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Kenney is an experienced communications coach who heads an Internet-accessible on-demand alliance that provides professional expertise to entrepreneurs preparing to make the pitch that closes the deal.
“Your pitch, like your resumé, is important because both position you to discuss next steps,” he told the gathering of about 50 engineers, entrepreneurs and lawyers.
His advice? As you write your pitch, “keep your slides simple.” Use graphics that tell a story, and use very few words — often a single idea — per slide. Get the audience focused on your ideas, not lost in your slides, he said.
Then prepare. Practice, practice, practice. “Make every presentation better than the one before it… learn to get heads nodding,” Kenney said.
He offered seven points, giving memorable names to the five most essential:
- Dancing — Do your homework. “The more you know before you enter the room, the better off you are,” Kenney said. Get there early, find out who’s important, and introduce yourself. Your pitch opener must also create a strong first impression. As you continue, “it doesn’t matter what you say, it’s what your audience hears,” Kenney said. Be sure to read your audience and listen to them. Keeping talking, if that's what they want, he said. Or turn it into a Q&A, if the audience wants.
- Baby Food — Make your pitch easily digestible with short sentences and simple ideas. Spare the details or you'll lose your audience, he said.
- Dead Seagull — Your audience has a problem. You have the solution, one that makes or saves money or offers an important benefit, he said.
- Knights — You are the guy in shining armor. You’ve solved their problem. Tell them how, quickly, broadly, simply, Kenney said. Eliminate objections as they come up: leave them out there and you give your audience reasons to say “no.”
- The Ask — Flow your pitch to this vital part, he said. “Get your audience interested enough to meet with you again to discuss details,” Kenney said.
If you’re asked for details, have an appendix to your slides and links ready to hand out.
To paraphrase: Be brief, be brilliant, be gone.
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