![\"the-social-network\"](\"https:\/\/fwdlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/the-social-network-320x240.jpg\")
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Earlier this year, I attended a pitch event<\/strong> for young entrepreneurs seeking funding for their start-ups. The room was packed with over 200 business people and there was a buzz in the air. But two minutes into the first powerpoint presentation, things began to shift<\/strong>. Spectators started to squirm<\/strong>. A few of the panelists sank back in their chairs and checked their watches. Within ten minutes, eyes were glazing over<\/strong> as the unlucky presenter droned on.<\/p>\n Does this situation sound familiar<\/strong>?<\/p>\n Luckily, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an easy fix for a dull pitch: tell a story<\/strong>.<\/p>\n To help you pitch a product or sell an idea more effectively, here are \u00e2\u20ac\u01535 Rules for Telling Stories with Your Pitch\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/strong> Follow these guidelines and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have investors throwing money at you before you know it.<\/p>\n 1. Make Your Opening Count<\/strong>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to start your presentation off with a a bang, so make your first few lines memorable. Your first lines should establish (a) the problem<\/strong> you intend to address with your idea or product; (b) the characters<\/strong>, or players, in your world; and (c) a hint at the solution<\/strong>, or where you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going. Paint a picture for your audience!<\/p>\n 2. Be Vulnerable<\/strong>. Investors are not expecting everything to be perfect – if everything was perfect, you wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need help – so be open to sharing challenges<\/strong>. The easiest way to do this is to talk about what happened in the process of growing your business. What obstacles did you face? Remember<\/strong>: d<\/strong>on\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pass judgement on yourself or your customers<\/strong>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s better to open up about that something didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work during your pitch than have it come out in a Q&A. Your audience will thank you for it.<\/p>\n 3. Build Tension<\/strong>. As I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve discussed before, the way to build tension in a pitch is by identifying the emotional arc of the talk. Pitches, like stories, are about the subtle changes in one of the five essential emotions<\/strong> (fear, love, anger, sadness and joy). What happened to you along the way? Did you start the business confused<\/strong> and wind up feeling excited<\/strong>? Maybe you felt confident<\/strong> and now feel frustrated<\/strong>? Once you know the emotional arc of the pitch, your job is to take the audience on the journey. Show us<\/strong> what happened and your audience will begin to care<\/strong> about you and the product or idea.<\/p>\n 4. Revisit Your Value Proposition<\/strong>. The best pitches are organized around a central idea, or theme. In business, the central idea is known as the value proposition.<\/strong> One quick way to identify the value proposition is the answer to the question: why should a customer buy this product or service?<\/strong> Use the answer to this question (i.e. to have easy access to the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s information online), to segue into your vision for the future<\/strong>.Show people how things will change<\/strong> in the world you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re creating with your product or idea.<\/p>\n 5. Have a Clear Call To Action<\/strong>. Once you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve taken your audience on an emotional journey and they know your value proposition, the last piece is having a call to action. A good call to action will give your audience something to do with the information<\/strong> you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re imparting. Do you need $1.725 million for capital equipment? Six additional staffers for a new team? The key here is to be specific<\/strong> about what you want and ask for it<\/strong>. The more specific you are, the easier it will be for investors to understand<\/strong> your needs<\/strong> and give you what you want<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Not so bad after all, right? Now you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just have to figure out how to deal with Aaron Sorkin when he wants to make a movie<\/strong> about your life.<\/p>\n