Businesses I have worked with from the very beginning are now coming back to me to have their story (pitch) refreshed and updated. Either they have outgrown their initial business story, or they are realising that they need to pivot.
There are several reasons for these re-engagements; the primary ones are:
- To increase sales and win more significant contracts with larger organisations.
- They are seeking the next round of funding and need to bring their pitch up-to-date while demonstrating a bigger ambition.
For the person(s) who has been delivering the current pitch, this can be a scary time, as they have grown comfortable with the story they have been telling for the last number of years.
A similar situation can arise for a stand-up comedian who tours with his show to 2-3 years and then realises if he wishes to continue to engage his audiences, he needs to drop the old act and return re-energised with new material.
The other reason for re-engaging with me is that the founder now realises that they need to train other people to sell their product. They may be internal staff, new sales executives, partners or distributors of the product.
The above is a never-ending process and the pitch needs to continually evolve to tell the story of your business, that will engage funders, bankers, suppliers, customers and most importantly your team. Put simply, anyone who engages with your business in any way.
Are you tired and losing confidence in “your company story”?
To quote Michael Gerber, “Do you feel that you are now just working in the business and not on the business?”.
We are starting a New Year; why not resolve to get back to working on the business?
If you feel you need help doing this, please get in touch.
Like most writers, I’d love feedback. I’m always fascinated (and occasionally frustrated) to learn which ideas people take on board and which ones they ignore.
