Heave ho, heave ho, its off the dock we go. If last weeks Below Deck Mediterranean felt like a filler episode to reintroduce Aesha Scott, this week certainly ramped up the drama for poor Rob Westergaard. But not before enduring the rest of the drunken charter featuring Johnny Damon and his band of merry pals. Or before dragging out Jessica Mores heart palpitations from the end of last week into a full-blown medical crisis.

Remember pre-quarantine when Captain Sandy Yawn had a heart attack during SoulCycle? Apparently one in three women die from a heart attack or a stroke. I was not aware of this statistic. But Sandy used the third stews heart palpitations as the perfect excuse to inject the episode with a PSA about womens heart health. First the captain lays Jess down on her couch and checks her blood pressure. She even goes as far as to text a cardiologist friend with Jess stats, but the doc says, and I quote, its not that bad. So, basically the entire medical emergency was all for naught. But I suppose if it helps even one female viewer be more aware of her heart health, its worth the tangent. And good thing Jess is OK! Well, at least before shes about to get her heart broken

The Damons and their friends finally come back to the boat and Johnny is completely, utterly sloshed. Like, so drunk that Alex Radcliffe manages to strike him out using a biodegradable golf ball. That night, the crew throws a Great Gatsby-themed dinner for the final night of the charter. (Meaning Jess was subjected to ironing laundry in a 1920s flapper costume.) Captain Sandy joins the Damons and co. for dinner, and naturally, Johnny sends his filet back to be more well-done. Because if theres one thing weve learned about the MLB star over the past two seasons, its that he wants his food piping hot and overcooked. Also, is Tom Checketts not capable of plating a single meal without Malia White as his unofficial sous chef? His food may be great, but Kiko Lorran didnt get that same kind of help before being booted from The Wellington. Just saying.

The emotional centerpiece of the episode is Rob. Sweet, sensitive beautiful Rob and his many, many mistakes. First hes 23 minutes late for morning shift on the last day of charter. (He slept through his alarm.) Thankfully, Alex covers for him, but it turns out to be a harbinger for whats to come. As the boat docks in Ibiza, Robs one job is managing the stern-side heaving line. (Look at me using nautical jargon!) However, as Sandy maneuvers The Wellington, Rob drops the heaving line. Not once. Not twice. But three times. THREE TIMES! Once the charter guests are off the boat, Malia comes down hard on the deckhand for making such a rookie mistake. Via confessional, Rob admits hes in his head about his relationship with Jess. So much so that its affecting his work on deck. One way or another, this is not going to end well.

Robs next mistake is talking to Aesha, apparently. After the tip meeting, Aesha compares Jess relationship with Rob this season to hers with Jack Stirrup last year. (Hint: it ended badly after Season 4 wrapped.) However, once everyones talking in the crew mess, Demon Jess shows her jealous face over Robs conversation with the 2nd stew overmicropenises and wide vaginas? Yes, you read that correctly. It leads to a full-blown argument between the two on the dock, all while Bugsy Drake and Alex go on a cute, flirty date shopping excursion in Old Town Ibiza. However, I cant quite explain what the argument was even about. Attention? Communication? Looking for things to be upset about? Note: this wont be the last time an unintelligible argument happens this episode.

The crew finally earns its first night out in Ibiza and theyre ready to go wild. Except Aesha isnt feeling particularly connected to the crew yet. Especially not when compared to the wild, foul-mouthed Sirocco crew of yesteryear. And Jess getting territorial over Rob surely isnt helping her feel all that welcome. However, Aesha isnt the problem at dinner, where Jess picks yet another fight with Rob over being present. It all starts when Jess points out that she, Alex and Rob all worked in West Palms Rybovich Superyacht Marina within weeks of each other before heading to the Mediterranean to film. Jess takes this as some sort of sign about destiny, but Rob doesnt see the point in focusing on the past.

Andthey start arguing in front of everyone. Even Bugsy painting everyones faces with glitter cant quell the awkwardness. By the time dinner ends, Rob and Jess arent even speaking, fuming and staring silently out different windows in the van. In the other van, Malia ventures a guess that the two are ill-suited for each other. Much of the rest of the crew nods along, agreeing that Rob is spiritual while Jess is just shallow. Just look at the background of herself on her phone!

