Business owners looking to attract independent sales agents or investment need to know how to make an investment pitch that provides realistic numbers not the 30,000 foot view! Here’s how.
What I Learned About Sales Presentations Watching the Dragons’ Den
Have you ever watched the TV shows Shark Tank or the Canadian version, Dragons Den? Then you will have heard the potential investors crying out, show me the numbers. All too often the entrepreneurs appear before the dragons to pitch their products with failed attempts to woo them with statements of grandeur. The wannabe business people tell the panel of rich and powerful tales of billion dollar market potential. They explain plans to capture millions of dollars in sales and they only have to sell to a small fraction of this market.
The dragons always respond the same way. “How many units have you sold so far? How are you going to use our money to help you sell more.” If the business person cannot answer these two simple questions they are shot down quickly and the product pitch ends up falling flat.
How to Make an Investment Pitch
As a manufacturer selling your idea to a potential sales agent, investor or distributor you need to adhere to the same sound business principals. Forget the fact you have millions of dollars in potential customer sales. Focus on your actual numbers. Speak to how a sales agent, reseller or investor will be able to follow your business model and make money.
Show Investors Realistic Numbers
Do you think a sales agent will be able to sell 100 units per month? Then ask yourself has anyone in your company has ever accomplished that sales volume? Then you are not being realistic.
You need to have a concrete plan of action. You need to be able to guide the sales agent in a step by step format. This should include the prospecting, proposing, closing and delivering stages of the sale.
Every day thousands of people all across North America attend 'get rich quick' presentations. They are sold on the joy and financial freedom that comes from selling a company's products or services. They invest thousands of dollars in multi-level marketing inventory only to have it sitting for years in their garage or basement. The only one who got rich and was happy was the person who sold them the 'bill of goods'.
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A Great Investment Pitch Highlights the Business Opportunity
Your role as the business principal or manufacturing organization is to create a viable business opportunity. This opportunity has to allow investors and a sales agent to grow their business. If you are in need of help there are companies which specialise in helping you set up a sales channel and sales processes.
Whatever to do be sure and show them the revenue stream.
Want more information on how to make a great investment pitch that actually works? Then check out my training webinar-on-demand, How to Audition for Shark Tank and Dragons' Den. Clients have netted millions of dollars in investment funding with this training. As one client wrote, “Thanks to Bob's pitch training we nailed the Dragons' Den audition and the producers invited us to the show. We scored a $500,000 investment.”
Aim Higher!
Robert J. Weese, B2B Sales Coach
“When you lead a struggling sales division from the brink of closing to over $7.4 million dollars in annual sales you can be confident, Robert knows how to engage customers and build sales.”
