I coach founders at pitching events. Here are the common mistakes I’ve seen

This is it. You finally have the opportunity to pitch your startup to investors. It’s the break you’ve always wanted.

Now what?

Pitches can be terrifying. When you’re presenting your ideas or product to an audience that’s seen its fair share of proposals, it can be difficult to make yourself memorable. And when faced with the reality that a pitch can make or break the deal, it’s easy to see why nerves get the best of many people.

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As a public speaking coach who has worked with clients from over 20 nationalities in the past 11 years, I’ve noticed that entrepreneurs and founders who have a knack for pitching effectively share a few things in common. They know how to strike the balance between making the pitch both about themselves and their audience.

And if you have to really ask, pitching can be learned.

As simple as that sounds, many entrepreneurs tend to make a number of basic mistakes. Here are some of them.

1. Forgetting the human factor (or the startup’s “why”)

Businesses are built on solving people’s problems.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen far too many entrepreneurs forget this human element and focus too much on product features, financials, and projections. The fastest way to build a human connection with investors is to share why you are so compelled to build the venture on hand.

There’s a time and place for the numbers and business case, of course. But investors chiefly want to “buy you first” before they “buy the business” and commit to working with your company in the long run.

What to do

If your company is trying to solve a problem with no available solution, use this as an opportunity to open your pitch with an authentic story. When done right, a powerful story not only makes you appear genuine but also sets the tone for your entire pitch. It also provides a context for any numbers and projections you’d present later into the presentation.

Stories about pains you’ve experienced firsthand always offer the smoothest segue into your pitch because it’s uniquely you. Otherwise, tell stories about people you are trying to help. After that, you can showcase how big the market opportunity can be by zooming out on how many others are facing a similar challenge.