Pitching: Advice from an expert

I was recently talking with a friend who works in sales. He regularly makes over 100 cold calls per week, buying investment real estate. I was asking him for advice on pitching and he told me about an impactful conversation he once had. He told me of the time he had an opportunity to grab coffee with a man who is the head of an $800 million endowment fund.

My friend heard this man speak at a conference and was able to ask him a question afterward. He asked what his advice would be when pitching for investor capital. The man quickly replied, “We should get coffee.” He followed through and my friend was able to sit down and chat with him on this topic.

This man had one main point of advice. He said that one of the most important things when pitching to investors is to openly discuss all the possible objections. He noted the importance of beating the listener to his/her critique by visiting the objections before they have a chance to comment on them. This is something that not many people consider when pitching. Most people try to present all the positives, while seeking to bury the negatives.

It can be difficult to look at the thing that you are excited about and critique it. But this is a crucial step. The important thing to remember is that the investor will be reviewing your pitch differently than you, as the presenter. The investor looks at all the ways something can fail. The person pitching looks at it with a bit more optimism and tends to see the ways it can succeed.

It is important, as the one pitching to look at the presentation from the investors perspective. In this way, objections can be addressed before they are brought up. This will instill trust and confidence in the audience.