 |
|
 |
Home |
 |
 |
 |
Entrepreneurs |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Investors |
|
|
 |
Blog |
|
|
 |
Testimonials |
|
|
 |
In The Press |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
What our members have to say...
 |
"This is the best money I've spent so far trying to attract qualified investors.
I've attended several VC and Angel Investor events over the past year to attract investors and this site has attracted the most relevant and qualified investors so far. Thanks! "
|
|
James Fitzgerald - ChainStar USA |
|
|
|
|
10 Tips On How To Pitch Your Start-Up To New Clients
|
|
Back in the day when I was running at full speed in the corporate hamster wheel, I used to get around 5-10 calls and emails per day from tech companies pitching their product. The vast majority of these never went beyond first contact, simply because many companies seen unable to clearly and concisely present their product.
Here are ten tips from my own personal experience on how to get your company in the door.
1. Fix your web site. It never fails to amaze me how many start-ups have incredible products, but horrendously confusing web sites. Corporate execs are busy and will often visit a company's site to get an instant sense of what it's about. Cut the bloated fluff and just tell me in clear, simple terms what you do and why it's relevant to me.
2. Speak to me like I'm a reasonably intelligent 15-year-old. You should know by now that big job titles don't necessarily equate to big attention spans. No need to patronize, but tell me in plain English what you do and why I should care. If you begin using fuzzy speak like "leverage our enterprise class video distribution engine" then we'll likely have a problem. Keep it simple and direct.
3. Don't use my name repeatedly in every sentence you utter in an attempt to build rapport. It's annoying.
4. Don't add me to your company's email newsletter list simply because I replied to YOUR initial email. Just because I work for a corporation doesn't mean the concept of spam no longer applies.
5. Understand that I am under no obligation to reply to your initial email. I've seen biz dev/sales guys get snarky in emails if their repeated attempts to initiate contact go unanswered. Keep in mind that I have hundreds of things going on at any one time and - therefore - the onus is on you to make your product stand out from the crowd. I didn't ask you to contact me and thus you shouldn't feel entitled to a reply.
6. Luck plays a huge role.
In many cases a vendor will - by chance - email me about a product at the exact time I'm thinking about an upcoming project for which it would be a perfect fit for. I've signed several contracts on this basis and it illustrates how persistence will pay off. As Gary Player once said, "The more I practice, the luckier I get"!
7. Hold off on the rambling voicemails. I often receive voicemails that are sometimes 3 or 4 minutes in length. Sometimes it seems as if the sales guy/gal is trying to tell me the company's entire history and product offering in a single voicemail. My advice is to skip the voicemails and wait until you speak to an actual person - but if you feel really compelled to leave a message keep it simple, direct and to the point.
8. Case studies are critical. The majority of successful ideas are simply copied from other people and then executed or marketed slightly better. Same is true at corporations, which is why we're fascinated by case studies. A good case study that is short and to the point is worth its weight in gold and can really help bring your product to life.
9. Don't tell me you know how to solve all my company's problems. We've been trying to solve them for months and years and we're not THAT stupid. Lots of vendors come to the table with a blueprint that they believe can make you a shed load of money, re-invent your brand and attract millions of engaged customers. It's important to believe in your product but don't try to pull the wool over my eyes with unrealistic, fantastical projections.
and finally the big one.....
10. Know what your company's unique value is! I understand that start-ups need to be nimble and often change strategies several times in their lifecycle. That's ok, as long as when you talk to me you can articulate why your company is special. I get a LOT of calls from companies who pitch themselves as "full service agencies" or "digital marketing agencies", which immediately screams of trying to be all things to all people.
|
|
|
|
|
