They say that the first impression lasts long. And they are not wrong. In the highly competitive commercial and corporate world that we live today, we usually have only one chance to make our pitch. If you don’t nail it in your first go, chances are that you won’t get another chance.

A pitch deck is a presentation that an entrepreneur or a firm presents to their clients and potential investors. It helps them to get an overview of their business plan and why they should invest their time, resources, and/or money in it.

As you can understand, entrepreneurs put paramount importance into creating a pitch deck because this is what makes or breaks their business. So, how do you create one? Well, you are in some luck because that’s what we are going to uncover in this space.

The Proof is in the Pudding – Look at the Numbers

The objective of a business to rise to the top and sustain its position largely depends on funding. Personal capital can only take you so far. Especially as you undertake big projects and your target audience increases, you need funding.

Sadly, procuring funds is no walk in the park. Around 27% of the businesses are unable to procure the necessary funds to run their business. You will be surprised to know that a staggering 82% of businesses fail due to bad cash flow management practices.

As companies generate less profit, they have to minimize production, lay off employees, and ultimately shut down their businesses.

The numbers are even more dire for small businesses. Only 0.05% of small businesses are able to find venture capital to run their production.

So, why are all these stats so sad? Where are they going wrong? Is trial and error the only way to find an interested investor? Yes and no! As they say, the struggle is real and you have to put yourself out there and meet a bunch of investors before finding one who is interested in you.

But there is a way to fasten the process and grab their attention quickly. Most of it depends on how successfully you pitch your case to them. Pitching is a skill and you have to master it to excel. This brings us to the things you need to mention in your pitch.

If you are an entrepreneur, you need to provide a detailed yet crisp and succinct snapshot of your business or project to attract the attention of investors through a pitch deck.

It can sometimes seem a bit overwhelming to condense everything in a nutshell. But, it won’t be if you follow a methodology of focusing on certain key elements. What are they? Time to find out!

First of all, you need to state the purpose of your pitch. This can be one or a combination of various reasons– capital raising pitch, employee pitch for onboarding, sales pitch, social media pitch for outreach, partnership pitch, and competitive pitch for start-up contest, among others.

Whatever your pitch may be, try to make sure it is measurable. This means stating how much capital you need, how much outreach you are looking for, how much product unit you want to sell, etc. Having a pre-defined goal will elevate your pitch and make it more investment-worthy.

As they say, the right salesperson can sell ice to Eskimos. How is that possible? By getting to know their audiences! That is exactly what you need to do.

For instance, if you are pitching in English to someone who doesn’t understand English, it will be futile no matter how great your presentation is. Likewise, if you provide subtitles, make sure nothing gets lost in translation. For this, extensive background research is needed.

This also means talking to your audience in the language they are most comfortable in. An investor who only cares about finance will not care for your technical details and the vice-versa is true for an investor who has a technical background.

Convincing your investors that there is a legit problem for your customers is crucial for getting them on board. After all, without a problem (or in some cases a demand/need), you won’t be able to convince investors in believing that you hold the key to a solution.

If you lay out the element of problem-solving in your pitch deck, it attains a certain level of gravity. Make it clear, make it sound, and make it logical and convince your investors your pitch addresses the concerned community.

Now that you have told your investors your intent regarding the project and what motivates you to do so, it is time to let them know where you presently stand in your journey.

This is needed for investors to assess which direction you are currently headed at and what stage of your journey you are now. Mind you, this is also the time to show them some metrics in the form of your company’s growth rate, revenue, and important milestones, among others.

Consider this as an omnipresent figure in all of the elements of your pitch deck. The most effective manner to make your audience engage in what you are pitching is through storytelling.

Obviously, it is easier said than done. But, if you really look at it, it is not that difficult. All it needs is for you to implant a memory in the minds of your investors and reach out to them on a personal level.

Well, now that you know what to include in your pitch deck, you are all geared up for creating one. But what good is a pitch deck if you can’t keep track of how much your investors are engaging with it? That brings us to our next phase.

It is mind-boggling to think that even in this age, some entrepreneurs view tracking as optional. Folks, it is about time you make this a mandatory aspect of your business. It will generate more dividends than you may estimate right now.

But, still, if you are on the fence, here are some key reasons as to why tracking is absolutely essential.

• Tracking helps in segmenting large tasks into manageable small steps, making them easy to handle.
• It minimizes the occurrence of failures.
• It helps you make better scientific estimates regarding the completion of the job.
• You can achieve a disciplinarian environment by employing tracking in your business.
• Constant tracking helps in figuring out the effectiveness of each step, thereby helping you analyze which one to adopt and which one to discard.
• It helps in getting better insights into the preferences of your customers.
• It calls for better allocation of valuable resources.

As you see, having tracking software is not only an added benefit but an integral part of a business. Now, you don’t have any reason to think otherwise.

When it comes to the best tool for tracking the engagement of your investors, many entrepreneurs swear by Cloudfiles.io. Let’s take a look at what makes it such a viable option.

If you are currently using various other platforms such as Google Suite and HubSpot to store your data and want to shift to CloudFiles, there is no need to feel overwhelmed. This is because it does not require you to shift from your existing platform to its own platform. You can directly integrate CloudFiles into them.

No matter what format your files are in, you can effortlessly import them through CloudFiles. In addition, it also allows you to import from various sources, whether it is from your local storage or any cloud storage. It helps you in consolidating all your digital content into one place.

Since every file that you upload on CloudFiles gets numerous strong links attached to them, you are able to control the files even after you send them to someone. This means you can personalize them at our convenience and can use them in your digital presence (website, social media, e-mail).

In any business, there are numerous confidential data that you need to put a seal onto and share only with trusted personnel. CloudFiles understands this and thus helps you put protective gear around your files. Based on their level of importance, you can assign what verifications (if at all) are needed to access which file.

Providing you with the results of constant tracking, CloudFiles is the ultimate tool for gauging the interest and preferences of your target audience. You get detailed information on the number of downloads, time spent, per-session engagement, and everything in between.

Based on who is viewing what content and for how long, you can automate specific notifications and emails to them. Automated workflows are a boon in sales and marketing and CloudFiles hasn’t left this stone unturned.

Pitch decks are the vessel that will carry your dreams to reality. So, looking at it from a scientific angle to determine what works is the key.

And to see whether your pitch decks are working or not, and how to improve upon your future pitch decks, you need CloudFiles by your side. Tracking engagement is the litmus test here which is only possible when you employ CloudFiles in your business.