By now, anyone with access to television has seen or heard of the hit show Shark Tank. Investors (sharks) hear pitches in the studio (tank) by hopeful entrepreneurs looking to receive investments by one or more of the sharks. If, by chance, you’ve never seen Shark Tank, read on anyway. There is much to consider here!
Start With a Simple but Catchy Introduction
In 1-2 minutes get-rich wannabes have to 1) illuminate their products, 2) explain the problem, 3) show how their solution solves it, and 4) ask for buy-in.
What if we took heed of those four steps during our session introductions? Students today don’t want or need lengthy explanations. They want us to get to the point in an interesting and engaging way.
Know the Details
Inevitably, a shark will ask detailed questions about product production costs, customer acquisition costs, churn rates, sales last month, year, or since inception, or projections for the future. Entrepreneurs who aren’t prepared or who have questionable information typically don’t get a deal.
While as catechists we don’t need to know all the answers but there are some common questions that may be asked. Take some time to reflect on the topic and anticipate what questions might be asked. Good questions to ask yourself are why is this important, what does it mean to us today, how can I apply this to my life, and what difference will it make if I do!
Stay Calm
A number of times I’ve seen entrepreneurs get frustrated, lose their composure, or even become too passionate about their product. The problem is they may come off as desperate, a “know it all,” or a bad listener.
Catechists may do well to show enthusiasm when questions are asked. This means students are considering the message or struggling to make sense of it.
Share Your Story
The entrepreneurs who are most successful have an interesting story of a problem that needed to be solved or of overcoming obstacles to get where they are at today.
We all have a story too. We are most convincing when we can tell how we came to trust God and avoid mistakes or get through them!
Anticipate the Objections
If you talk with enough people about something you believe in you will begin to hear repetitive concerns that people have. The more we discuss our ideas with others the more we will know what objections people have so will be better prepared to address them.
Similar to anticipating possible questions that may be asked, objections mean students may disagree with the issue. If discussing controversial issues, be sure to state that the Church has looked at these issues for a long time and has considered all the facts. Allow the opportunity to discuss points from each side of an issue. A great way to do this is to create a debate. Challenge students to take opposing views and try to defend them!
Know When to Close the Deal
How many times have we seen someone get an offer and keep talking to the point the sharks lose faith in them and retract their offer? Sometimes we are so busy “convincing” that we don’t realize that people have actually accepted the message! Be sure to recognize when someone is on board and close the deal!
Faith is a process and we may not see immediate results. Sometimes it’s better to recognize that we have successfully achieved a healthy introduction to the topic or issue and move on. That’s a good time to take it to prayer asking the Holy Spirit for help with understanding.
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