How do you convince investors to invest in your business? What will convince someone to invest in you? What does it take to persuade someone to invest?How do you get investors to invest in your business?
Meet the Author: Benjamin Ball
Ben is the founder of Benjamin Ball Associates and leads the presentation coaching and pitch deck creation teams. Formerly a corporate financier in the City of London, for 20+ years he’s helped businesses win with better pitches and presentations, particularly investor pitches. He is a regular speaker and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and UCL London. Follow Ben on LinkedIn or visit the contact page.
The Problem Convincing Someone to Invest in Your Business
To pitch investors successfully, you need to know how to convince investors. But convincing potential investors is complex.
The biggest problem you have when trying to convince investors is that nobody knows the future. That means your potential investor cannot be sure if their investment decision will be successful. For this reason, their investment decision will not be rational.
I will repeat that: The most important thing to understand about persuading and convincing investors is that an investment decision is not rational.
Instead, you will only convince potential investors with a careful mix of logic and emotion. And that is why delivering a compelling pitch is so complex and so interesting.
Convincing investors is both a science and an art.
Convincing investors is a science because it has been studied and we can see what works and what does not work.
It is also an art because every investor pitch is different and every compelling pitch is successful in different ways.
Why Pick Benjamin Ball Associates for Your Investor Pitch Coaching
At Benjamin Ball Associates, we’ve been coaching business people to improve their business communication skills for over 15 years. Our coaching is fast and effective. We work with individuals and with companies, one-to-one and in groups. Call us today to learn more.
“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”
To help you convince investors, our pitch coaches have outlined ten of their top best ideas for creating winning investor pitches. These tips are equally valid for M&A management presentations as for fundraising pitches to angel investors or if you want to learn how to sell your business. This is based on over 15 years of successfully supporting companies and funds when they pitch to investors globally.
Top Ten Tips for Convincing Investors
How to Attract Investors to Investors
Let’s review each of these tips in more detail:
1. Help your potential investor like you
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that investors in search of a good idea and great returns will invest in people that they like. So, what do you do to become a more likeable investee? Three behaviours that we coach people to adopt when we work with them to prepare persuasive investor pitches include:
Listen as much as you speak. If you are good at listening and good at asking questions then you are part way there. A good investor pitch should be more like a conversation than a one-way pitch. That means you need to ask good questions when pitching an investment. Then, listening to your investor actively will help your investor like you more.
Be curious about your investor. This means showing that you really care what your investor says and thinks. What your curiosity and questioning will give you is a better understanding of how your investor sees the world. For example, you’ll hear what they speak about, what words they use and what’s top of mind. This will allow you to be better liked by your investor.
Find common ground. We all like people who are like us. Psychological research is full of findings that we like people with whom we share something in common. The link could be a school, a hobby, friends, past employers or even passport or first name. Find that link and you’ll find it easier to convince people.
2. Make your investors feel comfortable during your pitch
As well as helping your potential investors like you, to convince investors you want to make your investors feel comfortable. There are many ways of making your investors feel comfortable, and this will depend on who you are talking to.
Another best way to help your investor feel comfortable is to avoid contradicting their beliefs. For example, if you start your presentation by stating that the world is flat, you will alienate most investors. Instead, you want to get your investor nodding along with you towards the start of your investor presentation. This will help you convince your investor.
Your pitch should also address the type of investor you’re targeting. Different investors have different priorities, whether it’s short-term returns, a focus on tech, or an interest in sustainable businesses. Tailor your presentation to match their criteria, showing how your startup aligns with their existing investment portfolio.
3. Understand that logic alone will not convince investors
“Don’t be a logic bully” is a favourite phrase of one of our leading coaches. But, as you might realise, logic alone cannot be persuasive. If logic alone was persuasive, then we would have no need for new business pitches. We’d all be persuading investors with spreadsheets.
Cash flows, a competitive advantage, a marketing plan, a great business idea, market research, a unique selling proposition and financial forecasts are all very well, but by themselves they will not convince. You need something more.
Two and a half thousand years ago, Aristotle outlined the best way to create a persuasive argument. He pointed out that to be persuasive you needed a good balance of logos, ethos and pathos. You can translate these three Greek words as Logic, Credibility and Emotion. What this means is that to convince investors your pitch needs to have a healthy balance of logic, credibility and emotion. To understand this in more detail, have a look at this article.
