The Art of the Pitch

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Source: Carmine Gallo, How to Pitch Anything in 15 Seconds A Twitter-friendly Headline Cool thing 1 A Twitter-friendly Headline Cool thing 2 Cool thing 3 •Supporting Data •Supporting Data •Supporting Data •Supporting Data •Supporting Data •Supporting Data •Supporting Data •Supporting Data •Supporting Data Get straight to the point. Have only one point. Only pick three crucial attributes—it’s a magic number. Give examples, testimonials, or real statistics.

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai LUSH makes handmade soaps and cosmetics. FRESH ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ETHICAL   CAMPAIGNS Source: Carmine Gallo, How to Pitch Anything in 15 Seconds

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai LUSH makes handmade soaps and cosmetics. FRESH ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ETHICAL   CAMPAIGNS Organic. Manufactured Daily. Shipped the Next Day. Unpackaged. Ingredients not tested on animals. Naked. Fur Trim is a Trap. Erase Bullying. Source: Carmine Gallo, How to Pitch Anything in 15 Seconds

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Steve Job’s Commencement Speech 2005 Connect the Dots Love and Loss Death Reed College Calligraphy Macintosh Apple Garage Fired Return Cancer Diagnosis Time is Limited Stay Hungry, Foolish Do What You Love. Another example…

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai MARKET SIZE MONETIZATION CURRENT STATE Identify the problem or enemy. Describe the solution. If you’re talking to investors, focus on the sustainability of your business. Now you’ve peaked their interest…

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai WHY? Sinek’s Golden Circle Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TEDxPuget Sound) What you do. How you do it. THE HOOK What and How are boring. Why is a story. Humans love stories.

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Reptilian Brain The Brain Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TEDxPuget Sound) Neomammalian (Neo-Cortex) Paleomammalian (Limbic) Rational Thought and Language Feelings: Trust and Loyalty Our Fight or Flight Instinct lives here. Deep down inside we know when “things feel right.” It’s what our “gut” tells us. AKA  We know a great first impression when we see one.

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai We make great computers. They are beautifully designed. Simple to use. And user friendly. Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TEDxPuget Sound) Here’s an example of a “What We do” statement. Boring!

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Think Different Sinek’s Golden Circles Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TEDxPuget Sound) Here’s to the crazy ones. The misﬁts. The rebels. The trouble- makers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently. They are not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the start Here’s a WHY

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TEDxPuget Sound) Apple’s Why is to disrupt the status quo. Like these folks. Notice any what’s or how’s here?

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai In everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. GREAT COMPUTERS BEAUTIFUL DESIGN USER-FRIENDLY Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action (TEDxPuget Sound) Here’s a message map with a Why at the top. Now, let’s go bigger…

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Logo, Business Name, Tag Line and Contact Info One color, one font, one shape. Assume this cover will be on the screen as you are doing introductions. Page 0:   The Cover Real CEO’s don’t design their own logo.

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Express this with real world easily relatable examples. Make it OBVIOUS and ideally something easily relatable. Address a user NEED not their WANT. Page 1:   The Problem Source: Guy Kawasaki, The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint Enemies work too, if we all have the same one, like climate change or cancer.

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Show a graph of your market size. Try and make it impressive but don’t go overboard. Cite an industry research group like Forrester or eMarketer. Page 3:   The Market Source: Guy Kawasaki, The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint Don’t try and boil the ocean. There is nothing wrong with being a big fish in a small pond.

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai List all your top competition. Describe how you are unique. What is your niche (positioning)? Who are you disrupting? Page 4:   The Competition It’s good to have some rivals.

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Show how you intend to make money. Top Revenue Sources (1-3) Show how/when you intend to break even. Page 5:   The Business Model Source: Guy Kawasaki, The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai What’s the brand? What are your primary channels What’s you Cost of Acquisition? Page 7:   The Marketing Source: Guy Kawasaki, The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai When can you launch? How will you get there? What is growth after launch? Page 9:   The Projections Source: Guy Kawasaki, The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Table of Contents: Cover Page 1. The Problem 2. The Solution 3. The Market 4. The Competition 5. The Business Model 6. The Tech 7. The Marketing 8. The Team 9. The Projections 10. Current Status Next Steps

“The Art of the Pitch” Copyright © 2016 Saren Sakurai Written •A one sentence (or sentence fragment) tag line •A professional business card •A one or two paragraph email introduction to the business •A ‘one-pager’ overview •A 2-3 page executive summary •A slide deck speciﬁcally designed to be handed out •A thoughtful, comprehensive business plan: either (a) a traditional 10-20 page written plan, or (b) a carefully prepared and annotated ‘business model canvas’ •A ﬁnished (or prototype) marketing brochure Live •A one sentence description •A 30 second elevator pitch •A 5 minute ‘quick pitch’ •A 15-20 minute angel/VC PowerPoint/Keynote pitch •A sub-15 minute foolproof product/site demonstration Online •A functional public web site •A short video pitch •A dedicated, controlled access, investor-relations web site The   Pitch   Pack