Once you have prepared your pitch with post-its and figured out how to communicate with your audience it is time to find out the best way to start your pitch. The very first impression of you as a professional is made in just a few seconds. In this week’s edition of the ‘pitch trick series’ from David Beckett we listen to what the Pitch Guru of the Dutch startup scene has to say about this. His main message? Don’t stumble, don’t fall into cliches but get to your point like a professional. Make sure that you get the attention by being clear and straightforward.
Doing it wrong
‘Hello, thank you for being here, thanks to the host of this event. I appreciate you are all willing to take some time for me’. A common way to start, but wrong! According to David, the very first seconds are to impress your audience, not to give thanks. ‘Most people think about the second thing they want to say. Because they did not think through the very first sentence on stage, they start to burble’. Also, sometimes people begin to introduce their pitch by talking about problems in a changing world. This is also not a great way to open your pitch: ‘That is not what you should do in those very first seconds! You should use a dynamite slogan or statement to grasp attention’.