Pitching with too much passion? "More enthusiastic" pitches turn off investors

A new study offers entrepreneurs some savvy sales advice: when pitching to investors for funding, a high-octane product pitch with great enthusiasm can be a double-edged sword.

The study reveals a negative side to over-the-top product pitches. That is, exhibiting a high level of enthusiasm through energetic body movements and animated facial expressions can make investors suspect that entrepreneurs have an ulterior motive—that they are using the big hand gestures and varied vocal tones as an impression management tactic.

What the researchers say: “For entrepreneurs pitching to raise funding, more enthusiasm is not necessarily better,” said the lead author.

The study was published in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.

Entrepreneurs often pitch their business ideas to investors to attract crowdfunding. The researchers sought to answer whether showing great enthusiasm during a funding pitch always helps an entrepreneur acquire money for a new venture.

The study revealed that showing enthusiasm can make investors feel positive and view the entrepreneur favorably, but there is a downside. An entrepreneur’s enthusiastic expressions could backfire, making investors question the entrepreneur’s underlying motives.

Moreover, an investor’s negative reaction toward an enthusiastic product pitch increases if the entrepreneur is viewed as less competent, the study found.

Researchers reached their conclusions through a survey sample of 1,811 participants who evaluated 182 crowdfunding projects and through conducting a randomized experiment among 273 participants.

In the experiment, researchers hired an actor to present the same product pitch in two different ways—one with high enthusiasm and one without. Viewers were asked which pitch they would more likely fund.

“Our findings suggest that displaying enthusiasm may not always be effective for entrepreneurs to raise funding, especially for those who lack the needed expertise for the venture,” the researchers said. “There are both positive and negative pathways for displaying your enthusiasm through energetic body gestures, varied vocal pitches, or animated facial expressions.”

So, what? The essential point about influencing—or pitching for that matter—is understanding your targets. You have to show that you have a lot in common with them and therefore can share their concerns and that you can solve the real problems they have materially and emotionally. Knowing them is very much more important than knowing your product.

We buy a pitch, or accept an idea based on a real or potential relationship with the seller or because our purchase of that idea or product will please someone else whose good opinion we need.