{"id":11772,"date":"2025-02-07T12:06:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T12:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=11772"},"modified":"2025-02-07T12:26:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T12:26:24","slug":"how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ask any Dragon\u2019s Den fan for the worst business pitch of all time and many will say it\u2019s Flow Signals \u2013 crowned on TV as the \u201cworst invention ever<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitching his invention of LED lights on traffic signs, founder Derek Cozens had the dragons bewildered. He failed to demonstrate any market demand for his invention, he did not have a viable business model and he admitted he was refused the regulatory approval he would need.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the Q&A, the dragons were begging him not to invest more of his own money into the business.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be like Derek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Victor\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Victor Riparbelli, CEO of Synthesia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Hannah\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Hannah Tapsell Chapman, VC investment manager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In a marketplace where 90% of startups fail\u279a<\/a>, most entrepreneurs don\u2019t get their idea off the ground because their value proposition is presented poorly. But there\u2019s a tool that can make or break your business in the early days, and it doesn\u2019t cost a thing.

It\u2019s your business pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Dragon\u2019s Den to Series D, we\u2019re diving into the worst and best business pitches. Plus, we\u2019re spilling the secrets on what it really takes to pitch your business successfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t

AI for Sales<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

How to close more deals smarter and faster. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the Playbook<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\"\"\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Learn from failure \u2013 even when it\u2019s not your own<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So Flow Signals wasn\u2019t the best idea \u2013 but it\u2019s not the only business to get it wrong at the pitch presentation. Another contender for the worst business pitch is Amber, a phone-charging dock with fingerprint scanning technology for the \u201creasonable\u201d cost of $1,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a particularly painful grilling\u279a\u279a<\/a> on Shark Tank, the US equivalent of Dragon\u2019s Den, investor Kevin O’Leary said to Amber\u2019s founders: \u201cI have to hire you both so I can fire you. This is so horrible\u2026 I hate this so much it\u2019s incredible. It\u2019s one of the worst ideas I\u2019ve ever seen. I\u2019m out.\u201d The extremely high price point, fallible tech and failure to show why anyone would need the product ultimately doomed Amber\u2019s pitch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you might remember blood-testing company Theranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes. Despite successfully raising $1.4 billion, the pitch deck<\/a> had a critical flaw \u2013 it over inflated the projected value of the business. Holmes\u2019 claim when fundraising that her technology could diagnose disease with just a few drops of blood was revealed to be untrue, and she was sentenced to prison<\/a> for defrauding investors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From pitch to rich: How to skyrocket success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to 2024 data from DocSend<\/a>, investors spend an average of just 2 minutes and 18 seconds reviewing a pitch deck. That means you have a small window to make a big impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf due diligence is the interview process, then the pitch deck is the CV,\u201d said Hannah Tapsell Chapman, an investment manager at Mercia Ventures, one of the UK\u2019s most active venture capital firms. \u201cWhile there is a lot that goes into the overall assessment of whether to invest, the pitch deck is what gets you through the door in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your pitch deck is an opportunity for you to tell a rich story about you and your business \u2013 who you are, what problem you\u2019re solving and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case in point, before Airbnb was a household brand, in 2008 the business had a simple 10 slide deck<\/a> which helped founders Brian Chesky<\/a>, Joe Gebbia<\/a> and Nathan Blecharczyk<\/a> unlock $600,000 in funding \u2013 and eventually become a billion dollar business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s easy to see why. The original AirBed&Breakfast deck is simple and not crowded and it takes investors on a journey through the problem, solution, market landscape, business model and competitive advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman lifted the veil on his 2004 pitch deck<\/a>, explaining how it helped his team raise $10 million in Series B funding. He even acknowledges the \u201cmistake slide\u201d which didn\u2019t belong in an investor pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another example of a winning pitch deck is Tinder, then known as Matchbox. The pitch deck<\/a> was a breath of fresh air, a departure from the usual using humour, imagery and a compelling story to sell the company\u2019s vision. And it worked. Tinder raised more than $50 million in three rounds of funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What not to do when pitching your business <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When seeking funding for your venture, it\u2019s important to be intentional and targeted with investors you\u2019re courting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne common deal breaker is a fundamental mismatch between the business and the fund’s mandate,\u201d said Chapman. \u201cIf you’re seeking \u00a330 million, don’t approach a fund that only writes \u00a3500k cheques. And if you’re a B2C business, avoid targeting a deep tech fund.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when preparing and presenting your pitch deck, there are lots of ways to get it wrong. Common pitfalls include making it too long and overly complex and failing to explain your go-to-market strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI video platform Synthesia\u2019s CEO and co-founder Victor Riparbelli said: \u201cOur pitch deck focused on three key themes: What sets Synthesia apart in an increasingly competitive space, the value proposition of AI video over text and what it will take to build a company that can bundle the entire enterprise video value chain in one platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve met many founders who do not understand how investors think,\u201d he added. \u201cVCs look for  companies that will return their investment with interest, so as an entrepreneur you need to communicate that you can be a good fund returner \u2013 either by creating and owning a new market or by disrupting an existing one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Join the Salesblazer movement<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We’re building the largest and most successful community of sales professionals, so you can learn, connect, and grow. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tGet Started<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\"\"\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What makes a winning pitch deck<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a few hallmarks of successful pitch decks which can help you unlock funding for your business. Here are 5 top tips from Chapman and Riparbelli:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Tell a compelling story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the growth stage, you need a healthy balance of story, vision and business metrics. Don\u2019t just talk about the product but also explain the problem it solves, the scale of the opportunity and the go-to-market strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Put your customer first<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When outlining the value proposition, focus on why customers care enough to pay for your solution. Discuss the size of the market opportunity, your target customers and how you reach them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Keep it simple<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stay simple and concise. Focus mostly on the product and customers initially, and save the<\/p>\n\n\n\n

