- Express humility toward team and market.
- Answer the questions. Don’t be a White House press secretary. (ed. I wrote this in 2013 but it is just as relevant today.)
- Know your company and product differentiation cold.
- If you need to mention competition downsides, don’t do it by name if possible but rather by generic shortcomings seen in the market in general.
- Know your numbers and the ones you can (and can’t) share publicly. This is just like Shark Tank.
- Turn a challenging question into a relevant and authentic positive (but answer!)
- If an analyst challenges you directly, don’t be defensive. And you should be prepared to answer the hardest questions. Practice with co-workers until you don’t sound defensive in your answers.
- If you have to mention competition by name, take the high road. If you must take a shot at the competition, make sure you are correct (prepare!) and say it politely.
- If you have to say something about the competition, ensure that what you say will (politely) put them on the defensive when it is their turn to answer the analysts questions.
- Build credibility and thought leadership by admitting when your solution doesn’t do something – by showing industry knowledge and vision by explaining why you don’t do what they asked.
- Share a general vision of the future (not a product roadmap) that is plausible based on the credibility you just earned, or have earned in the past.
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