The end of your pitch presentation is arguably even more important than the opening. Conclusions are your opportunity to summarise your proposition, invoke investor passions and persuade angels to invest in your business.
I believe your conclusion should be about 10-15% of your presentation and it should strive to achieve impact, connection and commitment. What do potential investors care about? What do they want to know? What will galvanise them to invest?
Creating impact
Making a strong impression is essential. Angels are investing their own money and taking their own decisions about where to invest. What’s in it for them? You need to stand out to persuade them to choose you.
- Summarise your business proposition with a clear restatement of your ‘elevator pitch’. Your content and style of delivery must be both congruent and stimulate desire among potential investors to be associated with you
- Use delivery to emphasise importance. Be clear in articulating your key message. Harness your vocal variety, tone of voice, passion and enthusiasm – SAMENESS is your biggest enemy when investors have a choice of where to invest
- End with a two-pronged appeal to investors – the benefits to them from getting involved and the returns they can expect to see now and in the longer-term
- A final strong statement. Make your final sentence the takeaway that encapsulates why your business is the best option, the benefits to angels and how to sign up as an investors.
Building engagement and commitment
Your audience needs to connect with you if they are to invest their personal wealth in your business. How do you build a strong connection, stimulate desire to invest in you?
- Know your audience. If you don’t know what makes them tick, how can you meaningfully connect with them? Be sure to do your preparatory groundwork
- Use personal stories and anecdotes to engage powerfully. Angels need to live and breathe your integrity, experience, commitment and enthusiasm. They need to believe in you as well as in the strength of your business proposition
- Words alone are not enough. Show them what you stand for. Highlight the benefits to them. Show them your call to action as appealing to the things they particularly care about
- Cause conversation through controversy, humour, and/or great stories. Leave them wanting to share their excitement with their friends, wanting to be involved in this rewarding and profitable relationship/partnership.
Reeling them in
As entrepreneurs, you want investors to remember what you say, share your proposition and, most importantly, invest in you:
- Use a relevant prop, image or catchy, repeatable phrase during your pitch – one that will serve as a trigger – something about your business proposition, the experience and enthusiasm of the team …. Used again at the end of your presentation, it will reinforce your key message and stick in people’s minds
- Invite your audience to take up or consider the opportunity to invest. Tone of voice is crucial
- Take the words of an influential and relevant figure, customers or other investors that resonate with your audience and invite them to do as they have done.
Ultimately, it’s the ending of your pitch that will determine whether angels invest in you. So don’t waste those last few minutes – make them work for you long after you have left the room.
