What truly amazes me is how little time and effort many entrepreneurs put into their investor pitch.  I understand that with the million other things that they have to do, working on a PowerPoint or Keynote is right next to filing on the priority list.

The thing is, it’s so important to be able to present your business, yourself and the story in a compelling way.  Why not take the time to craft something that gets investors thinking, gets them excited about the possibilities (read: exits) and makes them want to know more about what you’re doing?

I have seen many an investor pitch that is simply a white background with a list black bullets slide after painful boring slide.  If that’s not enough to make an investor reach for his blackberry, perhaps the unprepared and awkward delivery is.

Start with the Story

Think about your story.  Look at the problem and/or opportunity and weave that thread through the presentation.  If there is no obvious pain point, look for research, articles, trends, strong quotes that highlight or support your offering.  You’d be surprised at what you’ll find and it might be something that you didn’t think of before.

Having set the story, you can present the competition and your solution in a new way.  You no longer have to address these points in a bland head-to-head comparison, you can now frame how others in the space are addressing the market and (hopefully) how they miss the mark – and you nail it.

Once you have the storyline, you’ll become more comfortable with the entire presentation.  You’ll hopefully have your pitch completed at least a week or two before your first investor meeting – which will give you time to practice.  And do practice, please.

Being prepared counts a lot – not just the presentation, know your numbers, the market, the competition.  Tie it all together in a compelling story that makes investors think: “I need to learn more about this business”.