Congratulations, you have created your presentation. It is good but not great and while you have created something you aren’t confident it will be enough to win over the investors. I have been at this point before myself and have found there are 3 ways to add that extra sparkle, Substance, Structure and Sizzle.
In this blog I want to focus on the substance of your pitch and some suggestions to improve it.
Improving the substance of your presentation is the best way to improve it. This is because no amount of style can make up for zero substance.
Where to Start
The place to start is in the detail. Have you gone into enough detail about the market, your product or service, your business, or the opportunity? You can achieve this by adding additional slides of information, providing a tighter analysis of your customers, or a richer picture of your marketing strategy.
Break down in depth how the funds will be used and don’t be shy in using attractive charts and diagrams. You want to demonstrate not only figures and facts but insights into all aspects of your business.
More Advanced tips
Giving your presentation that more advanced level of polish will really make it stand out. Present contrarian points of view based on facts that make people think, use summaries and brevity to provide the key takeaways and don’t just state assertions, infer them.
Most importantly focus on storytelling. Paint a picture of who the boogeyman is to your users and keep the narrative free from clutter. Finally, leave some things implied but unsaid you don’t need to state the obvious.
The substance should be the first priority when trying to elevate your presentation. Focus here before moving on to structure and sizzle. You need to demonstrate in a clean and simple way that you are well informed and understand all aspects of the business.