The crew hits the club, where things go from bad to worse for the embattled couple. And this time it isbecause of Aesha. More specifically because, from Jessicas POV, Rob starts flirting with her fellow stew. Aesha is now officially competition and Demon Jess is ready to burn down this entire club with her wrath. While Malia and Tom tipsily talk about getting married, Rob and Jess face off, with Rob questioning why he changed his ticket to Bali a few episodes back if Jess is going to be so hot and cold with him.

However, the biggest, happiest development of the night is actually between Alex and Bugsy! Thats right: after 15 episodes of flirty banter and will-they-or-wont-they, Alex seals the deal by making out with Bugsy on the dance floor. In the words of the shows resident teddy bear, bye bye, friend zone! And honestly, Im thrilled for the pair. Ok, mostly for Alex because Ive been hardcore rooting for him all season. But while Rob and Jess relationship goes down in flames, maybe Alex can have all of his dreams come true, weirdo to weirdo?

TELL US ARE YOU TEAM ROB OR TEAM JESS? DO YOU THINK THE RELATIONSHIP IS TO BLAME FOR ROB MESSING UP ON DECK? ARE YOU SHIPPING ALEX AND BUGSY?

[Photo Credit: Bravo]

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Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Give It The Old Heave-Ho - Reality Tea

Your startup is special and different, and you need to explain that to distracted investors in just a few short slides. The pandemic has added to your challenge, because more investors have been looking through more decks than ever online and spending less time on each.

To help you create the right fundraising presentation, weve put together a panel of expert investors at Disrupt 2020 from September 14-18 who have been backing early-stage companies through good times and bad. Were also providing daily pitch deck teardown sessions that can serve as a guide (heres how to submit your own if youve already registered for Disrupt 2020).

Ann Miura-Ko is the co-founder of Floodgate and a leading early-stage investor (and computer security expert) with investments including Lyft, Xamarin, Clover Health, Clever and many more. Shes been one of our most popular guest authors and speakers over the years, covering topics like building a minimum viable company and finding the inflection point.

Lo Toney is a long-time founder and product leader who spent much of this past decade investing with Comcast Venturess Catalyst Fund and Google Ventures, before founding Plexo Capital in 2018 (and serving as a mentor at Mucker Capital during this time). His focus includes investing in diverse founders globally, as well as backing other funds with the same mission. Some of his recent investment include PlayVS, Replicated and StyleSeat on the company side, and Precursor, Boldstart, Female Founders Fund and WorkBench on the fund side.

Rajan Anandan is the leader of Surge, Sequoia Capital Indias rapid scale-up program for founders in India and Southeast Asia. He previously served as Googles top business executive in the region for more than eight years, held executive roles in Microsoft and Dell operations before that and has invested in dozens of startups in India and around the world.

Join us at this pitch deck teardown and so much more at Disrupt 2020 happening from September 14-18. Grab your Disrupt Digital Pro Pass today and during our Labor Day Flash Sale you can save an extra $100! Hope to see you there!

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How to craft the right pitch deck for your company at Disrupt 2020 - TechCrunch

Magic's Affinity decks are aggro artifact decks that win fast, but they can be taken down with the right sideboard cards and strategies.

In the Modern format of Magic: The Gathering, one of the earliest and most reputable decks is Affinity, an artifact aggro deck capable of explosive early-game plays. To newcomers, these aggressive robots may seem unstoppable, with 8/1 lifelink fliers on turn three or a board of artifacts pumped up with +1/+1 counters and an Infect plan B on top of that. But even Affinity has weaknesses to exploit.

Sideboarding against an Affinity deck means knowing what sort of cards it contains and how those cards are used. Affinity decks are not only proactive aggro decks, but they also make heavy use of activated abilities, especially since these dump their entire hand on the board early on before they run out of gas. Cranial Plating is a powerful Equipment, and Arcbound Ravager and Steel Overseer have useful abilities as well, along with the manlands Inkmoth Nexus and Blinkmoth Nexus.

Related: Wizards of the Coast Announces Magic: The Gathering Release Timeline Through 2021

Anti-affinity cards can disable these activated abilities, destroy artifacts, destroy lands and counter certain artifact spells. White mana is well-equipped to face Affinity, such as with the enchantment Stony Silence. Costing just 1W, Stony Silence disables the activated abilities of all artifacts, making Steel Overseer, Mox Opal, Arcbound Ravager and Cranial Plating practically useless. Of course, this means Stony Silence's caster must be ready for their own artifacts to lose access to their abilities.

