By Kosochukwu Frank Gwam
A pitch-deck is important for every owner of businesses; either as small start-ups or as a growing brand. It briefly tells about your idea and its prospects. Creating a winning pitch deck is an essential part of raising funds or pitching your ideas to potential investors or clients.
Following the do’s of creating a winning pitch deck can help you increase your chances of delivering a compelling pitch that captures the attention of investors or customers and gets results. Here are some:
1. Keep it simple and focused. Avoid cluttering the slides with too much information or graphics that distract from your main message. Keep your pitch deck simple and focused. Do not stray off the key points you intend to communicate.
2. Use a clear and visually appealing design. Make it clean and professional such that it enhances your message and makes your pitch deck easy to understand. Use visuals that help to illustrate your points.
3. Provide a clear and compelling value proposition. Clearly articulate the unique selling point of your product or service. Explain what sets your solution apart from the competition and why it is a better alternative.
4. Show evidence of market demand and traction. Provide facts that tell about the fact that there is a strong market demand for your product or service. Share metrics and data that demonstrate traction, such as user growth, revenue, and customer feedback.
5. Address potential concerns and objections. Predict possible problems that investors or customers may have, and address them proactively in your pitch deck. This goes to tell of how you must have thought through potential challenges and are prepared to tackle them.
6. Tell a compelling story. Use storytelling techniques to make your pitch more engaging, interesting and memorable. Tell a story that connects emotionally with your audience and helps to illustrate the problem you are solving. Don’t just present a list of facts and figures; tell a story that captures your audience’s attention and imagination.
7. Include a clear call to action. End your pitch with a clear call to action that tells your audience what you want them to do next. This could be scheduling a follow-up meeting, investing in your company, or trying your product or service.
8. Include the team slide. Investors and clients are not just investing in your idea but in the team behind it. Include a slide that highlights the experience, skills, and qualifications of your team members. If necessary, you can include the image of each team member. Just be sure to make it look really nice, attractive and interesting to behold.
Furthermore, by avoiding the don’ts, you can save yourself from falling into dangerous pitch-deck writing traps; and you’d be a better creative pitch-deck writer. Some of the Don’ts to not take for granted are as follows:
1. Don’t cram too much information. One of the most significant don’ts of creating a winning pitch deck is cramming too much information onto each slide. Your pitch deck should be visually appealing, easy to read, and easy to understand. Keep your slides clean, concise, and focused on the most important points.
2. Don’t make your pitch deck unnecessarily long. Investors and clients have limited attention spans, so don’t make your pitch deck dragging. Aim for a maximum of 15 slides and make sure your presentation time duration should be within 20 minutes. Avoid using too much industry-specific jargon or technical terms that your audience may not understand. Your pitch deck should be easy to understand, even for people outside your industry.
3. Don’t ignore your audience’s needs. Match your pitch deck to the specific interests of your audience. A well grounded research can help your understanding of what the client is looking for in your business or idea.
4. Don’t oversell. In as much as it is important to be enthusiastic and confident in your pitch, avoid overselling your business or idea. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses; and also, provide realistic projections.
5. Don’t ignore design principles. A well-designed pitch deck can make a big difference in how your audience perceives your business or idea. Use design principles like color, typography, and layout to create a visually appealing and professional-looking deck. Don’t rely too heavily on text. Your pitch deck should have a mix of images, graphics, and text to keep it visually interesting and engaging. If you’re using text, keep it short and direct to the point.
6. Don’t overlook the competition. It’s essential to acknowledge your competition in your pitch deck. Investors want to know that you understand the market and the competition you’re up against. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses compared to your competitors.
7. Don’t neglect the financials. Your pitch deck should include financial information about your business or idea. Investors want to know that you have a viable business model and a plan for generating revenue. Be sure to include projections and any relevant financial data.
8. Don’t forget to practice. Ensure you practice your pitch before presenting it. You should be comfortable with your pitch deck and able to present it confidently and convincingly. Practice in front of friends, family, or colleagues and ask for feedback to improve your delivery.
Conclusively, creating a winning pitch deckMr Ralph now concerning this matter on ground, he explained that when he came to ikeja,he told Mr phillip he should check inside the hand over documents bag. requires careful attention to detail and a focus on presenting the most important information in a clear, concise, and engaging manner. Dutifully following the do’s and don’ts will help you create a pitch deck that will impress potential investors and clients and increase your chances of success.