Strong investor relations is the end goal
Your pitch deck presentation is arguably the most important document that you will work on during your company’s lifecycle.
It is the opening salvo towards your prospective investors. Online searches indicate the dearth of affordable pitch deck design companies in India.
Angel investors or venture capitalists are swarmed with startup ideas presented to them. To stand out, your pitch deck presentation needs to address the consumer problem you intend to solve as well as leave a lasting impression.
You can design a perfect pitch deck by hiring a PPT design agency. A PPT presentation design can be tweaked, refined and optimized for multiple presentation meetings.
Getting a unique and engaging pitch deck designed by a PPT design agency is fine. The actual pitching must also be to-the-point and effective.
We reckon you adopt these 7 pointers when presenting a successful pitch deck.
- Your Pitch Deck must convey a Story
Begin your pitch deck by telling a real customer story. The story could be about how your product/service solved the customer’s problem.
Avoid using tech jargon when conveying the story. Keep it simple and believable. Adding a human story can touch hearts. The investor must walk away with something. It’s the stories that remain in memory.
Quick Pitch Deck Tip: A deck emailed to your investor will not have the same effect, compared to you presenting it in person.
Similarly, a ‘one-way presentation’ is differently received compared to a ‘one-many presentation’ meeting. So, find out who would be among the audience for the presentation.
- Trim your pitch deck to bare essentials
There is no need to address every aspect of your business plan. Remember, you are not auctioning your private antique collection. You are presenting a business plan which can solve a consumer’s problem on a large scale.
Prioritize the most important points you want to share. Address the problem(s) you want to solve.
Highlight what is broken, and how you can fix it. Scope out the size of your market opportunity. Focus on tangible, real pain points that you can address.
- Give your pitch deck a crisp outline
Your business model allows an investor to understand your idea, and see if it’s economically viable to invest in it. A crisp outline can ensure you answer the most important questions right.
- “What do we sell?”
- “To whom should we sell?”
- “How much should we sell for?”
- “How do we get paid?”
Your pitch deck’s outline should answer these questions.
Describe your solution in the best possible way. Highlight what steps will be taken to address the demands in the market. Your outline should keep answering questions which the investor will ask.
In simple words, your deck presentation convinces the investor that your ‘mousetrap’ is the best. Also being presented is a step-by-step breakdown of how you will ‘trap the mouse’.
Your deck PPT is the ‘lure’ that will get the ‘mouse trapped’. Run your pitch deck through colleagues.
- A successful pitch deck must be about you
Always remember that investors firstly believe investing in people, and then in ideas. At the end of a successful pitch deck, some investors might want to keep in touch. They would like to be kept posted concerning any projects in the future.
Speak about your team’s accomplishments glowingly. If those accomplishments are directly related towards starting of your venture, don’t miss sharing them.
It is your team that understands the business model more than anybody else. Investors will invest funds in your team’s dedication and passion.
- Present the pitch deck in the right tone
The tonality of your PPT presentation is key. Be creative and avoid using tech jargon. Always gauge your audience and play to them.
Content is king when it comes to pitching presentations. But, if you do not layer it with creativity or humor, you won’t be able to make an impression.
Investors want to listen to your stories. They want to hear about your first customers, your investment that is being put into this venture, customer or product milestones, key hires and a signed ‘letter of intent’ (LOI).
If you present your PPT without any zeal, passion or confidence, you won’t be able to make a strong impression.
- Forecast your pitch deck projections
Put together a set of business projections that are based on cost and revenue. Having these on your pitch deck enhances your credibility. Demonstrate an appreciation for the capital you plan to raise. Also, depict how you will meet milestones that are key to future fundraising.
Don’t declare a far-fetched business turnover unless you can show the numbers supporting it. Unless you have achieved such numbers in a previous venture, there is no chance any investor will believe it.
Show them exactly how you will reach your estimated targets. Present the information that led to your predictions. You want investors to be calculating numbers on their smartphones.
- Your pitch deck must address competition
Never enter an investor presentation proclaiming you do not have any competition in the market. Every product, service or idea will have competition.
It could be indirect competition as well. Make sure you present your competition in the form of a matrix. Articulate a go-to-market strategy. The scope for this will depend on your product’s development stage.
Demonstrate to your audience, the steps you have taken to capture a significant amount of market share. Don’t just focus on presenting a business model, dedicate sufficient time to your competition as well.