One of the most critical skills every entrepreneur must learn is how to finish a pitch deck presentation with impact. If you are in the process of raising capital for your business via safe notes, not only do you need to understand the fundraising process well, but you also need a great pitch deck to make a good impression with investors.
In this regard, you can use the tips below to make a significant impact at the end of your pitch deck presentation.
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The Ultimate Guide To Pitch Decks
Here is the content that we will cover in this post. Let’s get started.
- 1. Conclude Your Story
- 2. Refer Back to your Opening Message
- 3. Get your call to action to work for you
- 4. Make it Clear That the Pitch Deck is Over
- 5. What to Include on Your Final Pitch Deck Slide
- 6. You want to give them certainty in their decision to move forward.
- 7. Why You Must End a Pitch Deck with a Powerful Impact
- 8. Make a final first impression
- 9. End with humor
- 10. Length of the Ending
- 11. Be Clear About What You Want
- 12. Final Thoughts
Conclude Your Story
While storytelling is most effective in sales presentations, it can also be used in other sorts of presentations, like when pitching to potential investors. Try to present a story throughout your pitch by beginning your presentation with an introduction to your story’s hero or heroine.
By the time you reach the very end, your hero’s story will have come to a pivotal moment, which will tie in neatly with your presentation. If you do it correctly, your potential investors will walk away remembering your story long after your presentation is over.
Refer Back to your Opening Message
You must ask a question that will pique the investors’ interest at the start of your presentation for this strategy to work. Asking a question that looks unrelated to your issue often works, as it causes your viewers to think.
When you’ve finished your presentation, rephrase the question and give them the answer this time. You may even ask your audience whether they figured out your little brain teaser — it’s a wonderful way to make an impression on them.
Keep in mind that in fundraising, storytelling is everything. In this regard for a winning pitch deck to help you here, take a look at the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel (see it here) that I recently covered. Thiel was the first angel investor in Facebook with a $500K check that turned into more than $1 billion in cash.
Remember to unlock the pitch deck template that is being used by founders around the world to raise millions below.
Get your call to action to work for you
No presentation is complete without a call to action. The entirety of your presentation serves as a build-up to your call to action. Meaning by the time you finish your presentation, the substance of your slides should have persuaded people to follow you.
You are driving the attention of investors and essentially telling them, “it’s your move now.” What should investors do after your pitch? Don’t be afraid to be blunt. If you need capital, tell them what you want, why you want it, and how you can make them more money. They have chosen to listen to your pitch, so make it worth their time.
It won’t be easy to persuade your audience to follow your call to action without the essential building and suspense. For this reason, you should take the time to learn how to finish a pitch deck presentation with impact.
Make it Clear That the Pitch Deck is Over
You don’t want to leave your potential investors guessing whether or not your pitch deck presentation is finished. Including a ‘thank you’ slide as the last slide of your pitch deck is one of the most common ways to end.
You also can’t just show the last slide and then leave your audience without thanking them. Knowing how to thank the investors for listening is crucial because it demonstrates that you respect and value their decision to spend time listening to you. Quotes can also be used to round out a PowerPoint presentation.
See How I Can Help You With Your Fundraising Or Acquisition Efforts
What to Include on Your Final Pitch Deck Slide
When you consider the amount of time spent on each pitch deck slide, the final slide in your presentation will get viewed the longest. This is because the last slide remains on the screen once you’ve completed the presentation and you’ve moved the pitch into a Q&A session. Treat the final slide as valuable and make the most of it.
Regrettably, most entrepreneurs do not operate in this manner. The speakers conclude the information they’re relaying, look at the audience with relief that they’ve reached the end of the presentation, and then go to the final slide on a massive screen that reads, “Questions?”
Finishing a presentation with a “Questions?” slide, rather than ending on a powerful and memorable point, subtly undercuts everything the presenter said. True, it’s a popular method to conclude presentations, and most audience members won’t actively detect the awful slide; nonetheless, it fosters uncertainty subconsciously, which is terrible.
More crucially, if you routinely close your presentations with a “Questions?” slide, you’re missing an excellent opportunity to stress a point you want to be remembered.
You want to give them certainty in their decision to move forward.
Here are some alternative content options for your final slide that will be less damaging and, if done well, will actually offer value:
- Logo and tagline: Reinforce your brand and core value proposition with your logo and tagline.
- Contact information: Along with your call to action, provide the necessary contact information.
- Opportunity: Be sure to put emphasis on what you can do for investors – the potential of your business.
- Key takeaways: A summary of key information in your pitch, so investors are left with that as the final thought.
- Partners list: A list featuring the companies and consumers that are relying on your business to succeed.
- Team photo: Remind the audience who is behind your business and the key drivers helping to take the company to the next level.
Why You Must End a Pitch Deck with a Powerful Impact
If you don’t have a powerful ending, the whole presentation will fall flat, and the audience will be left wondering why they sat through the entire pitch. If you have no experience presenting a pitch, the introduction and conclusion are of utmost importance.
Your closing statements must be strong, powerful with emphasis placed on the potential of your business. To make that happen, make the effort to learn how to finish a pitch deck presentation with impact.
Make a final first impression
This is your chance to make the final first impression. Even if you fumbled somewhere throughout the pitch, and it wasn’t as perfect as you’d hoped, finishing with a bang will bring the whole thing home. However, if you fail at the end, it’s what investors will remember about you the most – not how amazing your slides looked or the excellent delivery.
Consider a courtroom. Lawyers place the majority of their emphasis on their closing statements because it could mean a win or loss of their case. If an investor is sitting on the fence throughout the presentation, your ending is their deciding factor.
End with humor
Ending with humor is one of the best ways to end a pitch deck. Oftentimes, there is an awkward silence at the end of a presentation, but finishing with humor will leave a good impression on investors. There are various ways to do this. Pose a question at the beginning or middle of the presentation and answer it at the end in a surprising and funny way.
Finishing the presentation on a compelling note is only one aspect of a successful pitch. For more information about how to improve storytelling in a pitch deck and lead it up to the finale, check out this video I have created. You’re sure to find it helpful.
Length of the Ending
The end of a pitch deck should be about 10-15% of your speech. It gives you enough time to highlight key points, add your call to action, and leave investors with something to remember. If your pitch is 10 minutes, you have one minute to make that lasting impression.
Be Clear About What You Want
You and the audience should be clear on what the pitch is about. You need capital and resources to grow, and they can provide it. Whether you are presenting it online or in person, the next step is to be forthright about how much you need and what you plan to do with the money.
Explain why you have chosen to pitch to them and how this is an opportunity for them to be part of something great. You did your research on the type of investors who will be a better fit over others. They should feel a sense of urgency and be thinking, “I need to act now” so they don’t miss out on this investment opportunity.
Final Thoughts
Should things not go according to plan and you fail the pitch, don’t shy away from asking investors for advice. They will often pinpoint the exact moment you lost them, and it gives you the chance to tweak the presentation. Now, you won’t be making the same mistake twice, and the next meeting will be a hit.
Don’t forget to follow up. Answer their questions each time they contact you with timely, thoughtful responses. Being there for them during the decision-making process lets them know you are still heavily interested and committed to making this new relationship work.
Knowing how to finish a pitch deck presentation with impact is just as important as the way you start it. Go out with a bang and let investors know that you can make them money – the very reason they are here. Add friendly humor as an ice breaker to the FAQ and leave the audience with a good impression of you and your company.
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