Most founders make a key mistake when crafting their pitch. All too often a founder reads a how-to blog on pitching and then immediately starts working on their pitch deck. This is a mistake. Before starting to construct your pitch deck you need to design and create your narrative. Only once you have a clear narrative do you start constructing your pitch deck.
A key component of the narrative is what I refer to as the magic move. The magic move is at the beginning of your pitch and links together “the vision”, your elevator pitch and “the hook” the relatable challenge to be overcome.
The Magic Move does not need any slides, it can simply be included in your dialogue.
Nor is it a single move but more a 6-move combo.
1) Introduce the Hero – Present the main character(s) as real, relatable but still special.
2) Suggest the Change – what is the underlying momentum that supports the change you want to make. Macro trends like technology adoption, climate change, AI etc.
3) Tease the Future – Don’t be limited by inspiring with just the current state or abilities of your technology. Reach further in your narrative about the potential that could be achieved in the future.
4) Show the Stakes – Manage risk aversion by outlining the winners and losers in either scenario. Either making the change you are proposing or everything staying the same.
5) State the Challenge – Be specific and detailed about the problems being faced.
6) Ask the Question – Introduce your solution to the problem as a question. For example, What if we…
Most founders fail to include even a compelling narrative in their pitch let alone the sophistication of the Magic Move. In my own experience, including the Magic Move will increase the quality of the pitch by over 50%.
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