Your Impact from First Impressions: The Key to a Great Pitch

April 13, 2021 By Madeline Pernecky

What is a pitch?

A pitch is a verbal and visual presentation of your business plan to potential investors. A business pitch is often associated with startups because a business startup begins with a pitch.

Joseph Barisonzi from GLO and other business rising stars, like Lee Mayers, tell you to re-think your pitch as telling your story instead of following a boring outline.

Lee Mayer, CEO and founder of online interior design company, Havenly, recently addressed the importance of a good pitch in an interview with GLO’s Michelle Poscente. She stated that your pitch should feel like a novel. It should be a cohesive story that sells your vision. Creating a story allows your audience to form emotion around your pitch and your business goals. She states that, “your pitch should have a beginning, middle, and end… you should have a ‘so what’ and a ‘how to’” for your audience to engage with.

“What is a vision but a story” – Lee Mayer

Lee also suggests reading up on fiction books before writing your pitch to get you in the storytelling mindset.

What is your story?

Your pitch needs to match your audience. When you are telling any story, you are telling it to an audience. So, when you are creating your story, you need to know who your audience is. A pitch to an investor is different than a pitch to a banker, is different from a pitch to a potential business partner, is different from a pitch you give to your close friends and family about your business dealings.

Outlines you may find online may be good guides for a specific audience because they help explain what that audience, for example VC or angel investors, is expecting to hear. There are certain things that are expected for each type of pitch. For example, if you go to the bank and ask for a loan from a banker with the pitch you gave to VC investors, you are most likely not going to receive the loan.

You are the main character.

The core theme and characters of your story need to stay the same for each pitch.

Value propositions stay consistent within your story. You will be well-served to still be you and convey your core values for yourself and your business to each audience. If your story and values do not align or connect with your audience, then they may not be the right audience for you.

A pitch is also about finding that perfect match for you. Although it is important to appeal to as many audiences as you can to raise capital, these long-term investors need to align with your business values because they will be an important part of your business. It is important to recognize that the disconnect with a certain audience may come from a value misalignment, and that is okay.

Practice Pitching with GLO!

The original shark and GLO member Kevin Harrington has previously shared his expertise on the importance of a great business pitch with GLO. Kevin has discovered three key aspects of making a great pitch from his time on “Shark Tank.” The three keys include:

1. Tease your audience with an attention-grabbing problem.
2. Please your audience with powerful benefits.
3. Seize your audience by conveying an irresistible offer.

Jay Fairbrothers, another GLO leader and contributor has proved successful in the “Pitch Beyond” workshop with the chapter in Pittsburg. This virtual event connected entrepreneurs and CEOs from the chapter to more effectively, efficiently, and powerfully tell their story in a business pitch.

To learn more about practicing and polishing your pitch, join GLO and connect with chapter members about the “Pitch Beyond” workshop.