White man also offers Kataki, War's Wage, a cheap Spirit that gives all artifacts "At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this artifact unless you pay {1}." Affinity decks won't be able to pay for all of their artifacts, and they'll spend a lot of mana keepingthose that remain.

Blue gives access to Hurkyl's Recall, a in instant costing 1U that returns all artifacts a player controls to their hand. This is a temporary measure, but it can buy the caster some time, especially if Snapcaster Mage targets it a turn or two later. Havea way to capitalize on this bought time, such as attacking back on an empty board or digging for more permanent answers.

Related:Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica's Golgari Swarm Guild, Explained

Blue also offers Steel Sabotage, a cheap counterspell costing just U that can bounce an artifact or counter an artifact spell. Similarly, Ceremonious Rejection can counter any colorless spell for just U. Spell Snare counters any spell with a CMC of 2, in this case Arcbound Ravager, Vault Skirge, Cranial Plating, Spellskite and Steel Overseer.

Black mana has relatively few options for fighting Affinity, but it does have Fatal Push, which is a great sideboard card for use against aggro decks like Affinity and Burn.

Red is known for destroying artifacts, and it has many options against Affinity, though some are better than others. Ancient Grudge is usually the right call,as it's Shatter with an upside: having Flashback for just G. One card destroying two artifacts is an excellent deal, and it's worth splashing green for if needed. Red cards also include Shattering Spree, a red-heavy card with Replicate that allows the caster to destroy as many artifacts as they have red mana. The Amonkhet set includes By Force, which is slow (it's a sorcery), but it scales up well. It costs XR and can destroy X target artifacts, allowing it to net massive card advantage against Affinity if the caster can survive that long.

Green can pay for Ancient Grudge's Flashback cost, but it also includes Nature's Claim, which can destroy an artifact for just G and give that artifact's controller four life. If it means destroying Cranial Plating and buying some time, then that four life may be worth it.

Related:Magic: The Gathering - How to Sideboard Against Modern Burn Decks

Multicolor options against Affinity start with Kolaghan's Command, an instant costing 1BR that is known for its flexibility and potential for card advantage. Against Affinity, it can destroy an artifact and deal two damage to a target. This means it could damage a target like Vault Skirge and destroy an activated Inkmoth Nexus. If the Affinity deck has Spellskite out, be ready for it to redirect the "two damage" clause to itself. Adjust by targeting the player or choosing other modes on the card instead of the "two damage" mode. Destructive Revelry costs RG and destroys and artifact or enchantment and deals two damage to the target's controller.

Finally, colorless options against Affinity exist, such as Ghost Quarter. This land does more than slow down Tron; it can hit Inkmoth Nexus or Blinkmoth Nexus to remove a creature and mana source at the same time. The Affinity deck won't always have a basic land to fetch for. Alpine Moon and Blood Moon can convert Affinity's many nonbasic lands into ordinary Mountains, eliminating them as threats.

Phyrexian Revoker and Pithing Needle may name Cranial Plating, Steel Overseer, Arcbound Ravager, Inkmoth Nexus or Blinkmoth Nexus, depending on which one the caster can't handle by other means. Chalice of the Void can also do some work, especially if played with zero charge counters on turn one on the play. Thus, the Chalice can counter zero-drop spells like Mox Opal and Memnite, or it can be cast on two to stop a variety of threats. Of course, Chalice's caster should adjust their own deck via sideboarding to minimize the collateral damage.

KEEP READING:Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica's Simic Combine Guild, Explained

Animal Crossing: Why Time Travel Is So Hotly Contested

I graduated high school in Kansas City in 2009, then earned my Associate's in Arts in 2011 at MCC Longview, then my BA in Creative Writing at UMKC in 2013. I have a passion for creative fiction and I've studied and practiced my craft for over ten years. Currently, I'm expanding my resume and skill set with jobs such as SEO writing and journalism.

