A Slide-By-Slide Guide to a Winning Pitch Deck.
Over the past 40 years, as an investor, I have reviewed thousands of startup company pitch decks and I think fewer than 5% do an effective job of describing the investment opportunity. Where does it go wrong? Here are some examples:
· Presenters answer the wrong question. For example, the question is not, “Who are the members of your team?” The question is, “Why is this the right team to build this company at this time?”
· Two few words. Some presentations are filled with graphics that don’t send a clear message unless the presenter is there to explain.
· Too many words. Some presentations contain extensive text which forces the audience to read slides instead of listening to the presenter.
· Sequence issues. Sequence matters. Every slide requires some context in order to be understood. If you go through seven slides without telling me exactly what your company does, you’ve lost me.
· Context matters. Some pitch decks introduce the team at the very beginning. But telling me that Tom Brady is on your team means nothing until you tell me you’re playing football.
· Poor descriptions. Many pitch decks simply don’t do a good job of explaining the company. Remember the old adage, “it takes longer to write a short message.” Preparing an effective pitch deck is hard work. It takes time to say things succinctly.
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Why does this happen? What’s wrong with the existing approach? In my opinion the greatest problem is that presenters don’t really understand the questions that investors want answered. In seeking advice about how to prepare their pitch deck, they use a short article, an outline of a business plan presentation, or even a book. Most articles, outlines and even books do not adequately explain the questions that are being asked. For example, the question about competition is not, “Who are your competitors?” Or, “What features does your product have that your competitors do not have?” The real question is, “What are the dynamics of competition within your industry now and in the future and how do you know you will be able to sustain a strong industry position?” Finally, I think some business plans are prepared by outsiders who do not have a good understanding of either the questions being asked nor the answers.
The pitch deck template “How to Answer Investor Questions” can help you solve these problems in many ways. It contains a single model slide for each of the important questions investors want answered and it presents them in a sequence that flows smoothly from one context to the next. It also explains in some detail what is behind the question that investors want answered. It also offers an affective mixture of bulletized text and a few graphics that communicate more effectively than can be done with words.
Dozens of companies have used this template to produce effective pitch decks and raise significant amounts of capital. To reap the template’s benefits, complete each of the “investor questions” slides, which will probably result in a presentation that is a little too long. But with some thoughtful editing you should be able to trim it to 15–20 powerful slides.
This resource guide (free to download) is designed to help you prepare an investor pitch deck that answers the questions investors want answered. Click here to download.
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