Another aspect of convincing beyond logic is to “Show, don’t tell”. What this means is that it is much more convincing to demonstrate your success rather than just claim success. For example, it’s a good idea to describe how your business model works in reality, don’t just talk about it. You can read more about this here
4. Convince by giving your investor a simple investment story
One of the most common mistakes business owners make when pitching to investors is to make their investor presentations too complex. They assume that because their investors are smart that they will be most comfortable with complex ideas and complex presentations. They plan to show a detailed business plan.
This is wrong. Complexity is off-putting. Our brains love simplicity. A great investor presentation should be made simple for your investor.
Having worked on hundreds successful investor presentations, we often surprise ourselves how simple the best presentations become. But making complex presentations simple is hard work. Anyone can pack a presentation with bullet points and financial projections.
We’ve already mentioned how important it is to listen to your potential investor. But what should you listen for? One aspect of listening it to hear what your investor talks about. For example, what do they speak about? Is it growth potential, is it profits, or is it market share or exit strategy? If you know what matters to them, you can you can talk about that. That’s how you convince investors.
What metaphors does your investor use when they speak? Do they talk about driving the business? Do they talk about nurturing and growing the company? Or do they talk about battling the competition and fighting market conditions?
If you can pick up on your investor’s metaphors, you will better understand how they see the world and then you can respond using their language. In this way you subtly become more persuasive.
Then, how do they describe successes?
Does your investor discuss increasing multiples and how they value the business?
Do they talk about increasing profit, or cash flow and margins?
Or does your investor talk about the way they exit businesses with trade sales, IPOs and secondary private equity sales.
The more you can get into their heads and speak their investor language, the more you will convince investors. Learn more about our investor pitch coaching.
6. To convince investors, be a teacher, not a sales person
Generally, investors don’t like being sold to. Investors prefer to feel they are reaching investment decisions on their own. On the other hand, investors love learning new things.
One of the joys of being an investor is that you are constantly meeting bright new people with different views of the world. Every now and then you get real insight that helps you become a better investor.
How can you help your investor see the world in a different light?
What can you teach them about your industry, your business model or your approach?
If your investor comes away feeling they have discovered something new, they are more likely to feel convinced they have a reason for investing in you.
7. Acknowledge where your investment story has weaknesses
Every investor story has challenges. The weakest investment stories paper over those cracks and say that everything if fine. If you want to be convincing when you pitch your investment, then you want to be clear that you understand your investment case weaknesses and that you have plans to overcome those weaknesses.
And if you can’t see any weaknesses? Then create some sacrificial lambs. Identify something in your solid business plan that’s a bit more difficult in your business; where your investment case might suffer if you don’t get it right. For example, is your strong management team incomplete; is there a real problem with sales; do you have all the necessary skills?
By showing that you can see the problems in your successful business and demonstrating how you will deal with those problems you make it more apparent that you are good at running a business and forecasting problems. That is how you become more convincing when pitching for investment.
8. Use stories, examples and anecdotes to convince investors
One of my favourite sayings for investor pitches is “Facts get forgotten, but stories get repeated.” A good story can be more compelling than the most convincing numbers. Yet, too many investor pitches fail to harness the power of a compelling story.
A good story in your investor pitch can be like one of those multi-tools. It can do many jobs at once. A powerful investor pitch story is the best way to bring to life a complex idea and leave a lasting impression. An investor story can make it easy for someone to understand what drives your customers and a strong story will help the listener. A good story can show how you deal with adversity. You can learn how to do this with presentation skills training.
9. Convince by showing you have a clear plan for creating value
When you are building a business you are on a journey. And a journey has many steps. For that journey to be successful, you want a plan. And a plan always has certain features:
a. Your plan has a clear destination b. Your plan has your first steps mapped out c. Your plan foresees the obstacles you might face d. Your plan has measurable waypoints
If you can describe these four aspects of your business clearly, it’s much more likely that you will be able to convince investors. And make sure you are clear how you will scale up your business.
10. Make it easy for your investor to tell your story and convince others
For you to be successful in raising money from investors, your investor, whether an angel investor, a venture capital firm or a private equity investors, needs to convince other people. These may be investor colleagues, these may be members of the investor committee, it may be external advisors. They may need to present to the board. Whoever it is, you need to equip your investor with the tools to pitch for you.
That means you must have a powerful executive summary. To help them make a strong case, you need to show a well-thought-out plan and you need a convincing investment case. Have a look at our presentation coaching programmes and discover the best way to impress investors.
Further Thoughts About Persuading Investors
Convincing investors to back your business is about making a compelling case. The first step is to create a strong business pitch that clearly outlines your vision, market opportunity, and path to profitability.
