Welcome
Pitching Explained: Structure and
practice for a Winning Pitch
Presented by Roy Terry
ThePrimalPitch.com
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Hanhai Investment Inc.
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Goals and Questions
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Challenge: Are you feeling Silly?
How would you know? Pitch it!
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Challenge: How to stand out?
Jessica Livingston, co-Founder of Y Combinator
describes Y Combinator “Demo Day” pitches:
Please click image to
open Youtube video
window
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Truths about Pitching
• An opportunity
• Structure will make or break
• Multiple modes of communication
(Personal, EMO, Evidence, Establish propositions)
• Brush your teeth! (practice)
• Hidden benefits
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
(thinking, progress, reality)
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Pitching Explained
A conversation, 10 seconds to 15 minutes,
designed to create interest, emotion and
eventually action. We need the listener to
TAKE A RISK!
Purposes:
• Find a co-founder
• Money from your mom
• Get accepted into a contest
• Win a contest and find an Angel
• Go to a VC office for a 1 hour meeting
• “Due Diligence”!
• Along the way: test validity of enterprise,
test your passion and develop your passion.
YOU must be the first total supporter!
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Starting Points: Slides
Slide Decks
• “standard” slide lists of 10 to 15 slides (David S.
Rose, Steve Austin, Nathan Gold, et al. =>See
YouTube and Slideshare
• Problem, Solution, Market, Business (credit: Chris
Lipp)
• 10-20-30 Rule – Guy Kawasaki
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Starting Points: Slides
Fly-by Examples
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Starting Points: style
Styles are like movie genres: romance, drama, documentary,
adventure…
“Meet Bob, he loves to … with Suzie, but …”
Hi, at xyz we do xxx and here’s why?
“Today there are over xxx Million..”
Six months ago, I set out for a normal day and then…
When I found myself at the top of Mount Everest I never
expected my iphone to…
Watch COMMERCIALS to see how they get attention and introduce a
problem.
Watch winning pitches on YouTube.
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Starting Points: Delivery
• Flat? (the facts)
• Cool? (“Hey what’s up?”)
• Hollywood? (Wow!)
• Ideal
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Pitching Improved
Practice and feed back clears Errors
• Confusion (don’t put FUD in your own pitch)
• Got Evidence? (if not then your audience will doubt)
• Gaps (did you leave out the competition?)
• FLAT delivery with no stories or actualities?
Mental, cultural, and habit blocks: Replace with
1. It’s Showbiz so just get over it!
2. Appeal to emotion AND logic
3. Use stories and dialogue to connect the parts
4. Be willing to sort of suck == maximum learning!
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Pitching Explained – Structure (again!)
Goal: A conversational message, 10 seconds to
15 minutes, designed to create interest, emotion
and eventually action. We need the listener to
TAKE A RISK!
Preferred Structure:
• 10 second overview (What we do…)
• The Problem (People, Pain, Frustration)
• Your Solution (Cool, unique, practical,…)
• The Market (Money, competition, timing,…)
• The Business (How do you make money?)
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Pitching Explained – Structure & EMO
The human, emotional level also operates at the
same time…
Preferred Structure:
• Overview => He’s OK, sane normal dude
• Problem => He’s helpful passionate like me.
• Solution => Bold, creative HERO
• Market => Hero is also visionary leader
• Business => AND he’s pragmatic (Wow!)
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
EMO Problem = Where’s the Bear?
BEAR == “The Problem” with passion, conviction, evidence
A mental shortcut
How’s this…..
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Where’s the Bear?
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Illustration: Where’s the BEAR?
Kindara Pitch Segment (leading with Problem):
“…Worst years of her life!”
Please click image to
open video window
11th “Founder Showcase” Runner up
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Where’s the BEAR? DEMO
Live DEMO
1 volunteer to practice YOUR
problem statement:
Listeners: Where’s the BEAR?
see, hear, feel, sense?
No Cheating!
