Sending Good Subliminal Messages

I often sit in investor presentations where companies are raising millions of dollars to fund the go-to-market strategy for their products. Then, they proceed by walking through a boring, uneventful talk highlighted by a text-filled slide deck designed by color blind interns. See the disconnect?

People look for subtle, even subliminal messages in their communications with you. That's why speech coaches will tell you to walk into a room well-dressed, well-prepared and confident. As an investor, you'd give money to the guy that you think could sell ice to eskimos.

You can always walk into the room and say that you're not a marketing expert, but if investors gave you a few million, you could hire that expert. Doesn't sound so appealing, does it? Or, you could show that you know how to sell. Sharpen your pitch (more on that another day). Make better looking slides. But what if you actually started selling product during the pitch?

I consulted with a company yesterday that has a product most funders would buy for themselves and the companies they work with. It has a relatively low price point of $300, but pre-production units won't be available for another two months, and production units won't be ready for another 4 - 6 months. They tell me that most of the people they pitch get pretty excited about the product, even though they may not be all that excited about the investment opportunity.

So, I suggested that they start selling during their pitch. Here's how:

• Pre-sales: Allow people to buy a pre-production unit if they pre-pay. Create scarcity by indicating how many pre-production units will be available.



• Deposits: Take a deposit for the production units, and promise a bonus. The bonus might simply be getting the first products off the assembly line, free installation, or maybe even a t-shirt (another branding opportunity!)



• Expressions of Interest: Gather names, contact information, and how many units people might be interested in buying. Get permission to contact them when the production units are ready.

Bring a someone who can take orders along with you to your presentation. Have lots of well-designed order forms available, bring your prototypes/samples, be ready to answer questions, and close some orders!

What an incredible way to show investors that you know how to close a deal.

You'll probably have to adjust this strategy to suit your company's product offering, but the principle remains true. If you do something in your presentation to demonstrate strong sales and marketing capabilities, you'll have won half the battle.