The intersection of financials, brand identity, and intellectual property.
You know how to run the numbers, but what is your company’s story? Does your pitch deck convey who you really are? Do you really know your company’s brand and it’s value as a company asset? Do you understand your intellectual property assets? Do you have the language to talk about these issues at length? Unless your numbers truly speak for themselves, you need every tool at your disposal for communicating your company’s value. You need to be able to articulate what makes your company stand out.
Business ideas and concepts are rarely truly unique. But, branding and marketing can effectively set companies apart from the competition. Telling a compelling story in a pitch is not as easy as it may seem. A company needs to be able to communicate a defined brand mission and position, a specific target market, clear belief systems and values and an experience that creates a real point of difference from the competition. Only when this foundation has been laid can a business identify an executable sales and marketing plan and a realistic and convincing competitive analysis.
And, the story is only as compelling as the legal framework used to hold it all up. Has your company registered the trademarks, copyrights or patents necessary to run the business and grow? Registered intellectual property can increase the value of a brand and provide leverage in a negotiation. Are there holes in your intellectual property strategy that could leave purchasers at risk? Buyers and investors will ask for assurances regarding potential claims. Are core marketing messages compliant with the relevant advertising laws and regulations? This is especially relevant to companies in regulated industries, such as healthcare, financial services, and alcohol and tobacco.
One significant fear in pitching is that a receiving party will steal a company’s ideas. Nondisclosure agreements can be a great tool, but they’re not always practical or enforceable. Incorporating a discussion of your valuable intellectual assets in your pitch can be a powerful way to dissuade would-be thieves. While it can be difficult to legally claim exclusive rights to an idea, creative components built around the idea may be ownable. Don’t overlook the importance of these elements. Ideas and concepts can be copied…brands cannot.