Yes! Pitch decks are important because of their process. You’re flushing out your business plan!
The preference for pitch decks endures for all the right reasons. They essentially replaced tried and true business plans – the foundational document most of the people you’re pitching were married to for decades. A pitch deck lends itself to a conversation, allows for branding and is easier to consume overall.
Start with something personal, then define the problem. Who is feeling the pain? What pain are they feeling? Can you quantify that somehow? Then it should naturally flow into your solution. Practice your pitch out loud like an actor with a monologue. Your comfort level affects your performance, and practicing your pitch creates comfort with the material. You don’t need to focus on finding the words – they’re already there. It’s almost like muscle memory.
If you have good traction data, include it at a very high level. You don’t want some big, messy financial table. Make a clear chart. Consider the following:
What’s the lifetime value of a customer? What’s your customer acquisition cost? What’s your gross margin? Things that help tell the story you want.
Zoom pitching is a different experience. First and foremost, stare as much as you can into that camera. Pretend the person’s on the other side of it. You can feel the difference. Be expressive. Everyone tends to fall flat over video. Bring energy to your voice and physical expression. Make a point to modulate your tone.
Focus first on getting a meeting. No one’s signing an NDA when scheduling a meeting. The point of the pitch is to garner enough interest to earn a follow-up conversation where you will naturally go into greater detail for which you might request an NDA.
Allison Byers is the founder & CEO of Scroobious, and is an in-demand Techstars mentor. She is an MBA with 15+ years’ experience building and leading startups across multiple industries. She has deep experience utilizing data to understand human behavior, strategic planning, fundraising, and product management. Allison throws her full passion and grit into whatever she’s trying to achieve along with a healthy dose of humor.