Have you ever struggled to convince potential customers or investors, even though you believe your idea is brilliant and worth getting excited about?

Good news: you’re not alone. Many smart people fail to sell their best ideas or most groundbreaking solutions. Why? Because great ideas alone aren’t enough.

Bad news: your pitch probably lacks the clarity or punch it needs to be effective.

A successful pitch does more than just inform. It starts a conversation.

If there’s no dialogue, your idea isn’t heard. It isn’t considered. It isn’t chosen.

That’s why I always tell our clients: use clear, relatable language. Skip the jargon and heavy logic. What sticks with prospects isn’t complexity. It’s clarity and simplicity.

Your prospects might be PhDs, C-suite executives, or leading experts in their fields. But above all, they’re HUMANS, just like you and me.

They’re often overwhelmed by packed schedules, constant notifications, and endless distractions. In that state, it’s easy to overlook great ideas—especially when those ideas are buried in long, technical presentations.

Brilliant Concept + Poor Communication = Poor Results 

Let me give you an example. It’s a recent, real-life anecdote from behind the scenes of my own work.

A couple of months ago, I joined the jury for one of the VivaTech 2025 startup challenge, and earlier this month, I closely reviewed a high number of deep-tech startups from several countries.

Among the many candidates, one really caught my attention. Let’s call them XYZ.

They had completed the application form in polished, fluent English. Yet, I immediately sensed that despite having a promising product concept, this startup would likely go unnoticed by most of the jury.

(And it really did go unnoticed.)

Why? 

Because their value proposition was too complex to capture anyone’s attention. And that doesn’t help when you’re one of dozens of startups being evaluated in just a few days.

Their product description was literally something like this:

We’re offering impregnable security and privacy for cloud storage and password management for businesses, powered by zero-knowledge encryption, fragmented data storage, blockchain technology, and a distributed cloud architecture. The core differentiator from our competitors’ solutions is a patent-pending protocol where all data goes through client-side and end-to-end encryption, fragmented into chunks on your device, and distributed to ultra-secure storage providers, with blockchain authorization technology. 

Now, this is how I pitched their submission👇 to the rest of the jury to explain why I picked this startup—and in an effort to turn the votes around.

“We all know how a few global tech giants have been collecting, storing, and selling our personal data. Or simply failing to protect it. Just yesterday, I struggled with a stolen password issue on my HOTMAIL account.

That said, I think what XYZ is building can be a real alternative.

They’ve developed a unique, patent-pending system that gives users full control of their data. And here’s the breakdown of their solution:

1. First, your data is locked right on your device before it goes anywhere.
2. Then, it’s broken into pieces, like a puzzle.
3. After that, those pieces are safely stored across some of the world’s most trusted storage providers.
4. This means no single place ever holds the full picture.
5. And to unlock that puzzle? Only you have the key—thanks to blockchain technology they’re using, which ensures no one else can access it. Not even XYZ themselves.

This could be a game-changer for those who need uncompromised data security—zero 3rd-party access, no backdoors, no data breaches, thanks to the unique multi-layers of protection in their system. 

I believe they have the technology, the vision, and the values. However, like many high-tech startups, their story isn’t yet told in a clear and captivating way. But isn’t that exactly what this challenge is about? Discovering a real gem, even if it’s not yet polished.”

Well, it did turn the votes around. 😃

“I had not understood much of XYZ’s application. NOW I see its potential and want to look into their product further to see if it’s something my company can also benefit from.”

“I loved your pitch. I’ve changed my mind and am voting for this one after all!”

“I’d like to replace my initial pick with this one.”

What did I do?

• I ditched technical jargon and focused on benefits.
• I evoked emotions with a little storytelling (not even much).
• I used my voice and gestures to ensure the message is clear and impactful.

…And that was enough to make this startup—overlooked earlier by nearly everyone—end up receiving the most votes.

As a final outcome, it was decided not to award this startup the win. The company was still in a very early stage of development, and we concluded it wasn’t yet ready to expand to France, which is one of the core objectives of this competition.

Still, it became a perfect example of the remarkable power of effective communication—when it’s done right.

Good Concept + Brilliant Communication = Great Results

It’s not those with the most brilliant ideas who rise to the top.

It’s those who communicate their good ideas the most brilliantly who get noticed, considered, and chosen—in business, in politics, in class, and in everyday life.

So yes. Work on your communication.

Whether you’re pitching, shaping your brand’s messaging, or creating a website, sometimes the only thing standing between you and a breakthrough is HOW you express your idea. 

(And remember: you’re addressing humans, not decision-making AI.😉)