Perfecting Your Pitch

By Carole Matthews |  Feb 1, 2004

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Marcelo Claure and his team of seasoned executives had five hours to convince a trio of VCs that his company, Brightstar, was worthy of a $50 million cash infusion. During that five hours they were able to roll out a convincing enough story to keep the VCs enthralled and asking questions, if not personally shelling out their cash, as writer Chris McDougall documents in "Closing the Deal," in the March 2004 issue of Inc.

Claure was definitely more prepared than the average business owner. His company is successful, and he has a seasoned executive team in place that's impressive in its own right. But what if you don't have the luxury of making a five-hour presentation? Or a wildly profitable company (BrightStar grosses $1.2 billion annually) with a seasoned executive team to back you up? That's where the advice we've rounded up on Inc.com comes in.

Use this collection of stories to discover some entrepreneurial wisdom and expert advice on the topic of pitching investors and creating presentations that speak volumes to your audience.

Craft Your Story

Finding the Perfect Pitch
Three rookies take a five-week course to gear up for the VC presentation of a lifetime. Here's how they faired and what they learned in the process about themselves and the secrets to creating the perfect pitch.
Elements of a Winning Pitch
A presentation to potential investors in your business -- to family, friends, or angels -- should include most of these elements.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Presenters
Entrepreneurs learn pretty quickly that making a verbal pitch to investors is very different from submitting a written business plan. Here are seven good practices gleaned from a venture-capital boot camp.
Success Story
If you're looking to put the proper spin on your company's story, you might want to take a cue from a screenplay or two.
The Adventures of a Pitchman
Howard Getson, president and cofounder of IntellAgent Control Corp., has raised substantial capital with an aggressive and obnoxious approach inspired by junk-mail advertisements.
Pitches We Love... Or How Not to Find Capital
Learn from the confusing pitches one investor has received from small businesses looking for capital.

Create a Compelling Presentation

Powerful Presentations
Rhonda Abrams has made hundreds of presentations, and even though they haven't been to investors, the critical skills she's learned in the process can boost anyone's presentation performance.
More Power Than Point
Inc. columnist Adam Hanft warns that if you're going to use a PowerPoint presentation, be careful not to let it oversimplify the points you're trying to make.
Persuasive Projections
Predicting the future is hard. But when you're making financial projections, that's exactly what you need to do. You can avoid some of the most common mistakes by following this list of dos and don'ts.