Today, we continue the 10-issue series in which I discuss the most common problems that I see on each slide in founders’ pitch decks. Today’s issue will look at the ask.

What is the most common problem with the ask?

The Ask is one of the most complex parts of a deck to nail. Even as someone who has written and read thousands of decks, I still find it challenging to nail the ask every time and continue to find new ways that people mess up or nail this slide.

The reality is that it is easiest to nail your ask when you write your entire deck as a narrative, have your demo, and then use social status building to ramp up to the ask. If you follow this entire strategy, then it makes the ask easier because the context surrounding it is more favourable.

For most founders, however, the ask often comes at the lowest point in their pitch. They tell a story, get to the end and right when everyone is satisfied and done with the narrative, the ask is thrown in at the end. This is hard because your social status is lowest after your narrative, investors often have questions/feel it’s their chance to jump in after the narrative. In short, the timing and context around the ask are difficult. This is not to mention that the ask itself is you asking for money, which is a low-value action. So, socially speaking, this is an incredibly difficult task. That being said, here are a few ways to make it a little easier and significantly more effective.

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