Helpful Tips About Some Things You Should Avoid Doing in a Business Pitch

In a pitch, you should not:

-Start with an apology (“I’m sorry this is so long/short”)
-Use jargon or acronyms without defining them first
-Make assumptions about the listener’s knowledge
-Be too vague (“I’ve got a great idea for a company!”)
-Get sidetracked
-Be overly confident or cocky
-Talk for too long.

Mistake #1: Not Doing Your Research

If you’re going to make a pitch, you need to do your research. That means knowing who your audience is, what they want, and what you can offer them. It also means understanding the competition and what sets you apart. Without this knowledge, your pitch will likely fall flat.

Mistake #2: Not Having a Clear Goal.:

When making a pitch, you need to have a clear goal in mind. What are you trying to achieve? What do you want the outcome of the pitch to be? If you’re not clear on this from the start, it will be difficult to make a compelling argument for why someone should invest in what you’re offering.

Mistake #3: Being Too Salesy.:

Your pitch should not be all about selling. In fact, if it comes across as too sales y, it’s likely to turn people off. Instead, focus on providing value and solving problems. This is what will ultimately get people interested in working with you or investing in your product or service.

Mistake #2: Failing to Address Concerns

When you’re pitching your business to potential investors, it’s important to be prepared for their questions and concerns. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is failing to address these concerns head-on.

Investors are going to want to know about the risks involved in your business, and if you’re not prepared to discuss them, it will reflect poorly on you and your company. Be honest about the challenges you’re facing and what you’re doing to mitigate them. This will show that you’re aware of the risks and that you have a plan for dealing with them.

In addition, investors are going to want to see that you have a clear understanding of your customers and your competition. They’ll want to know how you plan on acquiring customers and what makes your product or service better than what’s already out there. If you can’t answer these questions convincingly, it’s unlikely that they’ll invest in your company.

Finally, don’t forget to address any legal or regulatory issues that could impact your business. Investors need reassurance that these issues won’t derail your plans or put their investment at risk. If there are any red flags here, be sure to explain why they shouldn’t be a concern for investors.

By taking the time to address investor concerns head-on, you’ll increase the chances of securing funding for your business.

Mistake #3: Being Too Defensive

When you’re in the middle of a pitch, it’s easy to get defensive if things aren’t going your way. Maybe the client is challenging your ideas, or maybe they’re just not responding well to what you’re saying. Either way, getting defensive is only going to make matters worse.

Instead of getting defensive, try to stay calm and confident. Remember that you know your product or service better than anyone else, and that you’re there to help the client solve a problem. If they’re not responding well to what you’re saying, it’s probably because they don’t understand the issue as well as you do. So try explaining things in a different way, or giving them an example of how your product or service can help them.

Getting defensive will only make the client think that you’re not confident in what you’re offering. So stay calm, be confident, and keep trying to find a way to explain things that will click with the client.

Mistake #4: Being Boring

How do you ruin a perfectly good pitch? By being boring, of course. Boring pitches are often long-winded, filled with jargon, and lack any real punch. If you want to ensure that your pitch falls flat, make sure it’s as yawn-inducing as possible.

Here’s the thing: no one wants to hear a snooze-fest of a pitch. When you’re trying to sell someone on your product or service, you need to be dynamic and engaging. Otherwise, you’re just going to lose their attention – and their business.

So how can you avoid being boring when pitching? Here are a few tips:

1) Keep it short and sweet. No one wants to sit through a 10-minute diatribe about your product. Get to the point quickly and use simple language that everyone can understand.

2) Be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm is contagious, so if you’re passionate about what you’re pitching, chances are good that your audience will be too. Just make sure not to go overboard – there’s nothing worse than an over-enthusiastic salesperson who won’t take “no” for an answer.

Mistake #5: Projecting the Wrong Image

One of the most important aspects of pitching is creating and projecting the right image. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs make the mistake of projecting the wrong image during their pitch, which can be disastrous.

Some common mistakes include: -Dressing inappropriately for the occasion -Failing to make eye contact -Talking too fast -Using too much jargon Each of these can give off the wrong impression and make it difficult for investors to take you seriously. It’s important to remember that first impressions matter, so take the time to dress professionally and present yourself in a way that exudes confidence. Be sure to make eye contact and speak slowly and clearly so that your audience can understand you. And finally, avoid using jargon or technical terms that your audience may not be familiar with – stick to plain language instead. By taking care to project the right image, you’ll improve your chances of making a successful pitch and securing funding for your business.

Mistake #6: Not Reporting on Your Progress

If you’re not reporting on your progress, you’re not doing your job. It’s that simple. Your investors want to see how their money is being used to grow the company, and if you’re not keeping them in the loop, they’re going to get frustrated. Keep them updated on your progress and let them know what milestones you’ve achieved.

Mistake #7: Relying Only on Formal Pitches

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve been taught that the key to success is a great pitch. And while it’s certainly important to be able to articulate your business idea in a clear and concise way, relying solely on formal pitches is a mistake.

There are a number of reasons why relying only on formal pitches is a mistake. First, it’s important to remember that not everyone responds to pitches in the same way. Some people are visual learners and will need to see something in order to really understand it. Others are auditory learners and will need to hear you explain your idea in order for it to make sense. And still others are kinesthetic learners and will need to experience your product or service in order to really get it.

So if you’re only pitching your idea in one way (i.e., through formal presentations), you’re likely excluding a large portion of the population that could be potential customers or partners.

Second, even if someone does respond well to formal pitches, they’re likely only going to remember so much about what you said after the fact. This is because our brains can only process so much information at once, and when we’re bombarded with too much information all at once (as we often are during presentations), we tend to tune out or forget what we’ve heard altogether.

Finally, when you rely too heavily on formal pitching, you run the risk of coming across as sales y or pushy. Remember: people buy from those they know, like, and trust-not from those who pitch them incessantly! If you want people to invest in your business (whether that means giving you money, partnering with you, etc.), focus on building relationships first and foremost-pitching should always be secondary.

Mistake #8: Not Addressing Deficiencies

When you’re putting together a pitch, it’s important to be honest about any potential deficiencies in your product or service. Otherwise, you run the risk of coming across as unprepared or even deceptive.

Some deficiencies are easy to spot and address. For example, if you’re pitching a new app that hasn’t been released yet, you can simply say that it’s currently in development and will be available soon.

Other deficiencies are more difficult to talk about without sounding like you’re making excuses. If your product is still in beta testing, for example, you might want to avoid mentioning that altogether. Instead, focus on the positive aspects of what your product does have to offer.

In general, it’s best to be upfront about any potential weaknesses in your pitch so that investors know what they’re getting into. Trying to hide or downplay them will only make things worse if they eventually come to light later on down the road.