Delivering a business pitch is standard practice in the entrepreneurship field. It is what determines the type of investors and clients you will attract. A winning presentation has to exhibit various components of a pitch deck, from displaying the company’s vision to evidence that you can deliver on your promises.
The pitch deck should also be supported with various data and statistics to convince the investors that putting money into your business is the right decision. When delivering a pitch, the primary objective is to provide evidence that boosts investors’ confidence in your business and keeps them engaged throughout the presentation. Let’s review a list of what to include in a pitch deck.
Table of Contents
Identify a Problem You Want to Solve
The first step to making a stunning deck, like those created by professionals at a pitch deck design agency, is to state a problem that needs to be solved so that the investors know your company’s goal. You can introduce the problem by giving a personalized story of how you came to learn about it and why it needs attention.
For example, if you run a digital literacy program, you can give examples of how individuals in the community need to be involved more in the digital space and the negative impacts of digital illiteracy. Highlighting a problem creates tension in the listener’s mind, and they might even begin to think of the solutions before you present your plan.
Stating the problem also breeds anticipation and emotional response from your listeners, which heightens their concentration and engagement in the presentation. Additionally, you need to be more open about the consequences if the problem is not solved, which shows that you are empathetic to your consumers and creates a sense of urgency in the investor’s mind.
Give a Solution
After highlighting a problem, the immediate follow-up elements of a pitch deck should be presenting the solutions to the problem. Do not keep the investors waiting to hear your solution. To give your presentation a good flow, the slides giving the solutions must come right after the ones highlighting the problem. Most entrepreneurs need help to draft a solid solution since it should be backed up with data and give financial benefits and implications of implementing the solution.
Additionally, they find it challenging because they are close to the product, so it may be hard to step back and give an independent analysis. Therefore, the best way to handle this challenge is to avoid focusing too much on the product description; instead, let the investors know how the product will be useful to the consumers.
Highlight the Product Features
Talking about the product features does not primarily mean getting into the product description; instead, you will mainly highlight how the product aims to solve the problems you highlighted in the first section of your pitch deck structure. The chief objective for this section is to focus on the uniqueness of your product and why it’s best suited to offer solutions to the problem established in the first part.
Investors are usually interested in knowing how the product will keep your company ahead of your competition and if they can replicate the product easily. Noteworthy, it is best to use easy-to-understand language to ensure everyone is included when highlighting the product features. Your presentation should be optimistic but grounded since overconfidence can make listeners suspicious.
Market Analysis
Now that the first pitch deck components have given your listeners a trailer of what to expect when they invest in your business, you can get into the intricate details of who the product will be useful to. Your prospective investors want to know the number of people the product will provide a solution to so that they can tell if it is a marketable product and predict its revenue growth.
This section is where you let them know about the anticipated market size and your target consumers. Describe your consumers’ preferences to give the investors a better understanding of your business strategy. To give them a clear picture of your target consumers, you can create a demographic analysis of your clients using factors such as age, gender, income, life stage, and much more.
Competition and Risks You Are Likely to Experience
A business faces various changes, including competition from other enterprises. Therefore, the pitch deck outline should acknowledge and establish how to deal with such challenges. For more transparency, give a robust analysis of your competitors and how you intend to stay ahead of them.
A strategy for dealing with your competition boosts your prospective investor’s confidence that you can manage the risks of implementing your business plan. Their confidence will also emanate from knowing that you are not naive and that you’ll put their money to good use. Showing them the ugly side helps decide whether they are ready to handle the risk.
Income and Model of Operations
After indicating your business’s trajectory, take the investors through how you intend to execute the business plan. The income model should address all the parts of a pitch deck highlighted in the first part of the presentation. It is the part that can make or break your business, as you will mainly deal with speculated estimations, especially if you are creating a startup pitch deck outline.
Therefore, you should conduct a comprehensive market analysis to determine the gross capital and profits and concisely elucidate how you arrived at the figures. Under this section, also describe your marketing strategies and how you intend to make profits with your plan.
Signing Off
When it comes to developing a successful pitch deck, there is no universal template on how to structure a pitch deck. However, there are crucial pointers that can help you deliver a unique story and vision of your enterprise. Pitch decks become repetitive; thus, you should make a unique one that will keep your audience glued to the presentation.
Keep in mind that your prospective investors have sat through similar presentations before. So, you harness your creativity and develop a unique pitch deck to beat the repetitiveness. Knowing what to include in pitch deck helps you make a unique presentation that puts you in a better position to land potential investors and grow your business.
