An investment meeting, undoubtedly, is the most crucial part of any start-up or entrepreneur’s career. No matter how prepared you are, how brilliant your business idea is, an investment meeting can be perturbing.
Your months of hard work can go downhill if you are not prepared well for the meeting. Make sure to be well prepared for everything, right from tackling objections to preparing a pitch deck.
You will have to provide only one deck consisting of 10 to 12 slides. But if you have two pitch decks for an investment meeting they shouldn’t contradict each other. You can present a pitch deck that provides an overview of your business plan during your investment meeting and send a more detailed one to your investor’s office for later reference if needed. So, you can have 2 pitch decks for an investment meeting.
Read along to get prepared by elucidating the dos and don’ts of an investment meeting and strike a chord with your investors!
Impressing your investor :
More than closing the deal, the goal of your first investment meeting must be to make an impression on your investor and get the next meeting with him/her. So, here are a few tested steps to get your investor interested in your business idea:
Step: 1 Know your investors.
By knowing your investors, you can gain more confidence while pitching in your ideas. Make sure to research their previous investments, the most successful funding, and their biggest miscarriage. By knowing all these, you can get an overview of their probable anticipations and make suitable changes in your outline before the meeting.
Step: 2 Acknowledge your contenders
Make a list of companies offering the same services as you are and explain to your investor the changes, you’ll be implementing to make your business stand out. Never forget to analyze the market status and expected contenders because no matter how unique your business is, you’ll always have competition.
Step: 3 Have brainstorming sessions.
No matter how prepared you are and how great your business idea is, you’ll always face some trouble during your meeting with the investors. To avoid such setbacks, you can have brainstorming sessions with your partners or employees. You can discuss the possible questions that your investor might ask, the objections he/she might express, and articulate suitable responses.
Step: 4 Prepare your questions.
In the heat of the moment, you might not be aware of the questions you ask your investor. Sometimes, your questions or the way you ask them can come off as a little rude or portray you as irresponsible. So make sure you ask sensible questions.
Step: 5 Designing pitch deck.
A pitch deck is, basically, a brief presentation that gives an overview of your business idea to potential investors, clients, or partners. Make sure you design your pitch deck in a way that shows your investors that you have put in some effort and prepared for the meeting. Ensure that you never miss any point and keep it crisp at the same time.
Read along to find out more about pitch decks and how to design an impressive one in just a few simple steps!
Pitch decks:
What should my pitch deck include?
Your pitch deck must give an overview of your business idea and include all the points you wish your investors must know before making his/her decision. The following are the slides that your presentation must include:
- Introduction – your story
- Your team
- Problem statement
- Your proposed solution (business idea)
- Advantages of your solution
- Service or product overview
- Traction
- Market scope
- Industrial competition
- Business model
- Approximate budget
- Your contact details
Make sure your pitch deck isn’t too long – your goal is to impress your investor, not bore him to tears. During your presentation, keep things crisp to give investors the impression that you know what you are looking for, and you have confidence in your business plan.
Can I have two pitch decks for an investment meeting?
Yes, you can have two pitch decks for an investment meeting. However, they shouldn’t contradict each other. You can present a pitch deck that provides an overview of your business plan during your investment meeting and send a more detailed one to your investor’s office for later reference if needed. However, having a pitch deck that explains everything and is also boiled down to the details sets the tone.
Tips on designing a great pitch deck:
● Make your first impression the best impression by grasping the attention of your investors during the first 3-4 minutes of your presentation. Nothing matters more than that during an investor meeting.
● Enthrall your investors by beginning with the story that led to the beginning of your start-up.
● Express one idea per slide to prevent the attention deviation of your audience.
● Give your pitch deck a professional makeover by making the template, font, and size consistent and maintaining the color theme throughout the presentation.
● Make sure your presentation isn’t text-rich and image-poor or vice versa. It must have a perfect balance and express your idea in a nutshell.
● Lastly, do not go unprepared and read from the presentation or your script.
Frequently asked questions:
1. Is it okay to follow-up on my investor after my first investor meeting?
You can follow-up on your investor after your first meeting by:
- Sending an email to his/her office
- Making a phone call
- Connecting on LinkedIn.
2. Why do I need a pitch deck?
A pitch deck is a presentation that provides an overview of your business idea to potential investors, clients, or partners. Understand that the main idea of a pitch deck is to impress your investors to make them give you a second meeting. A pitch deck can take you a step further towards closing the deal with your investor.
3. How long can my pitch deck be?
Your pitch deck can have up to a maximum of twenty slides, with the minimum being twelve slides. Your pitch deck must grasp the attention of your investors, express your idea clearly, and be concise.
4. Can I have two pitch decks for an investor meeting?
Yes, you can have two pitch decks corresponding to the same business plan as long as they don’t contradict each other. You can also present a short pitch deck during the meeting and send a more detailed one to your investor’s office if needed.