How to put your best foot forward when it comes to a pitch

A pitch is like dressing your business idea in Sunday best. It must look good, it must be appealing and above all, it must make sense to those who might want to invest in it. Hence, being careful, honest and creative can go a long way in paving a desirable path for your business. Here are a few tips to get you started.

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Make a lasting introduction

How you begin your presentation, more often than not, decides your fate. If you begin flaccidly or thoughtlessly, you run the risk of losing the interest of your investors. If you appear too limp or too loud in your introduction, you will fail to excite investors and worse, give them something bad to talk about your idea. So, make sure your intro captures what you are doing, your vision and how you plan to get there presented in the simplest way. Keep it short, but don't miss out on the key problem you aim to solve.

A pitch has to be a good story. Think about it – how you talk about your idea to a new person, the references you give, the scenarios your quote and the images you try to stir in their minds, all of this makes a good story.

Know your audience well

You have done the hard work on your presentation, but have you done your homework on your viewer or receiver? If you haven’t then, you have much to lose.

If you are ill-informed about the psychology of your viewer, you might end up offering a chocolate cake to a diabetic. Needless to say, it’s extremely important to keep things real when it comes to knowing your receiver – know their mind, and you will create a pitch that will deliver tailor-made happiness.

Include the right testimonials

Testimonials are not akin to tooting your own horn. They are signs of approval – of your idea, of your attitude, your conduct and your services. They can be and often are, drastically misunderstood by those who receive it and those for being an official obligation.

Honest testimonials are written from the heart and contain insights that go beyond silly one-liners like ‘they were very good’ or ‘they helped us a lot’. While you may have received a lot of those, you must exercise caution when choosing the right ones for your pitch. Select those that highlight the aspects you’d been underlining in the presentation, ones which are written not out of duty but a sense of responsibility and you will be able to create an atmosphere which is highlighted with real emotion and honest appreciation.

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