Start by demonstrating that there’s a large market for your product or service. This immediately grabs investor attention, showing them the potential scale of the opportunity. A solid plan should also include detailed financial statements, a clear marketing strategy, and specific business growth targets. These elements reassure investors that you have a realistic and thought-out approach to scaling your business.
Investors, particularly venture capitalists, are not just interested in your idea—they want to see a credible track record. This might involve showcasing past successes, highlighting your team members’ experience, and demonstrating how previous marketing campaigns have driven results.
A convincing case often comes down to details. Make sure your balance sheet is in order and that your financial statements are accurate and easy to understand. Be ready to answer the hard questions investors will ask about your business model, competition, and potential risks.
Conducting thorough due diligence on your own business—before the investors do—is crucial. Prepare for this by reviewing your data, refining your pitch, and ensuring that any projections are grounded in reality. Once you have the basics in place, the next step might be securing meetings with specific VC firms or investors who are known to invest in your sector. Use social media strategically to create buzz, showcasing milestones and demonstrating momentum in order to maintain investor interest.
Ultimately, getting to the next level requires more than just a good idea—it requires a convincing and well-supported case. If you can clearly show how your business fits into a larger market, back it up with a strong team and detailed financials, and address investor concerns upfront, you’ll be in a much stronger position to secure the funding you need.
How do you convince investors?
The tools above will all help.
Your investment story must be simple.
Your investment story must be engaging.
You need to include case studies and anecdotes to bring it to life.
With these characteristics your investor will find it much easier to convince others.
Of course, not everything about convincing investors is easy. If it were, our firm would not exist. Every day we help firms and funds put together compelling investment stories, pitch books and investor meetings.
With advice and coaching we add value by making investor pitches compelling. We’ve been transforming investor pitches for 15 years and we do it for some of the most successful businesses in the world.
If you want help convincing investors to invest in your fund or your business, then get in touch. Call Louise Angus, our client services director for a no obligation chat about how we can add value to your fundraising.
Why Choose Us: Transform your pitches and presentations with tailored coaching
We can help you present brilliantly.Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too.
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For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice for leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We’ll help you improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.
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When investors look at your business, they are looking for strong growth potential, a clear market opportunity, a competitive advantage and a solid financial model. They also assess your leadership team’s experience and your company’s ability to generate long-term returns. Read more about what investors look for in a pitch deck.
How Can I Make My Pitch More Persuasive?
If you have a compelling pitch it will be clear, concise, and well-structured. That means you need to highlight the problem your business solves, your unique value proposition and the financial potential of your business. Use real data, success stories, and a confident delivery to build credibility.
What Are the Key Elements of a Successful Investor Pitch?
To have a strong pitch, you should include:
– A compelling problem and solution – A clear business model and revenue strategy – Market size and target audience – Competitive advantage and differentiation – Financial projections and funding requirements – A strong, capable leadership team – A clear exit strategy for investors
TO build trust you want to be transparent about your business model, risks and challenges. Provide accurate financial data and a realistic growth plan. Demonstrating a deep understanding of your industry and market strengthens investor confidence. Under-promise and over-deliver.
And most importantly, build a good personal relationship.
What’s the Best Way to Prepare for Investor Questions?
You should anticipate tough questions about your business model, competition, scalability and risks. Prepare answers that include examples and data. And practice handling objections confidently. A well-rehearsed Q&A session can strengthen your credibility.
How Important Are Financial Projections in an Investor Pitch?
This depends a bit what stage your business is at. For mature businesses, financial projections are crucial, as investors want to see potential returns. Provide realistic revenue, profit, and cash flow forecasts. Clearly explain key assumptions behind your numbers and how you plan to achieve them.
How Can Storytelling Help Convince Investors?
A great way for you to connect with investors is through storytelling. Share your business journey, customer success stories, or a personal motivation behind your venture. Stories make your pitch more engaging and memorable. You can learn more about business storytelling here.
What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid When Pitching to Investors?
Some of the common mistakes we regularly see include:
– Providing vague or unrealistic financials – Overloading the pitch with unnecessary details – Failing to clearly explain the market opportunity – Ignoring potential risks and challenges – Lacking enthusiasm and confidence in your presentation
After the meeting you should send a follow-up email thanking investors for their time, summarising key points discussed, and addressing any questions raised. Keep them updated on your progress to maintain their interest.
What If an Investor Says No?
Not every investor will be the right fit. Use rejection as an opportunity to gather feedback and refine your pitch. Perhaps they can introduce you to another more appropriate investor. Keep building your network and approaching new investors who align with your vision.
By preparing thoroughly, demonstrating confidence and building a great relationship, you can increase your chances of securing investor support.
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