This part is actually very important, but most people actually tend to skip this section. In this step, by introducing you and your co-founders and your company, you are able to help the audience feel like they are more familiar with you, or they know you, and it makes them feel more comfortable hearing what you have to say.
Things to say:
1. I am X, and I am here with my co-founders Y, and Z.
2. We are X (Company), and our mission is to help Y around the world do Z.
This is also extremely important, but one of the most overlooked section. This section is important because you give them an outline of all the information you are going to give them, so when they do get it, they will be able to connect the dots.
Things to say:
1. We are making product that does X.
2. Then we're going to let you know why our customers are so excited about our solution.
3. We'll also let you about the market opportunity, where we're at now, and where we are going.
Over here you need to describe the problem in layman terms so that everyone in the audience can understand. Even if your problem is a commonplace one, you shouldn't assume that the audience knows what you are talking about. Or, even if they know this is a problem, they don't know how big of a problem it is.
The goal here is to help them relate to it, and let them know how HUGE and painful of a problem it is, and people are begging to have it solved. Also, many problems are illustrated using stories, as stories activates people's brains. Tell stories!
Things to say:
1. What are the problems. Point them out step by step.
2. How long this problem has been around. Is it a new or an old problem?
3. Mention how it's been around and no one has solved it. Mention a bigger picture of what the problem causes.
3. Mention your target customers. Include a picture of the target customer, and give him/her a name.
4. Tell a story of the target customer's day addressing how the problem plays a role.
5. Describe how that problem intervenes with the customer's life.
6. How painful is that problem?. Is it time wasted? Money wasted? Pure frustration?
6. Emphasize so that the audience can relate to it and feel how bad it is.
7. Use the right keywords that yor target customers resonate with. People's brains are wired to respond to keywords, and not descriptions of the keywords.
8. People listen to stories, not features or benefits. Stories will help them remember your brand.
Most people will not know how big of a problem it is before you tell them. Tell them why they should care by letting them know that this is a problem that affect tens of millions of people, and not 100 people.
Things to say:
1. According to study, there are X people in Y country/world that has this problem.
2. Here's the data to back it up. (Optional)
3. If you ask 100 people out of the X people, at least Y% of those will tell you they have this problem.
Now that you have imprinted the pain into the audience, now is the time to let them know that you are here to save the world. In this section you tell them a high level of the pitch of how your solution solves the problem. Mention some of the benefits that addresses the problems, and then go into a short demo user case.
Also another thing is that often times the best way to make your solution relevant and understandable is to put it into perspective of how much time or money is saved because of your solution, because in the end those are usually the things any product does.
Things to say:
1. Tell them how your solution solves the problem.
2. Mention 2-3 benefits of your solution that strengthens your claim.
3. Transition into your demo, showing them how it actually works. Only show the process of the key features. The shorter and more to-the-point the demo is, the more powerful it is, as th audience can immediately see how easily your solution can solve the problem in question.
4. If you don't have a functioning demo, use mockups to put together a demo.
5. Use a video or screenshots. Do not depend on the internet working for you.
Now that they know what the problem is, the size of the problem, and your solution. It's now to go into who exactly has this problem. You want to also explain the buyers' motivations and their economics.
Things to say:
1. "Our customers are X, and these are the people who waste Y hours and $Z daily because of this problem."
2. "These people have already been spending $X on alternatives hoping to solve their problems, but they have not been able to."
3. We are planning to price our solution at $X.
Every company has competitors. You cannot possibly imagine people will believe that such a big problem doesn't have a solution yet.
However, at this point, since you've been following the flow strictly, you have their attention and they will hear how you are different and better than the existing alternatives. If possible, explain how your customers are currently using the alternatives, and how much time or hour they are wasting.
Things to say:
1. Quickly go through the alternatives.
2. Describe how they have been going about solving the problem wrong.
3. Tell them something you know that they don't know
4. Then explain how your solution is different and better.
This is actually where you really close the deal. This is where you get everyoe excited. Before this, everything you've said before are all according to you. If you can show your traction, then you can easily back up everything you've said in the last few minutes. Once you show screenshots or any evidence of customers approving of your solution, whether by purchase, by endorsements, or by feedback, your crowd will know that your solution is real, and are ready to throw money at you.
Things to say:
1. Have you already gotten users? how many?
2. Show proofs of how customers have validated your solution. Either by screenshots or other evidence.
3. (Optional) Show that users love your solution, and make it obvious they couldn't find a solution elsewhere.
Now that you have them in the zone, let them know how much money exactly can you make from this venture. Let them know of the bigger picture. Include real research data so they can believe you (If you haven't already provided this in a section before this). Your estimates should be very realistic. Do not inflate it, as your audience can call you out easily.
Things to say:
1. How big is this market? Site source of the data.
2. Perhaps use existing companies and the market share they own as a reference point.
3. How big of that market can you own.
4. How much money do you plan to charge.
5. How much revenue does that translate to.
Investors often care about the team way more than the idea. You've already presented to the public how you are going to solve the problem. How you are going to tell them that your team has the capability to execute what you have covered.
Things to say:
1. Show pictures of the team.
2. Introduce roles and previous experiences for each of the co-founder. Try to emphasize the experiences of skills each co-founder has that addresses building this solution. Mention years of experience.
Usually pitches are about trying to get funding. However, here you should also include what kind of help you will need in the next step of your company to grow. Usually startups find a lot of help when they openly discuss about what help they will need for your startup.
Things to say:
1. How much money are you raising, how much have you raised, the timeframe for raising it, what is that funding going to cover, and for how long is that money going to cover.
2. Ask for help on early adopters, mentors, industry insight, introductions, referrals, etc. Basically ask for anything that you need. It's very likely someone in th crowd will have something for you.
3. Other action items that may interest the crowd.
At this point, we're basically done with the presentation. So, here is a very important section you want to deliver to help the audience remember when they wake up next morning, or when you call them a few days later to ask for some help. Here you summarize everything you've said in the last 5 minutes so they can remember it in a memorable way.
See this as Steve Job's "One last thing". As insignificant as this is, this is how Steve Jobs makes everyone feel that magic.
There are a few ways you can close:
1. Go point by point to summarize the whole presentation in a succinct and memorable way. Try to put in all the main points. For instance if you have traction, then always mention traction as one of the points.
Example:
"So today we talked about 3 things.
1. We talked about how 90% of startups are failing, and they are failing for many reasons that can be avoided.
2. Our step-by-step guide has proven to solve this problem for many of our startups, and we're continuing to grow at a fast speed.
3. We've already gotten 1000 startups within 1 month, and we are still quickly growing with 30% of registered startups going through our guide and seeing results."
2. Explain the problem again, then the solution. Put all of that into perspective and a memorable way. End it with an invitation to contact you and your contact information.
Example: "So, for these last 20 years of internet startups, we've seen more than 85% of startups fail. If you want to start a startup, it would've been very frustrating to get all the right resources and tools. It also would've been really hard to know what to do, how you do them, when you do them, and what else you can do.
That time is over. StartitUp is the definitive startup guide with all the resources and tools you need to build a successful startup. StartitUp puts every entrepreneur or wantrepeneur at the same level and knowledge as the guys who have been doing this for years.
If you'd like to learn more about our guide, or if you'd like to contribute to the guide. please contact me at [email protected]
Other tips:
1. Communicate passion and drive. Tell them you guys have been growing, customers love us, and you think you guys are going to make it huge.
2. Invite the customers to speak to you after the talk.
3. Leave your contact information - phone + email.
