Pitching the Deal to Investors 2012

Investors and senior executives are looking for “the next big thing.”  The Investors are looking for great ideas led by great teams to bring innovation and excellence to the fore and to show the determination, drive and commitment to drive success. Within our complex world many people are vying for attention. The teams that stand out are the ones that deliver their pitch in less than a minute, and still make their points persuasive.

Unfortunately many teams do not think about their story and how it comes across, a great project with an ineffective pitch.  Do not make polite conversation; tell the story in a sentence.

The Four Steps to Success

There is a four step exercise that will work for any company or product. You must simply answer each of the following four questions in no more than two sentences:

1. What do you do?
2. What problem do you solve?
3. How is your product or service different?
4. Why should I care?

By keeping each answer brief, you will develop a succinct story that should take no more than 60 seconds.

Let's use the example of an entrepreneur who is starting a housekeeping franchise. Based on those four questions, the company's story might sound something like this:

"We own Five Star Cleaning, an eco-friendly housekeeping service that pampers you and your home [what your business does]. Typical cleaning services make you prep your home ahead of time, supervise to prevent theft and hang around for hours while the cleaners do their work. Because we require no prep, this saves time right off the top, and we are bonded so our service is worry-free, allowing you to go about your day [what problem does it solve]. And, we always send a minimum team of three to get the job done quickly [how it's different]. Imagine coming home from a long day and your laundry is all done, your bed has been turned down and there are fresh flowers awaiting you. That's the extra pampering we offer that sets us apart from all the rest [why you should care].

Your first sentence should be a "Twitter-friendly headline." You should be able to describe your product or service in 140 characters or less, short enough for a tweet. Create product descriptions that are short, catchy, distinctive and memorable.

If you can tell your story in well under 60 seconds and have some extra time, be ready to relate an example or story that makes your product or service more tangible..

Don't let your idea die because you've lost the attention of your audience. Grab your listeners in the first 60 seconds and they'll want to hear more.