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Magic: The Gathering - How to BEAT an Affinity Deck | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

So you've binge-watched another season of Below Deck, a series that exposes the working conditions of crew members working on luxurious mega yachts. With its exotic locations, difficult charter guests, and oftentimes questionable romances, you likely aren't alone in your BD fandom.

But just how real is the show, you mightve thought to yourself? As it turns out, for a reality show franchise, Below Deck is surprisingly genuine. As far as we know, nearly every confrontation between crew members is real, according to producers of the show. The romances are authentic, with some even dating well after the show. Its all happening in real time, which if you think about it, is actually really impressive. Here's what we know about the series:

In an interview for Bravo.com, executive producer Courtland Cox revealed when they were casting for the first season of Below Deck, many yachties were afraid to join the series. Initially, it was very hard to get yacht crew members to commit to doing the show because it was an unknown entity, he explained. People didnt know what Below Deck was.

Thankfully at least some members of the yachting industry have gotten over their fear of being on the show and continue to work on boats well after their 15 seconds of fame are up.

While fans love seeing the eccentric and difficult charters guests who come aboard the yachts, you might've wondered whether they're planted by production to get a rise out of the crew. Although production does vet the charter guests and puts them through a rigorous interview process, they dont have a say as to their actions on board.

"I think the guests that come on and have an amazing time, and you look at them as a producer and go, I want to live that life," Cox told Bravo about how they choose those charting the yachts. "Those are the guests I love seeing.

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While the tip meetings at the end of each charter are real, the amount of money they receive isnt exactly accurate given the nature of the show, as former cast member Kate Chastain broke down for Entertainment Tonight back in October 2019.

On a yacht of that size, [a good tip] would be $5,000 a person for seven days of work, she explained. Our charters are a little bit shorter, just so we can make the show. But everything else is the same we usually get around $2,500, $2,000. Anything less than $1,000 would be depressing, which sounds crazy, doesnt it?

The other thing thats not real: How the tip is delivered to the captain. While the crew does line up at the end of each charter to escort the guests back onshore, the envelope handoff is strictly for cameras.

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As it turns out, the majority of the boats on the OG Below Deck use aliases, most likely to protect their reputations once the show wraps for the season. According to yachterchartfleet.com, of the original series, only one boat actually went by its real name on-camera, which was My Seanna from season six. The other four names featured on the show have very different names than one would expect: Lumiere (Honor, season one), Rhino (Ohana, season two), Mustang Sally (Eros, season three) and BG (Valor, seasons four, five and seven).

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According to producers, some of the more jaw-dropping moments on the show are entirely unscripted. As Cox assured fans on Bravo.com, all the moments you couldnt get over are actually real, to the point that the crew has to re-route their plans to accommodate for the situation.

Thats the kind of thing that keeps me from coming back to the show, Cox told the publication. Every season, there are five or six moments that so completely engage me and so suck me in that Im like, this is why Below Deck is an amazing show that you cant do anywhere else.

Among some of the most shocking moments for the production team: Kat Held sneaking off the boat on BD season one, finding out Malia and Adam knew each other on Med season two, Rocky and Eddie secretly hooking up in the laundry room on BD season three (prompting production to add cameras there), and Ashton Pienaar going overboard in BD season six, prompting one of the cameramen to put down his camera and to save the deckhands life.

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In a lengthy blog post, Linda P. Jones, a charter guest from season one of Med and season six of BD, broke down her experience aboard the My Seanna while filming took place. She wrote about the crew, food, and an argument one guest heard between some of the cast members below deck.

One thing she wished the cameras showed more of was Captain Lee's sense of humor, which she says got cut out of her episode. "Captain Lee is every bit as funny, charming and smart as he appears on the show," she wrote. "He's the real deal."

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Is Below Deck Scripted? - What's Real and Not Real - menshealth.com

A fire that started on an elevated rear deck caused major damage to a Vancouver house on Wednesday night.

At 9:08 p.m., multiple calls were received for a fire on the backside of a home at 10002 N.E. Seventh St. in the Ellsworth Springs neighborhood.

Eight Vancouver Fire Department units were dispatched to the three-story split-level house. The rear deck was fully involved and flames had spread to the house, according to emergency scanner traffic monitored by The Columbian.

Fire crews mounted an offensive strategy, spraying water from the fire engines top-mounted water cannon at flows of 500 gallons per minute.

