To successfully raise the capital you need you will need to execute on several fronts, but that is not the subject of this article. In this article we'll discuss the 7 quickest ways to kill your capital raising efforts.



1. Talk to as few people as possible. Your deal is probably so attractive, why wouldn't anyone jump at the chance to invest as soon as you show up. If you only need a few investors, it'll probably be the first handful of people you talk to.

2. Make sure you only talk to people who don't have any money. Getting an audience with Uncle Lou is certainly easier than getting in front of Mr. Money Bags; besides, Uncle Lou is easy to talk to and he likes you. Forget that Uncle Lou doesn't have any money. When Dillinger responded, “...because that's where the money is” to the question of why he robs banks – he was just kidding.

3. When you get around to talking to people, make sure you talk to one person at a time. Don't make the mistake of chasing several prospective investors at once; it'll just wear you out. Pick one prospective investor. Get an appointment set up. Wait until you meet with and hear back from them before you call the next prospective investor on your list. Besides, it would be embarrassing having to turn investors away just because you called too many people at once.

4. Take your time. Whoever said, “time kills all deals” doesn't know what they're talking about. Take your time, there's no hurry. Take your time calling prospective investors and take your time getting back to them (you don't want to seem too anxious). Don't press a sense of urgency when you talk about your deal, people don't like to be pressured.

5. Have a poor pitch. Make sure that your talking points are as uninteresting as possible - boring in fact. You don't want to grab anyone's attention. Don't focus on the business model – how your deal makes money. Forget all that talk about customers, products, industry, markets, competition, and financial performance – that's all uninteresting stuff. Focus instead on you and just keep telling your prospective investor “I'm gonna make you rich!”

6. Investors want to guess how much you need, so don't tell them what or how much you're looking for. Play 20 questions with them, everyone like games, and it's more fun that way. If your prospective investor asks you whether you are looking for debt of equity, the right answer is always “what do you think?” When you answer a question with a question, it shows that you are a shrewd businessperson. If they push you, just tell them “whatever works for you”, you want to show that you'll be accommodating.

7. Be unprofessional. Show up late for meetings. Don't look the part. Be unprepared. Steer every answer to “I'm gonna make you rich!” Don't have any documents that describe your deal, like a term sheet or private placement memorandum, you don't want to come across slick.

There you have it. Follow these seven simple steps and you too can have your capital raising efforts flame out as quickly as possible.