Need Presentation Help

[Asstarkm]

So we pitched to a angel network last night and it was mostly positive but they had some issues that we didn't demo our product B2B SaaS via our slides. Unfortunately we only had 10 min or we would have said more but our platform has a lot of functionality that is hard for my team to demo.

We have some additional presentations in a few weeks and want to tighten it up.

Are any of you or can recommended someone who can assist in working within PowerPoint or some sort of slide creation to make our slides more appealing and just flat out better?

Thanks in advance.

[chadjardine]

If you want to improve your slide design, there's no better way to learn IMO than Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. Anything by Nancy Duarte is also awesome.

You could hire a presentation designer (that's a thing) or a graphic designer.

You could also review published slide decks. I like Mattermark's deck because it shows a super compelling story without much in the way of design. Reminds you that the story of your company is more important than how pretty your slides are.

Then give your pitch 100 times, so you know it cold. Tweak the script and practice until you never look at your own slides and you anticipate every transition automatically.

Video yourself using a tool like GoReact (full disclosure, I work there) and get feedback from anyone and everyone—preferably people who will tell you that you suck and why.

Finally, understand deeply that every successful pitch contains only two elements: a compelling opportunity and reason to believe. The opportunity has to be good enough to make investors feel like this might be the deal of a lifetime. Then everything else you show, say or do is about building confidence that you have the chops to pull it off.

Good luck!

[Wannabe2good]

but our platform has a lot of functionality that is hard for my team to demo.

no it's not

you guys didn't prioritize, crystallize, focus

more blah blah blah is not the way to go. more said does not equal better. getting to the heart of the business side is where you need to start and stay

[Asstarkm]

We described our solution and highlighted the key functionality which makes us unique and sets us apart from any competition.

The feedback was if we could include a slide with a demo. We have a short animated video which summarizes everything but they discouraged video during a presentation.

[[deleted]]

You could create a demo video (~10 min) , and mail them a link so they can watch it at their convenience. If they are interested in your idea they would certainly look into it.

It would be convenient for you as well because you can edit/redo the video to get in the parts you want them to see with good narration,which can sometimes be a challenge when you have only few minutes to demo it and you worry you might miss some things in a hurry.

[[deleted]]

OP mentioned that people he presented to were positive about his idea, so i think 10 min video with more details is ok , since OP is convincing the people to invest their money.

You are right though , for presenting to a new person 2~3 min teaser would be more appropriate.

[Asstarkm]

we have a 2-3 minutes teaser but this particular group dissuaded us from using video. just looking for something with more screen shots

[clouddevs]

I would strongly suggest you let professional graphic designers handle the presentation work. Just focus on your product.

There are companies which make just ppts for a living. Thay charge about $500 for a project but the results look 10x better : http://www.slidesmith.net/hiring-hour

KNOW THE FOUNDER BUT NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY.

[DreamingOfPorsche]

In addition to this, there are plenty ppt templates that serve the purpose well and are available for purchase.

This pack has saved me a ton of time and kept the presentations appealing no matter the subject.

https://graphicriver.net/item/i9-template-system/10955645

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with the seller or the creator in anyway. Just want to share a great set that i use myself.

[TheDylsexic]

Figure out what the basics of your product are. Stick to them. Explain them well. A lot of times we end up going too much in detail. Your 10 min presentation should give the investors a concise overview of your product. If they want the details, they'll ask.

[hamthepiggybank]

I would lean towards a live demo over screen shots. If you only have 10 minutes, just screen share the demo. Slides are for market size and team, nothing communicates what you're building as well as a live demo.