I have wrote a lot in earlier blog posts about different elements of pitch decks: problem, solution, competition, market size, traction, and go-to-market. In this post I want to focus on tying all these elements together in a cohesive narrative. All too often I see pitch decks with disjointed elements and it ultimately muddies the overall message. Lets take a look at some of the common mistakes companies make in their pitch decks and how to address them.
A Pitch is a Story - Make Sure Your "Chapters" Make Sense
Think about a story and think about how it flows from beginning to middle to end. If you want your hero to save the princess in chapter 5, then they can't get their head cut off in chapter 3. Everyone intuitively knows that the example above doesn't make sense, it doesn't logically flow at all. It's just disjointed chapters where different things happen. Although this is a fairly easy concept to grasp, most founders fall into this trap of disjointedness in their pitch decks because they think it will help sell their product.
For example, if the problem you are trying to solve mainly affects independent provider groups in the US, then don't make your market size global. If your go-to-market strategy is to target mid-sized provider groups on the East coast, then don't put a pilot with a major hospital system on your traction slide. Lastly, if the major incumbents in the market fail to provide the value proposition you are looking to sell to your target clients, then don't include them on your competition slide. All of these examples probably make a lot of sense when you read them, but they are all to common mismatches when it comes to pitches.
A good pitch seamlessly ties its elements together. Your value proposition needs to match the problem that a specific customer segment has. Your market size and go-to-market strategy need to be based on that customer segment. Your traction slide should have a pipeline of the customers that are suffering the most from the problem you identified and your competition slide should only include companies that our selling to the market you outlined. Once you connect all these elements you have a cohesive pitch with a clear message. Companies that can deliver a connected story are much more successful in receiving funding.
Summary
Pitches are like stories, you need to make sure yours has a logical flow to it. Always tie the elements of your pitch to a common theme so that so have a clear cohesive message. Companies that can tell a great story are always in a better position to raise money than ones that can't. If you are struggling to tie your story together, reach out to us at InfleXion Point. We are happy to help!
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