What Are The 10 Things That Turn Investors Off When You Pitch?

When pitching investors, there are countless things you might say or do that seem smart but can actually hurt your chances of raising money. It’s like there’s a secret language investors speak — and you’re not fluent in it yet.

I learned this the hard way when raising my initial funding. It took me time to crack the code, and along the way, I lost some potential investors.

I don’t want that to happen to you. I want you to avoid the pitfalls and use the right language from the very beginning. So, here are the ten things that will turn investors off and may cost you an investment:

1. Don’t Be Late.

This one seems too obvious, but under no circumstances can you ever, ever be late to an investor meeting. Remember, time is the most precious resource an investor has, so you don’t want to be at the investors office or the Zoom link, or the coffee shop early.

My rule is I want to get to the meeting at least fifteen minutes early. If I am coming from a long distance away, I’ll increase my buffer time accordingly just in case I get delayed by traffic.

Then, when I get to the meeting, I get set up. I have my pitch queued up and ready to go. That’s how you start an investor meeting the right way. Next, let’s go…