They were able to apply a lot of water very quickly and helped extinguish a large body of fire while keeping the fire from spreading, the fire department said in a press release.

The battle was complicated by the presence of ceiling heat in the house.

This is a specific hazard to firefighters as ceiling heat uses wires in the ceiling panels to create radiant heat, the fire department said. These panels are heavy and can injure firefighters when they fall down. The wires can also entangle a firefighter.

After roughly 10 minutes, the ceiling on the second floor had partially collapsed and additional units were called to respond. Power to the house was cut.

The fire was brought under control after about 20 minutes.

Two adults and a cat escaped the house safely. Red Cross was called in to assist.

Property records show the house was built in 1971 and roughly 2,000 square feet.

The official cause is under investigation, though initial radio traffic indicated the fire might have been caused by a barbecue on or near the deck.

A total of six engines, a ladder truck, two battalion chiefs, two training officers, a rehab bus, and a Vancouver fire marshal responded to the blaze, for a total of 28 personnel.

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Fire on rear deck causes major damage to Vancouver house - The Columbian

Artwork by Riot Games

Legends of Runeterra's Call of the Mountain expansion is the freshest the game has been in a long time. With new region, new champions, and new cards, players are building all sorts of crazy decks. But one deck, in particular, takes the cake.

Designed by Sean "swim" Huguenard, the Zephyr Sage Combo is brilliant or infuriating, depending on which side of the board you are. The combo engine in the deck is simple, and this is how it works:

This is a deck that, when it assembles its simple combo engine, is very hard to beat. It creates infinite 0-mana threats and unless you can kill it through the wall of defenders, it will take over the game very fast. But what happens when two Zephyr Sage combos meet each other? Two top Legends of Runeterra players had the unfortunate opportunity to find out.

The match happened between current #7 in the rankings Alanzqtft and #25 Ragnarosich, who clashed in a Zephyr Sage mirror and, naturally, neither was able to win. The game became a Kafkaesque nightmare where both players would cast a free Zephyr Sage, pass the turn, their opponent would play their own free Zephyr Sage, pass the turn, and on and on, and on.

As Alazq played and waited for some outcome to happen, he can be seen doing about anything else you can think of: play slither.io, watch hilarious YouTube videos, and so on. If you have nothing better to do, here's the clip. The game starts at ~1:24:00.

The game also has the most anticlimactic ending: Alanzq just gets dropped after "only" 105 minutes of play. The upside is that with Riot devs watching the broadcast, chances are the Zephyr Sage combo is not long for this world.

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This combo deck by Swim is breaking Legends of Runeterra - InvenGlobal

Former Below Deck star Kate Chastain opened up about her worst experiences with Bravolebrities during an Instagram Live session earlier this week. She revealed that she endured rocky encounters with both Luann de Lesseps, of The Real Housewives of New York City, and Stassi Schroeder, formerly of Vanderpump Rules, in recent years.

Months after announcing her exit from Below Deck, Kate took aim at Luann and Stassi for treating her poorly before shading the Pump Rules cast, reacting to Dorinda Medleys exit from RHONY, and revealing why shes Team [Denise Richards].

I was on Watch What Happens Live with Luann and we were like 60 seconds, 30 seconds until going live. And [Andy Cohen], being the great host that he is, said, Oh Luann, this is right when she had her engagement party on the yacht, he goes, Oh Luann you just got the yacht and Kate works on yachts!And she goes to me, Well, I guess youre below deck and Im above deck,'Kate recalled toDanny Murphy on his#VentiVentsseries.

It was a 130-foot yacht and it was borrowed from a friend for a night, she continued.

As for her encounter with Stassi, that happened during an eventfor the Watch What Crappens guys at a comedy club in West Hollywood, California.

I was there with a good friend of mine, who actually had done a lot of standup over the last 10 years at that club. Like, this is her living room and she also works in the reality TV business, but behind the camera. So Stassi didnt know that. We were having a great time and then the person next to me, who I [didnt] know, taps me on the shoulder, and goes, Stassi just texted me and said your friend and you are being too loud. A basic stranger tapped me on the shoulder and was like, I just got a text that Stassi would like you guys to stop having so much fun, Kate revealed.

While Kate is a fan of many Bravo shows, she said she can do without Pump Rules before suggesting the series is nothing more thana coked up version of The Hills.