technology deep-dives for later on in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Spotlight your team<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it’s the people who will make the business a success and investors are always keen to know about your skills, experience and motivations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Understand the power law<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In VC, a small number of investments tend to generate the majority of the returns, known as the power law. This means that every investment has to have the potential for exponential growth. So highlight your unique value proposition, the scalability of your product and the size of the market opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t

AI for Sales<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

How to close more deals smarter and faster. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tGet the Playbook<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\"\"\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writer Alyssa Jaffer rounds up the best \u2013 and worst \u2013 brand business pitches, plus reveals what makes a winning business pitch from founder Victor Riparbelli, CEO of Synthesia, and VC investment manager Hannah Tapsell Chapman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":654,"featured_media":11833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sf_justforyou_enable_alt":true,"optimizely_content_id":"a6c7b587abde4cb7a026b2dae1538685","post_meta_title":"","ai_synopsis":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"sf_topic":[367,52,186,227,67,4],"sf_content_type":[],"coauthors":[460],"class_list":["post-11772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sf_topic-salesblazer","sf_topic-careers","sf_topic-ceo-owner","sf_topic-company-culture","sf_topic-leadership","sf_topic-sales"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches - Salesforce<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From the disasters on Dragon\u2019s Den to the pitches that went public, the key to a startup\u2019s success is your business pitch. So in today\u2019s crowded marketplace, what does it really take to pitch your business successfully?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Writer Alyssa Jaffer rounds up the best \u2013 and worst \u2013 brand business pitches, plus reveals what makes a winning business pitch from founder Victor Riparbelli, CEO of Synthesia, and VC investment manager Hannah Tapsell Chapman.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Salesforce\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-07T12:06:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-07T12:26:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2160\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1215\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alyssa Jaffer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alyssa Jaffer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/4e32b73cc8235eda895a2854f9dd4fd0\"}],\"headline\":\"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-07T12:06:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-07T12:26:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/\"},\"wordCount\":1155,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/\",\"name\":\"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches - Salesforce\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-07T12:06:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-07T12:26:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7693aacd156f9d4740a8486fcd1d1dd6\"},\"description\":\"From the disasters on Dragon\u2019s Den to the pitches that went public, the key to a startup\u2019s success is your business pitch. So in today\u2019s crowded marketplace, what does it really take to pitch your business successfully?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg\",\"width\":2160,\"height\":1215,\"caption\":\"[Adobe Stock | Salesforce]\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Salesforce\",\"description\":\"News, tips, and insights from the global cloud leader\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/4e32b73cc8235eda895a2854f9dd4fd0\",\"name\":\"Alyssa Jaffer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e2504596eb1c50085b564ba67bf02b8a\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/Alyssa-Jaffer-headshot-2024.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/Alyssa-Jaffer-headshot-2024.