RECIPE · Elevator Pitch guidelines for entrepreneurs

KIM’s RECIPES

1. It requires no more than 1-2 minutes
2. Immediately engaging your audience with a great hook is invaluable
3. State your mission clearly, being specific without going into extraneus details
4. Now is not the time to explain how your product works on a technical level. You should only hit the high points – you can deal with the specifics after the investor is interested
5. If your product is totally new, explain how it fills an unmet need in the market
6. Demonstrate your product’s awesomeness with specific, relevant data points
7. The average focused attention span o an adult is around 8 seconds, “it is likely that the person will look away, return to a previous task, or think about something else.”
8. It’s more effective to talk about your team’s talent and what you’ve alredy done, over an intangible concept
9. Your confidence in your product (as long as it’s backed up by reality, too) is crucial for convincing others that it’s worth their time
10. Few things perfect a presentation more than practice. And a great pitch can always get better. Learn from experience and feedback, and adapt for changes in your mission or business plan
11. Pitching some via e-mail or other written word? Use the same tactics in print
12. And remember… Practice, Practice, Practice! And don’t forget the 3 ‘V’s’ of presentation:
• Visual: Looking good
• Vocal: Sounding good
• Verbal: Making sense