Why fancy pitch decks aren’t everything.
With the world advancing quicker than many of us can keep up, it’s imperative that when in preparation for your pitch, you take into consideration a few factors to ensure you portray yourself and your product or service idea in the best way possible.
Pitching in itself can be a hard feat. I have worked with many from ideation to investment, sailing through the highs and the lows of excitement, stress, nerves, and relief. It’s a magically daunting process, but one that would be done 1000x over. Whilst many are eager to ensure their pitch is the best pitch an investor has seen that day, so many are making one huge error; not knowing enough.
Not knowing enough about;
- Their USP
- Facts, figures and where they are financially
- The ins and outs about their product
But mainly; not knowing enough about the value in which they bring.
So how can you build value?
Firstly, you truly have to understand your customers and who you want to deliver your product too. We all know that we can solve some of the biggest problems in the world with our products, however — we have to know who we are aiming to sell to, because those are the people we need to understand in depth. Think about whether or not you can write a page from their journal, if you can’t you need to get to know them better.
From there, it’s time to really delve into what your value proposition is and how you can create value for your customers. Strive not for success (although we all want this outcome), but for the value that you can create.
Are you providing value for them to;
- reduce risk
- increase revenue
- expand their audience
- avoid failure
- create more meaning
It’s imperative that when building out your idea, your journey and your pitch that you take into consideration these factors. Do your research, know your numbers, figure out how competitors within your field are doing things.
Yes, the world is noisy in all markets, but if you provide the value that you truly believe your customers deserve, you can and will stand out from the crowd and bring in the investment you deserve.
But remember, your pitch does not need to be flashing lights, thousands of numbers and complicated diagrams, it needs to be you, your team, your numbers, your knowledge and your value that you bring to the table.
Your fancy deck is not everything.
Your value is.
