Grab the attention of your audience
The first few minutes of your presentation are crucial. If the audience isn't wowed from that point, then they'll start to doubt you and lose interest in what you have to say - so it's important not just for salespeople but anyone with something new or exciting to share! The beginning should be engaging and capture their attention, like a movie trailer at the theater leading up to an action-packed blockbuster film.
What’s your reason for being in business? What are you hoping to accomplish with your social venture.?
The Vision
What’s the problem? This is your opportunity to set the stage that proves the importance of the programs, products, or services that your social venture provides. This is an extension of your elevator pitch. Your audience must understand that the problems and the solutions your company offers. Make sure to give enough details for them to become interested in what you do and instinctively want to find out more.
The Problem
What is going on in society or your business that you feel compelled to solve and needs an influx of cash to accomplish? How does this problem affect your business or the community in general? Be able to tell what’s creating havoc and how it will affect not just the people having the problem but also others by proxy.
The Solution
You have your mission, vision, and problem down packet, but now you need to tell the audience what you will be doing to solve this issue. What is your role in the grand scheme of things? What solutions do you have to solve this problem and/or who do you have to help? Explain the value and benefits of the product, program, or services.
Relevant Traction
How have you been doing so far? This is where you shine. Prove that what you have been doing is actually creating an impact on the population you serve. Incorporate some testimonials, milestones, relevant press attention, or partnerships to grabs the attention of potential investors. You don’t want to include too much data here, just a high-level overview supporting your relevance and keeping the process going.
Supporting Details
Drive home the point! This is where you share all of the convincing details to support and prove that you and your team can do the job. Hit them with facts and figures.
Give your investors an idea of where you are. Your potential investors need to know the possible size of the market that you will be serving. You need to use data that you have collected from reputable sources to drive this point home. You have the market to make a profit and give them a return on investment.
Business Model
How is your company going to make money? At the end of the day, an investor’s ultimate goal is to make money. They want their return on investment (ROI) as quickly as possible – 6 months to a year in most cases. You need to exhibit that your business model and growth strategies are viable enough to garner a profit. Show the potential for growth and ROI over the next 3 to 5 years.
Competition
Every business owner has competitors. You are not the only person in your industry doing what you do. You may have a unique approach to doing it, but someone else is doing something similar or the same thing. You need to know who these people are, what they do, how they do it, who they are doing it for, and at what price point. Make sure to put out your unique value in this section. Your uniqueness makes a difference.
You cannot just build it and expect them (your audience) to come. If you want them to engage, you have to make the first step. So, what is your strategy for engaging your core audience? How will you stand out from the crowd in the marketplace to persuade your ideal customer to pick you over your competitors? Showcase your unique marketing strategy here.
Why are your team members an asset to your venture? Emphasize the wealth of knowledge and skills they bring to the table and how that is converted into revenue.
What You Want
Get to the point. What do you want? Make it clear and ask boldly for it. You have spent all of the other slides building up to this; you should be able to ask without worrying that you did not provide enough content for the potential investors to make an informed decision. Whatever your ultimate reasons were for this pitch, this is your time to express it and close the deal. Make sure to explain your company’s valuation and be prepared to discuss counteroffers.
Put Together
Although raising money may seem complicated, a great pitch deck will help you tell a powerful story about your company. Don’t forget to interject relevant stories in your presentation to drive home the key points you want your audience to pay attention to when pitching. Also, remember that visuals matter, and make sure that your slides are visually captivating but not too busy.
You’ve got this! Good Luck, and Let’s Raise Some Money!
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