5 Crucial Advice for Meeting with Investors

by Startacus Admin

When meeting an investor for the first time, you should know how to prepare for an angel investor meeting. From coming up with an investor meeting checklist to actually talking to potential investors, here are some handy tips from Jimmy Maysa of Top-Mom.com, to assist you with this.

The meeting has been set, let the duel begin. This is the appropriate mindset to have but not necessarily with the hatred that is known amongst enemies. It is on the battlefield that the interested party will face the investor with both having their senses sharpened for any mishap.

In addition to this, the interested party has to draw in the investor using curves, words, expressions, and moves only known to him to convince him. This is the so-called investor meeting checklist. As you can see, meeting an investor for the first time is not a battle of wits with the end goal of one party on top of the other. Instead, it is a banquet invitation in which they may dine together in the end.

Let`s begin;

Do Your Research

One can never bait a lion using grass. The same principle applies in this context; when dealing with investors. There are different types of investors, and they invest in various sectors and have different modes of investment. Researching them in terms of their companies’ portfolio or interviews they have taken part in, will push you miles ahead towards your destination. At times, the interests you discover about them can be used to identify the strength in your product that they may be looking for. Research should also be undertaken in your idea, and not centered on the investors. It should not just be theoretical or with a foundation, but with research, one can get to modify it to satisfy your needs as well as the investor's.

Create a Competitive Edge

Why should you be considered? How unique is your product? What is the end goal of your idea? Always anticipate these questions as they will make you stand out. However, what will work better is that as you present your concept bring out all this within the context. Woo the investors indirectly to the extent that they create their statements as to why you are unique. Have an open mind and avoid all controversial topics such as politics or religion as they could easily turn investors against you. They should only be brought forth if they are part of the core of the product being presented.

Be The Presentation

The meeting with the investors begins from the first time you approached them, the mode of communication used, how the meeting was requested and the feedback provided. The way you dress, stand, pause as you communicate face to face either sell your product or not. Be comfortable, casual yet formal when addressing the interested party. As for your presentation, make it brief, simple to internalize and be ready to fill in the bolts and nuts as you proceed. Maintain eye contact with the investors to ensure you are all on the same ship, and any miscommunication is rectified immediately.

Let Questions Sell You Out

Before meeting with investors, present to fellow business people who one trusts. This is so that from their questions and negative critics, one will be able to rectify the loopholes in their investment plan and be able to defend it better. When one is prepared, questions can be your greatest weapon among the investors. This is because you will have a hint on what they are looking for and a more natural way to convince them more of your product.

What one should remember is that you do not change your view or ideologies to suit the investor's taste; you may end up losing your edge. In all circumstances be truthful, even when one knows not, remember this. An investor is someone you are inviting into your company, and so they need to be fully informed to prevent any future fallouts.

Foresee The Future

Most investments need to overcome the tides of time, they need to be profitable for years to come, and hence, why one needs to convince the investors. In business, the most significant language is numbers; one needs to see the plans tabulated and formulated for it to make sense.  Processed information will bring out a clear picture of the growth plan compared to speculations of what one thinks.

Conclusion

All in all, this is an example of how to prepare for an angel investor meeting. Rigidness and arrogance from the interested party will bear no fruits as one needs to have an open mind and be flexible to change. Different perspectives on the same model may make one notice the cracks that may make the foundation collapse in the future. However, it may also notify the investors of the pillars that strengthen the same model and if their allocated location will be able to carry more weight, more pressure. Now, be confident in talking to potential investors and see your endeavors bear the best fruits!

 

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Published on: 16th September 2019