|
Getting up before a crowd and speaking has never been a big problem for me. I just let loose. Not so last week, when I was invited to speak
about my plans to transform my staffing business into an online recruiting venture.
Every month, Alley Cat News, a magazine that covers New York City's Silicon
Alley, invites startups and growing companies to pitch their business models to members of their Investors Club, a potpourri of CEOs, venture
capitalists, attorneys, and the like. Nothing vague about the agenda: introduce companies to potential investors.
I drove in from Long Island, a suburban region east of New York City, taking advantage of the usual traffic delays to practice my lines.
Alley Cat doesn't give you much time — three to five minutes. Within that time, you have to describe your company, your key people, your
plans for expansion, and potential for growth. Breathing is not allowed.
I timed my shtick to a little over four minutes, and in the car I thought I did a pretty decent job of getting everything in. I got some pretty
weird stares from fellow motorists as I sat there orating and gesticulating to myself. "Just another New York loony," they probably thought.
The scene was the Princeton Club, just off Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan, a very chichi club, where many weighty conversations have
occurred, lubricated by brandy and cigars. Andy, my operations manager, met me there. We walked in and asked where the Alley Cat event was.
The concierge looked at us like we were intruders. "There is nothing scheduled under that name, sir," he said, with a small, yet concerned, lift of
the eyebrow. "But it has to be here," I said. "It was postponed from last week, when we had the big snowstorm." The concierge held his ground, not
wanting to venture a guess as to how such a misunderstanding could have happened. "Sorry. You are free — of course — to ask at the front desk."
Gee, thanks.
So we trotted to the front desk, asked once more, and received the same concerned stare with eyebrow. I made a quick call to Alley Cat
News. To my relief, someone was still there. We managed to get her all upset before we both figured out it was listed under the name of the law
firm sponsoring the event, not Alley Cat.
We were the first to arrive, and we took a seat at a table. I felt like I was attending the cocktail hour at a wedding. I ordered a club soda.
Andy had wine. (Sure, go ahead, you're not speaking today.) We passed the time chatting with attorneys, non-attorneys, the bartender, and even some
of our fellow presenters.
"Yes, our site is the biggest of its kind in the industry in the entire country," said one.
"Really?" I said. "How many people do you have working for you?"
"Just me and him," he said, pointing to another suit in the corner. "That's what we're here for. We're looking to expand." I'll say.
The first presenters, owners of a site that matches contractors with consumers, were a bit rough, I thought. They went into the details of
filling out forms on their site, but I couldn't follow what they were saying. One presenter, a company that runs Webcams around the world,
delivered a great presentation. Maybe that was because, as he pointed out, he talked with his hands. He was very animated, very good, I thought.
Everyone was listening. Then, just as he was ready to wrap up, he blew it. "Any VCs in the room?" he asked, waving his arm to get a show of hands.
He was met by stony silence. Of course there were some in the crowd, but VCs are also VP, for Very Private. Exactly the wrong thing to say in that
type of setting. Rodney Dangerfield would have been proud.
I was next. Andy said I took exactly 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I even asked him to give me some signs if I was going over. I was so nervous I
didn't even notice them. Things I said in the car, meanwhile, disappeared from my memory. I started winging it and even felt my voice quiver once
or twice. I couldn't understand my nervousness. I've done this type of thing countless times before with no problem. The night before I had even
been on a radio show and was so calm I thought I was in my den talking to friends. But before I had the time to analyze my performance, it was
over.
Maybe people were just being polite, but everyone, including Andy, who approached me afterward said I had done a great job: "Looked real good."
I didn't think so.
In any case, this was just a short test run. In June, we're going before a couple of hundred potential investors with a 15-minute presentation:
slides, PowerPoints, a little music for flash, the works. If my jitters this time are any indication, I'm going to need some big-time sedatives and
a change of underwear for that.
|
George Giokas is the president and CEO of StaffWriters Plus, a specialty agency that places writers in
temporary and permanent positions with corporate and other employers. It also provides editorial consulting work.
His database includes 2,500 writers and editors specializing in more than 60 categories. His Web site is located at www.staffwriters.com, and you can E-mail him at
george@staffwriters.com.
|
|
|