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"width\":\"150\",\"height\":\"150\",\"caption\":\"Alyssa Jaffer\"},\"description\":\"Alyssa (a-lee-sa) Jaffer is a London-based journalist covering careers, health, and lifestyle. She is also a content writing and communications expert, with two degrees in media and journalism from UC Berkeley and City University of London and years of professional experience in content marketing. Reporting on crucial stories like the motherhood penalty for Stylist and the sexual harassment of female farm workers and custodial workers for PBS \u201cFrontline\u201d, Alyssa is an award-winning professional with an interest in issues impacting women at work.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/author\/alyssa-jaffer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches - Salesforce","description":"From the disasters on Dragon\u2019s Den to the pitches that went public, the key to a startup\u2019s success is your business pitch. So in today\u2019s crowded marketplace, what does it really take to pitch your business successfully?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches","og_description":"Writer Alyssa Jaffer rounds up the best \u2013 and worst \u2013 brand business pitches, plus reveals what makes a winning business pitch from founder Victor Riparbelli, CEO of Synthesia, and VC investment manager Hannah Tapsell Chapman.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/","og_site_name":"Salesforce","article_published_time":"2025-02-07T12:06:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-07T12:26:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2160,"height":1215,"url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alyssa Jaffer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alyssa Jaffer","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/"},"author":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/4e32b73cc8235eda895a2854f9dd4fd0"}],"headline":"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches","datePublished":"2025-02-07T12:06:37+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-07T12:26:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/"},"wordCount":1155,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/","url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/","name":"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches - Salesforce","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-07T12:06:37+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-07T12:26:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7693aacd156f9d4740a8486fcd1d1dd6"},"description":"From the disasters on Dragon\u2019s Den to the pitches that went public, the key to a startup\u2019s success is your business pitch. So in today\u2019s crowded marketplace, what does it really take to pitch your business successfully?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg","width":2160,"height":1215,"caption":"[Adobe Stock | Salesforce]"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/how-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Lose Sales and Alienate People: The Worst (and Best) Business Pitches"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/","name":"Salesforce","description":"News, tips, and insights from the global cloud leader","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/4e32b73cc8235eda895a2854f9dd4fd0","name":"Alyssa Jaffer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e2504596eb1c50085b564ba67bf02b8a","url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/Alyssa-Jaffer-headshot-2024.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/Alyssa-Jaffer-headshot-2024.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","width":"150","height":"150","caption":"Alyssa Jaffer"},"description":"Alyssa (a-lee-sa) Jaffer is a London-based journalist covering careers, health, and lifestyle. She is also a content writing and communications expert, with two degrees in media and journalism from UC Berkeley and City University of London and years of professional experience in content marketing. Reporting on crucial stories like the motherhood penalty for Stylist and the sexual harassment of female farm workers and custodial workers for PBS \u201cFrontline\u201d, Alyssa is an award-winning professional with an interest in issues impacting women at work.","url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/author\/alyssa-jaffer\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/How-to-lose-sales-and-alienate-people.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Salesforce","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/654"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11772"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11877,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11772\/revisions\/11877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"sf_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sf_topic?post=11772"},{"taxonomy":"sf_content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sf_content_type?post=11772"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=11772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}