Okay, I’ve had enough…not seeing “Centers of Excellence” founder zoom pitches.
Yes, I understand we are in a global pandemic so “Live Pitches” to investors are not happening. So, we’re all left to zoom pitching investors…is that really an excuse for the HORRIBLE zoom pitches I’ve witnessed. C’mon man!!!
2. It goes without saying, being on top of due diligence when it comes to preparing
for the zoom pitch presentation such as understanding the zoom platform,
ensuring your laptop/desktop is responsive, WIFI is strong, any additional
technical needs are taken care of all of which are commonsensical critical.
When the lights, camera are on…are you absolutely ready for ACTION?
But…..
3. What are the P.E.A.K.S.?
1) Practice, Practice and Practice again
2) Energy
3) Attentive
4) K.i.s.s.
5) Sell the close
4. Practice and Practice again
It is obvious when founders have not practiced their
presentation prior to the pitch, and you can literally sense
the investor’s impatience throughout the presentation.
Practice Practice again after the 3 previous bullet pts (LOL!)
Prepare Prepare for questions, expect objections/skepticism…but be
confident.
ZOOM
Platform
Play around with the zoom platform so that you’re
comfortable with the operations (especially if you’ll be sharing
your presentation)
Practice Practice your presentation at least 6-8 times in front of mirror
(not a person, the mirror can replicate a laptop/desktop)
5. Energy
The most successful pitches I’ve witnessed have been
those where the founder demonstrated what I call
“controlled exuberance”. Their hands weren’t flying
everywhere, and their vocals weren’t speeding at 100
miles per hour…but you could just sense they were into it.
The energy just seared through the computer…and it was
extremely engaging.
Pacing
Doesn’t mean standing up and pacing in front of your
computer (LOL!). Pacing your vocal pitch (e.g. high pitch
when establishing an important point, slowing down when
requiring engagement).
Smile
Seems silly…but not really. Smiling every so often (NOT all
the time) will convey engagement and accepting of the
opportunity. It will also place your audience in some ease.
Eye Contact
There is such a thing as poor eye contact when speaking on
your laptop/desktop. It can be very distracting when you are
looking all around your office instead of the computer screen.
Practice
Practice is very important in order to convey that “controlled
exuberance”. The more you practice your presentation the
better opportunity to convey energy and confidence.
6. Attentive
Yes, I’ve witnessed founders who appeared to be very
disinterested during the pitch (I’m not sure why). Not
answering questions succinctly or accurately and having just a
disinterest in the process. When investors sense this you can
immediately gauge their disinterest not in the
product/service…but in the founder. As a founder if you do
not feel motivated or inspired prior to the pitch it’s best
cancelling and rescheduling (if the investor grants you that
opportunity). Being attentive is extremely critical while
pitching an investor.
Probe
Demonstrating good attentiveness is having prepared
questions handy. I very rarely see founders asking questions of
investors and those who do really standout.
Focus
With ample amount of preparation and practice your ability to
remain focus throughout the pitch will be a piece of cake.
Pitches often go into different directions and keeping focused
is an important attribute.
Eye Contact
Yep, eye contact is critical when it comes to being attentive. If
you’re interrupted with a question from an investor your
ability to immediately pivot tells the investor you’re on top of
your game.
Rest Up
Your pitch should NOT be done after a stressful meeting with
your colleagues. Rest up, get a good night’s sleep and if you
need to prep with colleagues…ensure the prep is motivational.
7. K.i.s.s.
Being in the healthcare space and involved in many pitches
I’ve seen founders get a bit carried away with the “sciency
nomenclature”. While most of the investors in the space have a
healthcare background (some are PhDs), I’m often told the big
scientific words overshadowed the true value proposition of
the product/service. The steely investor will uncover that you
as the founder are competent, the complex nomenclature will
NOT solidify that. Keep the presentation simple…but not
necessarily stupid.
Practice
Goes without saying, practice your presentation 6-8 times.
Does it come across too complex to you? Place yourself in the
shoes of the investor, what type of nomenclature would appeal
to them? Practice that.
Less
Content
If you are sharing a presentation during your pitch, it’s best to
have few words on your slides. A lot of words on slides can
come off as too complex and disheveled. Less words the
better.
Diagrams
I personally like diagrams and illustrations and I find
investors do to. An illustration can sometimes bring complex
nomenclature down to a digestible level. Pictures/Illustrations
can sometimes speak louder than words.
7th Grade
They always say a rule of thumb for any presentation is to
keep it at a 7th grade level. While this is just a figure of speech
the relevance is a good one, keep the content understandable
and easily digestible.
8. Sell the close
If I had my way (and I’m still trying to sell the idea), every
founder should go through a sales 101 training class. “Sales
Training for the founder”. At the end of many pitches, I do not
hear founders closing for another bite at the apple with the
investor (e.g., closing for another meeting, gathering
information from the investor, closing for a seed round etc.).
Often the investor says I’ll contact you if I have questions…that
my friend is not a good sign. Founders must be better at
closing for the next steps in the process and not leave that
critical expectation with the investor.
Just do it
Like the NIKE saying…just do it. You can’t rely on the investor
replying they’ll get back to you as verifiable. If the pitch went
well the investor will be more than glad to set up next steps if
asked at the end of the pitch.
Question/
Wrap-up
During the Q&A portion of the pitch is another way a founder
remind themselves to close for next steps. It’s a smooth
natural way to end the pitch and it’s less abrupt.
Pitch
Objective
Like we teach in sales 101, the founder should have an
objective for the pitch prior to the pitch. In that objective is the
required close. Writing down your objectives of the pitch is a
nice way of reminding yourself to close the session.
Re-State VP
One way a founder can remind herself/himself to close for
next steps is revisiting their value proposition with the
investor as a way of wrapping up the pitch. Closing after the
VP is a smooth natural process.
9. If you’d like coaching and preparation help before your next pitch you can
DM me through LinkedIn…I’d be honored to help.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
ANDRÉ HARRELL
MANAGING DIRECTOR/INVESTOR RELATIONS