James Caan writes .. With entrepreneurship on the rise in the UK, I am often approached by many people who want to get funding and either start or grow their businesses.
I am also often asked for advice about what makes a good investment pitch. There is no hard and fast approach that you should rigidly stick to. However, there are certain points you should try to include as they are likely to help make your start-up appear all the more appealing for a potential investor.
Below are some of my top tips for a winning investment pitch.
FIRST THE THREE SIMPLE TRICKS TO NAILING YOUR PITCH
1) Make eye contact – with everybody concerned.
You may be pitching to more than one person, so ensure you address everybody, whether it’s the people who will actually be funding you or the PA who may be taking notes.
2) Set the tone with a confident opening statement.
Don’t appear unsure of yourself or apologetic for being there – however it’s important you don’t immediately start talking about how great your product or service is either. If it’s that good it will speak for itself. It’s far better to begin with a thank you, build up a rapport with them and then discuss the background.
3) Relate to your audience
Your research should have provided you with plenty of information on them, and the more you can link your idea to what they have previously done, the better the chances of you nailing your pitch.