Forget the business plan presentation with a broken projector, the late arriving airplane, last minute changes in the schedule and your sick co-presenter. These are all business travel disasters that you expect. So you can plan for them.
No. Look at the disasters you don’t expect.
Suppose a key person in the funding group immediately asks a question, and the answer isn’t until Slide Number 62 in your presentation.
Suppose that a venture capitalist asks you what you will do when your female co-founder gets pregnant.
Suppose someone walks in the room, and this someone fired you fifteen years ago.
… Now those are unexpected.
But those are the issues that will determine whether or not you get your funding.
It’s a very common misconception that the dog and pony show presentation is about the product, or even about your company. It’s not. It’s about you. And how you handle adverse situations.
An awful lot of business travel is based on fear. Fear that the deal won’t come through. Fear that the boss won’t like the presentation. Fear that you will forget the presentation entirely. And that’s not even touching the mediocre food and late planes.
The key to successful business travel is to get rid of the fears.
So, first and foremost, leave your projector at home. They’ve read your business plan. They know what is going to be in the slides. So don’t bore them – or yourself.
Rather, talk with your potential funding team. Engage them in a conversation about what you are planning, why you are planning it, and how they can be involved. Those “disasters” noted above are not disasters at all. They are prime opportunities for you to interact meaningfully. The more your funders can feel the involvement, and feel the challenge of what you are doing, the better your chances are of getting funded.
So if you don’t have to go over and over your dog and pony show presentation on the flight, what do you do? Well, how about setting out several questions for each member of the team you will be visiting. Find the common denominators. Why are they interested in you and your company? Have key people funded in this area previously? Are they looking to develop a funding group for your industry? Where did they go to school? What companies have they worked for? Who else have they funded in the past year or so? These are all entry points for a solid conversation.
The dog and pony show is an audition. It is regarded as a preview of how you will handle your other business associates. Anybody can read slides. Few people can look you in the eye and command respect.
By the way, what do you say to the person who fired you? How about, “You were right. I needed to be somewhere else. Here.”
And the one about your pregnant co-founder? That's too easy. "I'll give her a super shower." Naturally.
To learn more about this author, visit MaryAnn Shank's Website.
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