A potential investor in Denver told me my networking pitch was too polished and sounded like a sales script, which made me switch to just telling the real story of why I started my company.

Has anyone else gotten feedback that forced them to completely change their approach at an event?

3 comments

3 Comments

Honestly, that feedback about sounding too polished is a gift. It's easy to forget that investors hear a thousand perfect pitches. The messy human story is what sticks. I saw a founder completely bomb a slick deck, then win over the room by just talking about the family problem he was trying to solve. Suddenly people were leaning in and asking real questions. That raw connection beats a script every time.

the_hayden1d ago

Yeah, it's like when you're too smooth you sound like a robot reading a manual. I remember this guy pitching a gardening app. He had all these charts, then his voice cracked talking about his grandma's tomato plants. Whole mood changed. People want to buy into a person, not a powerpoint slide. That little crack in the perfect facade is where the real trust starts.

the_emma1d ago

Wait, that's not quite it though. The crack isn't about making a mistake. It's about showing you actually care. The guy's voice cracked because he felt something about his grandma. It's the feeling that's real, not the stumble. If you fake a stumble it's just another script. You have to actually give a damn about something, and that comes through. The trust starts because people see the real feeling behind the words.