November 10, 2010
How to Pitch Your Company to an Investor
Did you know that there are some easy ways to pitch your idea to an investor and get him interested in your project. Yes, there are. Some of these pitches include what is commonly known as an elevator pitch. This type of pitch is called an elevator pitch because supposedly the pitch was first hatched in an elevator when an entrepreneur spoke with an investor inside an elevator on the way to the investor’s office.
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Another synonymous name for the elevator pitch can also be a cocktail pitch. This is because many investors discuss business not only at board meetings or other formal events of the like. Many investors and entrepreneurs will attend cocktail parties and mix business with pleasure. If you are an ambitious entrepreneur, you should attend cocktail parties where investors attend if you are invited to one. This is a great way to meet people who have the necessary connections needed to win that valuable investment.
The thing about pitching, is that it cannot be a longwinded lecture. If you do that, you will either bore the investor to death, make him think that you are trying to sell him your project, or hyping it up too much, etc. Be brief. Rehearse your pitch. In some cases rehearse your pitch out loud. Some people might think that you’re crazy because you’re talking to yourself, but a well rehearsed pitch can get an investor interested enough to want to give you his contact information. The aim of a pitch is not to seal a deal, but simply to show what you have to offer.
One best way to pitch your idea to a prospective investor at a cocktail party or some other social function is to start a simple conversation. Sit down with an investor and don’t mention your idea right away. Talk about something in the local environment. Make a comment about the music playing in the background or the weather, or whatever. Sound upbeat and make yourself a pleasure to talk with. This is a great way to introduce yourself. After a while drop your idea in the conversation. Here’s a good example of a conversation.
Hi!
Hey there! Fun party, isn’t it?
Yes,. Great and the food is excellent!
Nice music!
Yep. Oh, by the way, what’s your name?
My name is Bill, and you?
I’m John and I have an idea that I’ve been playing with for quite some time. Tell me what you think about it.
What is it?
Well, you know many people are trying to save space and if there was only a kind of bag that can vacuum seal clothes and compress them, people can have more room in their closet for other stuff. It sounds interesting, how can you do that though?
Well, I have a bag that I made which I can pack clothes in and zip it up so it’s airtight and then I can suck the air out with a vacuum cleaner.
I’d like to see that. Here’s my card, email me when you can.
This is a perfect way to pitch your idea at a cocktail party. Notice this simple conversation and how it starts. Both the investor and the entrepreneur find some common things they liked about the party and began to talk. The entrepreneur then began to drop his idea into the conversation and the investor got interested and gave the entrepreneur his business card.
Let’s analyze this conversation more closely and what points did the entrepreneur use to win the investors interest. First he started a conversation and presented himself as a good, firm, serious, and confident entrepreneur. What did the entrepreneur address when he introduced his idea? He addressed a problem that most people have, shortage of storage space in their closets. His solution, a bag that can be compressed by a vacuum cleaner.
There is actually such a product which was first marketed on TV in one of those long infomercials and is now currently being sold in big stores throughout America, such as Wal-Mart, Meijer, and other like stores.
It is very possible that the entrepreneur who made his millions on those vacuum storage bags first pitched his idea in a kind of conversation at a cocktail party as in the above example and took the business card from his investor.
Remember, if you show yourself that you are familiar with how business works and speak the same language that they speak, you will make a good impression and possibly win a deal.
Now, for those of you who are not invited to those closed cocktail parties, and didn’t get those investors business cards we have a solution for you, for the last 7 years we collected info from similar cocktail parties and other resources and developed an easy to use investors directory with thousands of similar business cards with full contact details, and you can even sort the investors according to your industry and only contact relevant investors…
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You can do this by drafting a teaser email which can do the same thing as an elevator pitch.
Just compile a mailing list with as many investors as you wish and e-mail them all with the click of a mouse from within our investors directory – very easy!
A good example of a teaser email is as follows.
Hi,
My name is John and I have this idea that can solve a big problem.
Many people have a problem finding enough space in their closets at home and are looking for many space saving devices. I have a special airtight bag that you can put clothes in and suck the air out with the vacuum cleaner.
What problem does this solve?
A) When my airtight bag is sealed and the vacuum cleaner sucks out the air, the clothes get compressed and saves more space in the closet.
B)The bag’s vacuum adapter and airtight valve can fit any regular household vacuum cleaner.
This can reduce the costs of public storage, and furthermore these airtight bags are waterproof and clothes stay dry, even when there are floods. These bags also prevent insects and mildew and other problems associated with moister.
Sincerely,
John Brown
Don’t forget that you can email your teaser email to a lot of investors at once with a single click of the mouse on the
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The largest investors database has been updated so that you can benefit from its exquisite features: you get instant access to over 4,600 worldwide business contacts, such as venture capitalists, angel investors, secret investors and management team members and you can contact them from within the software with a simple one-click emailing system. What is more, you will be able to create your own customized lists, that is, lists containing desired investors sorted according to their industry, stage and geographic preference and to their minimim and maximum amount of funds invested. Spare time and money and focus on the pitch where you’ll meet the investors.
Also – did you know that soon, there will be an open investor cocktail party online, or at least the semblance of one? Yes, in the very near future, you will even be able to make your elevator pitch right on the program and the investors will be able to see you and your product prototype. Keep your eyes peeled for the best entrepreneur-investor service to come out on the web!
All the best and good luck!
Amir
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I sincerely think that many entrepreneurs can’t obtain capital because they don’t know what to say when the pitch investors. Sometimes they actually talk too much and become boring. It is important to know some tips regarding how to pitch investors.
Comment by dvensk — November 15, 2010 @ 4:05 am