Setting the right first impression!
I recently attended a pitch – the company was looking to raise $2,000,000 from a group of angel investors. Sounds like a lot for angels to pony up but that is the source of another story. Any way the company represented by two people in suits looking to be in their mid-fifties or early forties gave their pitch. They did a good job addressing my five questions but they slipped up one item.
They printed out their presentation on high quality, glossy paper stock and in color. The presentation was OK and it was given slide by slide in a monotonous way (bad Power Points always exist so let’s look past that part) but what stuck out to me was the print outs of their presentation. The print outs – which were not really needed ( a good thing sense there were not enough copies for everyone in the room). Each print out was at least $5.00.
If you are trying to make a good impression in a room full of angel investors think about the message you are sending by printing out presentations that are not needed in color on expensive paper stock. Don’t print them out at all. If you must print, then print them on normal paper and in black and white. Show your potential investors that you watch your pennies and consequently – if they invest in your company show them that you will watch theirs as well.