How to pitch like a rock star…

29 January 2015 Baarn

@fnauta

What is an Elevator Pitch?

• Impactful presentation of a new business, product, service, or project

• Delivered in time span of elevator ride: 30 seconds - 2 minutes

➡ Sounds simple, but effective elevator pitch requires thorough sales & market research, and plenty of rehearsal

Goal pitch

• Convince your contact to schedule a longer meeting with you

• Empowers your contact to convince others to become interested in your startup

• Resonates, demonstrates sincerity, empathy and urgency

• Quantifies value proposition

➡ it shows your mastery

Hard truth

If you can’t convince someone in a minute to invest more time and take a meeting with you, you simply don’t have a business

How long is a pitch?

• 30 seconds

• 1 minute

• 2 minutes

• (5 minutes)

Who do you pitch to?• Co-founder(s)

• Co-founder’s spouse

• Your mother

• Employees

• Board of Advisors

• Partners

• Review Boards

• Media

• Customers

• Investors

• Voters

• Politicians

• ‘Boss’

Why do you need a superb pitch?

Why do you need a superb pitch?

Maybe the best ever

“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?”

Ingredients• Customer pain

• Value proposition

• Team

• Bragging rights - University IP - Founders trackrecord - Traction - etc.

• Founders dream

• Market: TAM and beachhead

Value proposition format

• For [the ideal customer]

• Who [has this specific pain or problem]

• Our [product name]

• Is a [product category]

• That provides [this main benefit and reason to buy]

• Unlike [the primary alternative or competitor]

• Our product [has this unique selling proposition]

Exercise

1. Choose the dream person you want to pitch to and where you meet him/her

2. Establish common ground - Compliment, show interest, show you did your homework

- Common friend

3. Demonstrate mastery of your customer’s pain and organization - Ask a question! ‘Is it still a problem ...’ - ‘Is [person x] still

your head of R&D

4. Give your pitch: Would you be interested in a solution for [your pain] that has [state 2 benefits max]?

5. Ask for the meeting!

Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

Three mastery secrets

1. Ask questions

2. Learn to breathe

3. Practice makes perfect

Connect!

@fnauta

Have fun practicing