Moving on to Dorindas sudden departure from RHONY, which may or may not have been her decision, Kate said it was time for Dorinda to leave the series.

I think she, she seemed a little tired last season. She seemed a little stressed. But she is iconic. I was completely shocked because shes brought so much. She was so strong from the gate, Kate explained.

Although Elyse Slaines potential return has not yet been confirmed, Kate wouldnt mind if she got the boot.

I went through a rollercoaster of feelings about Elyse. First I was like, What the hell is she doing here? Then I was like, Oh I actually like her! And then I was like, Oh, never mind! she admitted.

Also during her interview with Danny, Kate confirmed she is Team Denise when it comes to her ongoing feud with Brandi Glanville before noting that her allegiance to Denise does not mean she believes their supposed affair didnt happen.

Im Team Denise because I met her at BravoCon and she was so nice. She made a point to come up to me and was super complimentary. But now knowing what I know, Im like Well, maybe it was more than complimentary, Kate joked. She was so real and cool.

Continuing on about the drama of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kate said that she believes Brandi wants attention [and] screen time before saying she does think they probably hooked up.

Photos Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo, lev radin/Shutterstock.com, OConnor/AFF-USA.com/MEGA

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Below Decks Kate Chastain Dishes on Bad Experiences With Luann de Lesseps and Stassi Schroeder as She Disses Pump Rules, Plus She Talks Dorindas Exit...

When Mintel Americas President Ben Dietz prepares a sales pitch deck for customers today, he knows he has about five slides to get his message across. Any longer than that, and hes lost the buyers attention and their business.

Its an adjustment Dietz has had to make as more buyers work from home due to COVID-19, and the patience for a lengthy virtual presentation has dwindled.

But the days oflengthy, detailed pitch decks have long been over, he said. The pandemic has simply accelerated the trend.

All we want is a next step out of that conversation.

Most companies incorporate four or five stakeholders before making a purchasing decision. The goal is to elicit a fear of missing out for the customer and set the stage for another meeting.

All we want is a next step out of that conversation, Dietz said. We want that person to agree theres something here, lets bring in a bigger group meeting.

An effective pitch deck today should still include visuals, key data points and customer use cases, but it should serve primarily as a backdrop to the salespersons pitch.

We spoke with Dietz, Duarte Director of Sales Strategy Dave DeFranco and BurstIQ CEO and Founder Frank Ricotta about how to build an effective sales pitch deck tailored to earn that next meeting.

Every effective sales pitch deck starts from a solid foundation of customer research. It doesnt matter how crisp the slides look or how evocative the brand story is the customers eyes will glaze over if the slides arent immediately relevant to them and their needs.

All of that context that you might have about who they are and the reason for your meeting should be the genesis of how you look at your sales presentation, DeFranco said.

As director of sales strategy at Duarte, DeFranco consults with clients to help them craft their messaging and figure out how to present it.

In order to start building a pitch deck, a salesperson needs to be able to answer a few basic questions about the customer, he said. They should understand the companys mission, who its core competitors are, what issues it is facing in the industry and what issues are most relevant to the point of contact.

All of that context that you might have about who they are and the reason for your meeting should be the genesis of how you look at your sales presentation.

They can gather that information from the company website, blogs and any thought leadership the point of contact may have participated in.

Its also important to take the context of the meeting into account. Does the customer have an existing relationship with you? Are they looking to buy or just gather information?

The answers to all of those questions help ensure that the presentation gets right to the heart of the customers issue and makes the case for why the product is relevant to them. Even if a company uses a main pitch deck, customer research can inform what use-cases to include, what slides are irrelevant and even what story to tell in the pitch.

Building a sales pitch deck is like structuring a story with the customer as its protagonist. Each slide should build off what came before to help a customer learn more about the product and why they would want it.

When outlining a presentation, DeFranco said, the best place to start is with an objective slide that clearly states the outcome you want from the presentation, whether thats another meeting or a technical evaluation.

If you put that up front, youll know whether the audience or buyer is aligned with that being the next step, DeFranco said.

From there, the early slides should focus on the customer, not your company or product. Often, salespeople make the mistake of trying to build credibility through their companies valuations or product strategies, DeFranco said. Since buyers conduct most of their research online and already have that information, doing so will only cause them to tune out.

