6 Fail-Proof Pitching Tips
By Andrew Patricio
April 24, 2017
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Share Facebook Tweet on Twitter Share with Email Share with LinkedIn Share with Pinterest
Whether you’re pitching investors or clients, every small business needs to learn to pitch because it can be the difference between continuing or closing up shop in many cases. Don’t leave it to chance. Review these fail-proof pitching tips to give your business the best shot at what it needs to thrive.
It’s Not About You
Every pitch needs to begin and end with who’s in front of you. If your first slide is “about us” or you start your sentence with “I” or “we”, you need to rework your pitch. If you’re pitching an investor, start and end with how much you’re asking for and what’s the return. If you’re pitching a client, start and end by showing them you know their business and how you can help them.
Tell A Short Story
Storytelling is a powerful way to disseminate an idea and to get people emotionally invested. Add life to your pitch by summarizing your business with a short story; how the world is today, how it could be in the future, how your proposal will make that vision a reality.
Practice Makes Persuasive
Never underestimate the power of practicing your pitch. Steve Jobs, for example, was infamous for rehearsing “endlessly and fastidiously.” Practice allows you to pinpoint just the right combination of words and body language that make for a persuasive pitch. Practice until the pitch is beyond memorized; they are the words you naturally use to explain your point.
Be Exact
Too often small businesses, and startups in particular, get too clever in their pitches and in the process neglect to clearly explain exactly what they are proposing and exactly how they are going to do it. And nothing screams amateur louder than ambiguity in a pitch.
Passion Makes Perfect
Nothing elicits trust quite the same as seeing someone you’re considering giving money to than passion. So let yours show. Explain how this became your passion, how it’s grown over time and how it’s the only thing in the world you can imagine doing.
Get Shorty
Don’t be the last guest at the party who just won’t leave. If you have 10 minutes, prepare your pitch for 9 minutes. If you get to a meeting and they say, “we need to cut this short”, cut it shorter and leave more time for questions and conversation.
Whether you’re pitching new clients, a potential new employee or investors, these fail-proof pitching tips will help you get further in what you’re trying to achieve.
It’s Not About You
Every pitch needs to begin and end with who’s in front of you. If your first slide is “about us” or you start your sentence with “I” or “we”, you need to rework your pitch. If you’re pitching an investor, start and end with how much you’re asking for and what’s the return. If you’re pitching a client, start and end by showing them you know their business and how you can help them.
Tell A Short Story
Storytelling is a powerful way to disseminate an idea and to get people emotionally invested. Add life to your pitch by summarizing your business with a short story; how the world is today, how it could be in the future, how your proposal will make that vision a reality.
Practice Makes Persuasive
Never underestimate the power of practicing your pitch. Steve Jobs, for example, was infamous for rehearsing “endlessly and fastidiously.” Practice allows you to pinpoint just the right combination of words and body language that make for a persuasive pitch. Practice until the pitch is beyond memorized; they are the words you naturally use to explain your point.
Be Exact
Too often small businesses, and startups in particular, get too clever in their pitches and in the process neglect to clearly explain exactly what they are proposing and exactly how they are going to do it. And nothing screams amateur louder than ambiguity in a pitch.
Passion Makes Perfect
Nothing elicits trust quite the same as seeing someone you’re considering giving money to than passion. So let yours show. Explain how this became your passion, how it’s grown over time and how it’s the only thing in the world you can imagine doing.
Get Shorty
Don’t be the last guest at the party who just won’t leave. If you have 10 minutes, prepare your pitch for 9 minutes. If you get to a meeting and they say, “we need to cut this short”, cut it shorter and leave more time for questions and conversation.
Whether you’re pitching new clients, a potential new employee or investors, these fail-proof pitching tips will help you get further in what you’re trying to achieve.