Hitting a HomeRun with the right Pitch

So I realize I am the last person on the planet to be speaking on the subject, but I just need to get on my soap box for a minute and since I have no other forum for doing it ... the blog it is  :)

Having only been involved in this for a couple months now my opinion is of little worth, but I want to pass on my perspective on presentation to investors.  For reasons I won't get into, I have heard 20+ pitches for funding over the last months and here is what I would recommend to anyone trying to raise money in an investor pitch:

1. Before you go into an hour speech, find out what the investors criteria are.  Most savvy investors have a set of benchmarks or criteria they have for any potential investment.  They may be more concerned about profitability than growth, then may want only post-revenue companies with a valuation threshold.  At any rate save everyone in the room time by asking right up front and see if you align.  If not, address it, if so, focus on it in your pitch.
2. Find out what the investors GOALS are for the money.  Believe me they have exceptions - discover them early!
3. Be very brief and concise.  Greg Butterfield blogged about what your presentation should contain. http://sagecreekpartners.com/advice/what-should-be-in-your-investor-presentation/  It's good - follow it!  It's probably even longer than I would recommend for a first presentation.  I know you love your product - I get that.  But if you talk for an hour and half in the first meeting, I promise it will do more harm than good.  You may be the 4th one they've sat through that day.
4. Don't read from a script.  Even if you are on a web-conference, DO NOT read a script.  If you can't speak freely and let the conversation go in the direction the investors want, find someone who can.
5. Address the right stuff. Here are some examples:
1. You need to speak about the products/services etc. so be sure to do that, but just remember you are not trying to sell them the product as if they were a customer.  They need to see the hole you fill, but don't wait to bring up pricing at the end or only if they ask like you might in a sales call.  They are less concerned about how cool the product is than they are about whether or not people pay money for it.
2. Don't mention how much Google or Walmart have made on similar products - I hate to break it to you ... you're not Google.
3. What are you going to do with the investment?  Buy a super-bowl commercial?
4. Who are the other investors in the sandbox we have to play with?
5. What does your cap table look like?  Is that fully burdened or not?  Are you willing to offer prefered shares or only common?  What round are you currently in?  Are there more to come?  When? etc. etc.  (This is usually more interesting than your product for investors to talk about.)
6. Talk about your team and your strengths.  Just don't over do it.  Superman can't work at every company on the planet.  What are your strengths and your core competencies and how do those play into the business strategy.  Who is on your board?  How involved are they?  Who are your advisors and networks?
7. What is your Go To Market strategy.  This tends to go long, so remember brevity and conciseness are the keys.  In this part you MUST clearly state your value proposition and your competitive advantage.  Why are you hard to imitate or substitute?
8. What is the exit strategy for the company.  You just spoke about the means, now whats the end? 
9. What does this investment do for the company and what will the investor get in return for helping you get there?
6. BE HONEST!  Nothing is a bigger turn off than trying to be misleading.  Even if it is the truth, don't try to deceive.  Don't pick your competitors most expensive product and compare it to your least expensive.  Be fair.
7. Ask what the process is for making a decision.  In our case the final decision makers are NOT in the room.  We are acting as analysts and narrowing down the possibilities to then later present internally.
8. Lastly and most importantly - HAVE DATA TO PROVE YOUR NUMBERS!!!!  Every "conservative" estimate thinks their company is worth 10 M.  That seems to be the magical number.  If you have $500 K in annual revenue - your are NOT worth $10 Million.  A 20x multiple is ridiculous.  Valuations can be done using a process similar to Real Estate (Comparative Market Analysis) and adoption rates can be projected scientifically using data models and comparisons.  You can't expect someone to buy in at a 7x multiplier and expect to pay it back with a 2x multiplier 5 years later. I could be wrong but my guess is most VCs at this point would rather see realism than optimism from a CEO - especially considering the economy right now.  Reflect that in your proforma.

There - thats my two cents.  I'll be surprised if anyone out there actually cares about this post, but I had to rant  somewhere.