The slides should present specific challenges the customer has spoken about in discovery. That sets the stage to discuss how the product approaches those problems, why it can solve it better than competitors and then proof points that tie the value of the product with the results the customer desires.

The last slide should be reserved for a return to the call to action and next steps. By structuring the presentation that way, the salesperson takes the buyer on a journey relevant to them and theres a clear decision to follow.

More on SalesHow Successful Startups Avoid Selling to People Who Arent Buying

When it comes to length, a helpful rule of thumb is to prioritize simplicity over anything else.

The biggest mistake DeFranco sees salespeople make is to try to cram 100 slides worth of information into 10 slides because thats how long they think a sales pitch deck should be. For all he cares, a pitch deck can be 100 slides as long as each one isnt crammed with information.

You dont have the time and luxury to create a real detailed pitch deck.

Ricotta, whos the CEO and founder of the blockchain-enabled health data platform BurstIQ, agrees that the slides need to be simple, but he suggests aiming for no more than eight to 12 slides. The pitch deck needs to be the purest distillation of the salespersons pitch.

Its getting down to:What problem are you solving? Whats the impact on their business? Whats your secret? Why should they pick you? And are you a credible team? Ricotta said. You should be able to convey those messages in eight to 12 slides.

For virtual pitches, Dietz suggests limiting the presentation to five slides and spending no more than a minute or two on each one.

You dont have the time and luxury to create a real detailed pitch deck, Dietz said. Its: What do you know about me? Then, in a few minutes, Im out.

Building on the theme of simplicity, DeFranco believes sales reps should include no more than one idea per slide.

When theres too much information on a slide, it takes the attention away from the salesperson and puts the focus on the presentation. Instead, the visuals and information should operate more like a backdrop and a supplement to the conversation.

Still, it can be difficult to figure out what information to include and what to exclude from a slide. After all, Mark Twain is famous for his quote suggesting that he could write a 30-page story in three days, but a three-page story would take him a month.

To that end, Dietz encourages reps to think about what information they want to discuss in a slide and distilling it down to a three- to five-word headline. This helps to convey the theme and allows the rep to drive the points home in conversation.

Ultimately, the slide shouldnt stand on its own, Dietz said. If a customer would prefer to just read the slides, odds are, they arent interested in a deal.

When Ricotta builds his slides, he skews toward more abstract visuals and text than detailed flow charts or bulleted lists. As a blockchain company, BurstIQs message is focused on creating connections with information and how that can change business processes in medical care.

To tell that story, he might use an icon of a doctor, a hospital, an exercise bike and a lab that are all connected. In keeping the visuals abstract, it allows the customer to project themselves into that situation, and for Ricotta to ask questions and adapt the story hes telling based on what resonates most with the customer.

The purpose of a slide is to engage the person youre pitching to in conversation.

When slides are too detailed and specific, theres less flexibility to have a conversation and engage with the customer.

The purpose of a slide is to engage the person youre pitching to in conversation, Ricotta said. You want to get them talking more, to the point where youre listening more than youre actually talking.

Most buyers dont care about company stories or customer logos anymore, Dietz said. Spending time on a logo slide even onethat features major names like, Microsoft, IBM or Slack wont do much to convince a smaller company that youre the right product for them.

Instead, the best way a salesperson can build credibility through customer use-cases is to be hyper-specific about which ones they include. If the rep is selling to a local bank in Cincinnati, they should have examples of how the company has helped their competitors or other firms in the area, Dietz said.

Ultimately, those examples help the customer relate to the solution they are being sold, and it signals that the seller has done their homework on the customer. Thats what builds credibility, Dietz said.

Sometimes the best way to convey information about the product or service is through a complicated flow chart. However, presenting all of that information at once on a slide is a quick way to lose the customer.

One of the easiest ways to make the chart engaging and simple to navigate is to show one section of the chart at a time, DeFranco said. The salesperson can do this all on one slide. All they need to do is format each section to appear and then either gray out or fade away when theyre ready to discuss the next section.

In doing so, the rep can methodically walk the customer through the flow chart so that they understand what it represents when they see the full scale.

This strategy can also work with data and text. Bar graphs can be an effective way to present information, but its still on the rep to visually highlight the information they want the buyer to focus on.

