting any day.
8. Interact with the audience. Refer to handouts, ask thought questions, make genuine eye contact. End by asking them to do something incremental like drop by the booth or website.
9. Ask yourself: How can I make it easier for these investors to do their jobs? (You’re in customer service and they’re the customer)
10. Features = characteristics (adjectives). Benefits = actions (verbs). Benefits matter the most. Know the difference.
11. Give a little something extra…
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