Funding is the lifeblood of just about every business that needs to get off the ground. Without investors, many great ideas don’t end up seeing the light of day. One thing that many startup entrepreneurs need to be able to do is to ask for money. 

The process is called a pitch and it takes a special kind of talent to make one that works to encourage investors to back their project. The pitch should be persuasive, upbeat, and, most of all, convincing. With the right formula, the pitch should work and get the funding your startup needs. In this article, we will go over several tips that you should use to create your perfect pitch for investors. 

1 - Be confident

Somebody that is confident under a strain displays to everybody that they are in control. Trust is built that translates into a willingness to at least be open to the possibility of investing some money with that person. 

Asking for money is very intimidating and can reduce even the most self-assured person into somebody that stumbles on their words and has trouble under pressure. This isn’t to say that investors will be turned off, but they will have to be won over with much more effort. 

According to Lindsay Williams, a personal impact training expert, it helps to switch the focus from yourself to making the audience comfortable. Imagine you are the host of a party and concern yourself with your guests and not yourself. Speak slowly and in a low voice will also help to keep calm and exude confidence. Starting out on a confident footing will allow the potential investors to feel at ease and be open to responding positively for the rest of the pitch. 

2 - Tell a story

At a certain point, investors will need to see the nuts and bolts of the company to understand if there is something they feel comfortable backing. Before they get to that point, however, you need to elicit some emotion. This involves telling a story about the company or yourself.

Although it should be somewhat personal, it should also demonstrate what the company is trying to do and what problems it seeks to solve. Through an anecdotal story, you can help potential investors visualize what the company does and if it warrants a chance. At the same time, it should draw on human emotion to help them open up and want to help while they begin the information acquiring process. 

3 - Consider the investor’s needs

It’s very clear what your needs are. To get money from angel investors so your company can launch. What can end up happening is that the focus is on your needs at every point of the pitch. Yet, the needs of the investors should never be ignored. If you can include their needs in the pitch then it will set a tone that you will be responsible with their money. 

Before the pitch make sure to consider what their concerns would be. Make a list of all the potential issues they might have that could block them from investing. Then, make a point-by-point rebuttal to all of these concerns to show that answers their concerns they may not have even known that they had. 

4 - Make every moment count

A pitch doesn’t have a set amount of time that it should last. It can last five minutes or take over an hour. The key is that it should only be as long as it needs to be. Make sure to cut any fat out of it that doesn’t move the story forward. 

Every moment should count for something. Whether it is to draw out an emotion from the investors or to show how a problem is solved by the company, you should make sure that each moment actually contributes to the success. Doing otherwise could have the opposite effect as too much fluff will bore the listeners and turn them off from investing. 

5 - Follow up

Once the pitch is over, the real work begins. There is still more to do as the investors will need time to process what they learned and to crunch the numbers. It is vital to follow up afterward to connect with them in case they have other questions or concerns that weren’t addressed by the pitch.

Be brief and respect their time, but within 24 hours of the pitch, make sure to reach out by phone or email and give them the opportunity to let you know if they need anything at all.