7 Steps to Present the Pitch Deck Like a Pro

The world has seen many great ideas fail just because they did not get enough funding and potential investors to back them up. There's a cliché in SiliconValley that about 90% of the startups fail because of budgetary reasons. According to National Small Business Association (NSBA), 1 in 4 small businesses experience hurdled growth due to insufficient funding.

External funding is the lifeblood for startups, and investors are the only shot achieving the inconceivable. They have the resources you need to establish your business, and a pitch deck is the first step of achieving that precious billion-dollar cheque.

So, how to present the pitch deck like a pro?

Well, to convince them and to accentuate the uniqueness of your business in their eyes, you need to present your pitch deck with extreme care and smartness. As the competition becomes intense with each passing minute, we bring you some practical and authentic tips to win over the investors through your compelling and professional pitch deck.

1. Do Not Complicate Things

If you cannot present your main idea in 5 minutes, you are either over-explaining it, or you have not simplified it enough. Always remember that investors have myriad of options available for investment. They don’t have to decode the mind-numbing presentation if they don’t want to.

Therefore, your chances of gaining the investors' attention among this crowd require a to-the-point explanation of your business idea and what’s in there for the investors.

2. Adjust Your Given Time Frame

We all have yawned during the long boring presentations in our educational or official career where we quickly forgot the ones that were too long or void of details. Therefore, we suggest you present your idea deck within the set time limit. Allot time duration to each slide from deck to avoid rushing the content at the end but remember, ending your explanation before the set limit is also not acceptable.

Our Additional Set of Tips

• You are not here for a book reading session; you are here to impress the giants of the industry. So, being boring does not take you anywhere. Instead of directly reading from the slides, act as if you are talking to the investors.
• Allocate minutes to each slide, and remember, no slide from deck needs more than 3 minutes.
• Keep some time for a heart-to-heart discussion with the investors. Encourage them to ask questions. Be excited and transfer that excitement.
• Neither rush nor explain at a snail's pace. Bombarding them with too much information is unnecessary, and letting them stay too idle is also not a good strategy. So, keep a steady pace of information in your pitch deck file.
• Your presentation should follow our created Pitch Deck Structure guide.

3. Your Story Defines You

Facts and figures are your safe heaven while presenting your idea or product, but a story is what everyone remembers even when they forget your name. Explain the unique story that lies behind your brand and do it without reading the slides, as it will have a far more significant impact.

Keeping the fun and the exciting parts in the story explaining your idea will keep the audience engaged till the end, which is your primary goal. Your story will have the following impact:

• This creative way will make you a memorable highlight of the day.
• It will make your tagline or motto even more prominent and explanatory.
• Including data side by side with a light-hearted story is the perfect way to engage your audience.

4. Do Not Let Your Anchor Lose

Explaining your brand story doesn’t have to deviate from your main focus or theme. Keep a steady pace and pitch throughout the presentation. While staying in the parameters, ensure that you have utilized your time in the best way by making sure that the main theme is focused from start to end.

5. Let the Numbers Do the Talking

Telling a story is an interesting way to engage the angel investors or venture capitalists, but we are talking about the business tycoons here who play with numbers day night. Therefore, you cannot eliminate them. No matter how beautifully crafted your story is, you need the power of numbers to back up your idea.

Remember, too many numbers will become too much to swallow.So, explain the market statistics, your growth rates, growth tendency, required capital to expand while maintaining a balance. Adding relevant statistics and a summary of your market research without overdoing it can help you portray yourself as an educated and well-prepared unit of the industry.

6. Create an Impressive Presentation

Your presentation is the first reflection of your expertise and competency. If it is not prepared efficiently, it will have a bad impact on your business as well. The infographics in your presentation are the chief elements to highlight the main points. The simplified charts and graphs in your pitch deck file will help you summarize complex data into a self-explanatory analysis. Avoid lengthy paragraphs in your slides because no one read would bear them.  

If you need professional support we recommend to look for a pitch deck design service to save time and money.

Following Tactics Will Help Ace Your Presentation 10 Folds:

• Keep a maximum of 10-14 slides in your pitch deck presentation, your presentation should not be longer than 20 minutes, and the bullets should not be more than 30 for the presentation text. This is the 10-20-30 rule to deliver an impeccable pitch deck.
• Start your deck with a high excitement level, bringing it down to the motto of your business.
• Explain the market standing related to your product, such as opportunities, specifics, and the ideal consumers of your brand.
• Add eye-catching charts, graphs, and pictures as they always have a lasting impact than a simple long paragraph. So keep your graphical content as strong and impactful as ever.

7. Practice for Perfection

No matter how passionate you are for your business, stage fright or judging investor eyes staring at you can make you feel overwhelmed and fumble upon words. So, it’s better to be fully prepared beforehand. For that, practice in front of your friends, family, or colleagues. Let them judge you for your performance, ask questions, and address their queries to get a first-hand experience.

So, now you know how to present a pitch deck.Last but not least, keep your presentation deck content in your mind to avoid referring to play cards frequently as it will be distracting and annoying for your audience.