By Bob Jones
For many people, “presenting your venture” means “pitching to investors.” I think that’s too narrow. If you’re trying to hire a senior executive that you probably can’t afford, you’re presenting your venture. If you’re welcoming new employees – or motivating your current staff through a dark stretch – you’re presenting your venture. For some entrepreneurs, if you’re explaining to your spouse why you took a cut in pay and also increased the number of hours/week that you’re working, you’re presenting your venture. And yes, of course, if you’re pitching to investors, you’re presenting your venture.
Clearly, different audiences are motivated by different things, and this is one of those situations where one size does not fit all.
In working with clients in this arena, we use a series of structured exercises to understand:
- Who is the audience?
- What do they want?
- How does what you offer bring a benefit to them?
- Why should they believe you?
We go through these exercises in a number of situations, including recruiting new employees, motivating current employees, managing a board, and of course, pitching an investor. And the clients are on their feet giving these presentations – with counsel and feedback from their peers and from me. It’s engaging, interactive and everyone walks out better able to present their venture.