Pitch Perfect: A startups guide to excel in dynamic pitching

By Raihan Hadi

Have you been wondering how to pitch your big idea successfully when the next golden opportunity comes knocking at your door?

You’ve probably done it before without any fruition, and that can happen for so many reasons. 

I bet one of those reasons might have been the fact that you weren’t aware of how to make that pitch foolproof and perfect. Wouldn’t you love to learn how to do that?

You’ve come to the right place, because I’m about to have a conversation with Dr. Feranita to explore the reasons as to why pitches go south, and what we can do to make them count.

Dr. Feranita, a Senior Lecturer at Taylor’s Business School, is the founding director of Family Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Centre  at Taylor’s University. Coming from a business background, she is an expert on dynamic pitching for startups and business ventures.

Let’s roll the ball.

Off the bat, why does a business pitch fail?

Considering that a business has had some traction and market demand, and is being pitched to the right investor, the pitch itself may go sideways if the delivery is underwhelming.

Investors hear startup pitches all the time, and more than often one pitch is almost identical to the next, so even with the aforementioned factors in place, they might not be enough to make it special.

There have been many instances when great startups were overlooked simply because they weren’t able to stand out by delivering an exceptional pitch.

The best time to win the enthusiasm of investors is during that exceptional and unforgettable first pitch. It is vital to ensure that even if an investor sat through twenty pitches on the day you’re pitching as well, yours remains to be the phenomenal one that will stand a chance for a deal.

So make an offer they can’t refuse? How do you do that?

Preparation is a vital part of a successful pitch. And by that I mean the pitch deck as well as the delivery. 

You might be pitching to investors for the first time, but it shouldn’t be your first time ever. Before you face investors, it is imperative that you have a few different pitch decks prepared, and if possible, other than just trying it out in front of a mirror, try it with someone who’s willing to listen.

You need to ensure that you do not trip over your words or get nervous even before the questions begin.

Recording yourself helps too, but that’s just the delivery, there’s so much more involved in a pitch.

And investors do ask a lot of questions right?

Investors are, more often than not, experienced business owners. They know which investments are good and which ones are not. And they will most certainly grill you with questions.

Hence, be mentally prepared to answer tough questions and most importantly, be confident.

it’s very important to remember that if the person you’re practicing your pitch on, fails to remember what your business is about, and was not impressed with your delivery – you have work to do.

And going back to your drawing board to fill up those blanks will definitely help you face investors more confidently because you will know what you will be doing with their investment.

Does Taylor’s have a short course covering all these?

Of course! 

The world is becoming more and more challenging every day. An entrepreneur is born almost every hour, and they all have innovative ideas. But not all of them have that natural talent or charisma to prepare and deliver their ideas perfectly.

And we all know how aggressively us Asians strive to become entrepreneurs, generating a plethora of amazing ideas at break-neck speed.

With Taylor’s MicroCreds, the professional short course we offer at Taylor’s, we ensure that entrepreneurs, executives, and anyone who wants to deliver great pitches out there is fully trained, prepared and ready to face the challenges thrown at them by every potential investor.

I’m intrigued! Where do I get all the info?

Just visit our site and collect your ticket to success.