I explore this question in my short, partly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a pitch designer in deep-tech. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, design, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
Can I trust you?
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Whether they realize it or not, this is THE question on your prospect’s mind during a pitch. In last week's LinkedIn post I pointed out that the impression you leave is shaped more by your appearance, tone of voice, and body language than by your presentation content. What ARE Your prospects scanning for? Think of a detective interrogating a suspect: since they don't know all the facts, they focus on inconsistencies in the story. Prospects do the same—they can't accurately judge your future predictions because they’re too complex. Instead, their psyche defaults to assessing whether you seem trustworthy How? The marker their subconscious is scanning for is COHESION — does what you say match how you say it? They register your facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, and words, scanning for anything out of place. When everything aligns, it creates a seamless, believable narrative. But if there’s a disconnect, it triggers skepticism, making them question your credibility. Can You Hack This? Not really. Evolution is clever. You should accept that (unless you're a psychopath) any discrepancy in your pitch will show in your non-verbal communication. You can't directly hack your non-verbal cues, but you can stack the deck in your favor: When crafting your pitch, put authenticity and integrity above all. It’s the opposite of ‘fake it till you make it’ as far as I am concerned. Aim to be the same person inside and outside the room. Avoid being manipulative in your communication. Play the deep game of trust, not the shallow game of persuasion. Sagi |
What makes people see value in a thing?
I explore this question in my short, partly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a pitch designer in deep-tech. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, design, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
A question arrived by LinkedIn, that you might find useful (edited for brevity): Hi Sagi, I’m still an undergrad, but I am already facing a challenge with fundraising for our solar race car initiative. Could you share your most important insight from designing tech investment pitches? Here's the response:Hi Harry, This is a big question but here's a thought to nudge you in the right direction: Think of pitching as answering one core question that investors have. You might assume that question...
Here's a thought experiment. You are a VC. About to start yet another meeting with a startup that reached out. It’s your third today - your seventh this week. After a couple of minutes of small talk, one of the founders connects their laptop and hits “Present.” You lean back in your chair, ready to listen. Now pause. What do you hope happens next? What could the founder say or do that will make you go: "Yes! This is the one. Not the team from the previous meeting. Not one of the other 22 I've...
If you’re scientifically minded, shouldn’t you question the entire premise of pitching? The idea that you are supposed to TALK people into investing in you. It’s not obvious to me that humans work that way. Don’t get me wrong, language is useful. It made us what we are as a species. But it’s also just noises you make with your mouth. It costs nothing and our subconscious knows it. Look at nature: A female wont "invest" in a mate unless he can present an impressive peacock tail or large set of...