Written By: Marc Halpin
You get the meeting with the VC you’ve been trying to meet for months. You’ve got 1 hour to make your pitch. You’ve got your deck ready and your talk track down. You’ve even got your lucky shirt on… and then… you screw it up (just like I did) by making the most common mistake founders make in a pitch. You do all the talking!
You see, the problem with ‘pitching’ is in the name, it even sounds like one-way traffic. The reality is this: if you’re doing all the talking, your chances of making a connection with a venture capital partner is going to be limited. Similarly, if you’re doing all the talking and making sure you get ALL your best one liners in, the chances of that same partner engaging in questions in order to understand you and the opportunity is also limited.
So here’s the trick: listen, a lot during your pitch!
I know what you’re thinking… ‘how on earth do I do that?!’ Right?
Here’s the plan:
- Spend the first 10 mins learning about the VC, her focus and breaking the ice. Two way Q&A
- Spend 20 mins pitching your business. That’s all – 20 minutes – build a tight deck!
- Spend the next 30 minutes having a conversation with the VC about your business and learning about their business. Two way Q&A
Give it a go, and of course practice a lot. You’ll find it will be the difference that makes the difference in making a ‘pitch perfect’.