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Where’s the BEAR? Practice
ALL PRACTICE seated pairs
Groups of 2, pick ‘A’ and ‘B’
• A: Speak for 1 minute about
problem
• B: 10 seconds feedback
• B: Speak 1 minute on problem
• A: Feedback
No Cheating!
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Debrief: Problem
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
SOLUTION: How You Tamed the BEAR!
What is your solution?
Simplify, make analogies,
tell a story of discovery.
BEWARE! This is
usually Peak
Skepticism
When Solution is well delivered…
1. We’re surprised and delighted = “Wow”
(we’re safe from bear and you are hero!)
2. Any doubts or complications will be
addressed. (“don’t worry some things stay the
same”)
3. We’ll realize how competitors would have a
hard time duplicating your solution
4. We’ll hear why now is the best time to strike
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Solution: Taming the BEAR?
Live DEMO
1 volunteer to explain the solution:
Listeners: Sensible, intuitive,
credible, unique, cool and
appealing?
No Cheating!
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Solution: Taming the BEAR?
ALL PRACTICE in seated pairs
Groups of 2, pick ‘A’ and ‘B’
• A: Speak for 1 minute about Solution
• B: 10 seconds feedback
• B: Speak 1 minute about Solution
• A: Feedback
No Cheating!
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Tame BEAR For The World
This is your market opportunity description, including
competition, go-to-market plan. AND Business Model
“HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY?”
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Bonus structure caboose: The ‘Ask’
A pitch without an ask is just a presentation. A missed
opportunity in most cases.
The ASK:
• Describe the specific resources or actions wanted
• What will the resouces allow you to do/accomplish?
• How long will the tasks or accomplishments take?
• What will be concrete added value to investor?
• Be ready answer: What if you got less? Or More?
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Bonus: Supporting details
Depending on length, your pitch will address some or all
of these aspects as well…
• The overview statement (of course)
• How, in detail, does the solution work?
• Describe traction, validation, customer testimonials, etc.
• Cover Potential objections and practice Q/A
• Revenue or promise of revenue!
• A Demo or prototype
• Advisors, Board members, and CoFounders
Would I trust you to lead my Wagon Train West?
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Example for review: Enigma
Enigma at TechCrunch Disrupt, New York 2013 (Winner)
Please click image to
Presentation at TechCrunch
open video window
Overview? Problem? Solution? Bear?
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Quiz Answers
1. World’s shortest and biggest Pitch?
2. Why was Steve Jobs moody?
3. Is the pitching game more like…
• A gold rush? (just be first!)
• A TV reality or game show? (no
inhibitions or manners?)
• A marriage? (serious money)
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Wrap
• Follow a pitch structure!!!!! No pitch can succeed
w/o a clear structure and simple language.
Repetition is your friend!
• If you can’t remember, it’s too complicated!
• Reality on your side: stories, actualities, rapport
• Practice meeting
objections and Q/A
• Watch YouTube and
COPY the good
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Closing thoughts about VCs and Pitching
Ben Silbermann – coFounder Pinterest
Please click image to
open video window
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Thanks!
Roy Terry at thePrimalPitch.com
• Meetup.com: SVSIAN
(SV Startup Incubation Acceleration Network)
• HanHai Investment Inc.
• Meetup.com: Find Your CoFounder
• Meetup.com: Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Toastmasters
© 2014,
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry
Primal Pitch Cheat Sheet!
Process
1. Where’s the BEAR?
2. How did you tame that BEAR problem?
3. How will you tame that BEAR for the whole WORLD?
Audience Test
1: Did you see, feel, sense, and respond to the BEAR?
2: Did you feel relieved and say “wow” when you learned the solution?
3: Did you nod and approve of the whole world plan?
Spice it up!
© 2014,
•
Tell us the pain and suffering when the bear wins.
•
Give a story about how you discovered and realized solution was
GREAT
•
Quote positive comments of others: users, analysts, etc.
•
Give a number of people who love being free from the bear.
The Primal Pitch
"Pitching Explained"
Roy Terry