When you present your ideas to potential investors, you can’t expect them to agree with you in every detail. They might try to explain why they didn’t like what you presented. Some of them might even be harsh in giving their comments. If a potential investor tries to shut your ideas down in the middle of a presentation, these are the things you need to do.
Stay calm and don’t respond immediately
You might feel enraged because you worked hard to present your ideas. You also worked with your team to come up with a business pitch that these investors would agree upon. Therefore, hearing these negative comments might make you feel angry. Before you react you should stay calm. You don’t know the intention of the investor for bringing up those points.
There may be some issues with these ideas, and you were unable to present everything clearly. You need to pause and reflect on the comment before you respond. Getting angry and being disrespectful won’t help you move forward with your transaction with these potential investors.
Acknowledge the good points
Another thing that you need to do is to acknowledge the positive part of the comment. These investors are knowledgeable; they may have listened to several pitches in the recent past. They may have some great ideas that you can incorporate into your potential business plan. You should listen to what these investors have to say and acknowledge them if they are reasonable enough. You can say that you understand those ideas, and consider them as you move forward.
Provide good reasons and examples
If you think that the comments were inappropriate, you can provide your reasons why you feel that way. You can come up with examples and references to counter those points. However, you still need to maintain diplomacy. Otherwise, you may irritate potential investors, and they may decide not to invest or, at best, reduce the investment offer. Don’t forget that they’re not only judging your ideas but also your personality and that way you react to negative stimuli.
Determine if it’s the right path forward
If you felt offended by the way those questions were raised, the best thing to do is evaluate if you want to pursue a potential partnership with the investors. The pitch isn’t only for the investors to determine if they would like to invest in you, but it’s also an opportunity to evaluate your partnership. If you think that you will have problems moving forward, it might be time for you to rethink your plans. You can still stay polite, but you don’t have to move on with this transaction.
Before you even begin pitching your idea to potential investors, you have to make sure that you prepare the meeting room. They will judge not only your ideas but your preparedness in making the presentation. You can invest in a projector ceiling mount for the projector, and prepare it easily for the meeting. You can also check if the necessary equipment is working so you can avoid any potential technical issues.
You don’t want to give potential investors any reason to reject your ideas.
Share
Contributors