For text, Ricotta likes to bold key words he wants the customer to home in on. Its a simple trick, but it can help him get his message across without requiring the buyer to read all of the information on the slide.

The first image Dietz uses in his sales presentation is a boat sailing straight ahead under clear skies. The next slide features that same ship enveloped in fog, lost at sea and uncertain where to go. The final image is that of a beacon. The high-resolution visuals often take up most of the screen.

Dietz admits that its a cheesy analogy, but those photos help him evoke an emotion in the customer and hammer home his point. The point in this case is that the world is changing every day due to COVID-19, but that Mintel and its data can serve as a beacon or guide for the customer.

The images allow us to bring someone through a story with us, Dietz said.

A company doesnt need a marketing team or a deep marketing budget to put together engaging visuals, either. Free photography and illustrations from websites like Unsplash are just as effective as anything the marketing team might provide, Dietz said.

As long as the visuals evoke an emotion and tell a story, they will work, he added.

When Ricotta built his earliest sales pitch decks for BurstIQ in 2015, he included slides that shared his personal story about healthcare data and a detailed explanation of what blockchain was.

At the time, blockchain was new to the healthcare industry, and most prospective customers didnt understand what it involved. They needed a personal story and a detailed explanation to understand the product he was selling. That information would be redundant in his slides today, Ricotta said.

His buyers now know what blockchain is, and he has other customer use-cases to rely on that are more effective in building credibility, he said.

A pitch deck is far from a static resource. It needs to evolve with the company and its customer base, Ricotta said. While the deck should be continuously tweaked to reflect feedback from customers, there are a few benchmarks that a sales leader should consider when revamping the pitch deck.

In the early stages, the deck should spend more time selling the vision of the company. The slides will be more consultative and evolve with each customer. After the company gains some customers, the sales leader will update the deck to shape and adapt the messaging to the customer base.

The sales leader should continue to tweak and adapt the core slides until they get into a groove and sell more consistently. At that point, the company is in a growth stage and should have a deck of core slides that it can repeat with each customer.

For larger teams, it may be helpful to use a main deck to create a unified sales approach. Still, that doesnt mean the salesperson should use the same slides for every customer DeFranco said. For reps with less room to build their own presentations, DeFranco suggests creating custom decks that are arranged to meet the needs of their most common buyer personas.

Using the 80-20 rule, a rep should be able to figure out who the majority of their buyers are and create preset presentations. If they spend 80 percent of their time selling to pharmaceutical companies and CIOs, then the salesperson shouldrearrange the slides so that it meets their needs.

If [a sales rep] could just take the time to do that, I think theyd be much more satisfied with the outcome, DeFranco said. Because the closer you get to the audience, the easier its going to be to move them to act.

More on SalesBest Open-Ended Questions to Ask on Sales Calls

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How To Create The Best Sales Deck - Built In

While the district had been working hard to plan for in-person learning for every student, the decision in August to follow a hybrid model may be providing the school with more space to spread out and socially distance. Under the hybrid model, students from seventh grade and up will attend classes virtually. Students in grades K-6 will attend school in person every day.

Virtual classes will see those older students following a regular class schedule and watching their teachers give lessons while livestreaming, so they'll be able to answer and ask questions much like in a real classroom. The difference is, while doing classroom work, students don't necessarily need to be planted in front of their computer.

The hybrid system will allow the school district to open up space on buses to allow for social distancing.

In-person classrooms for students in grades K-6 will also follow social distancing, which requires those students to be divided into smaller classrooms. To make this a reality, it was all hands on deck for teachers who usually would tackle classes of a different sort.

Because some physical education, music and STEAM classes are being put off this year, those teachers are being asked to help teach general education classes. The start of the school year will have its challenges, but Superintendent Jon Clark believes the district is in a good position to start the semester.

"We're so lucky we have the support we have here," Clark said. "Talking with other superintendents and listening to networks and stuff I know there's a lot of places that are really struggling. We have our struggles, but I think we have a pretty good vision of where we want to go."

Parents who do not feel comfortable with in-person classes have the option of having their children participate in distance learning. The district learned from its distance learning experience during spring semester and plans to offer a better, more consistent experience. Some parents have opted to start home schooling.

"We have seven students - five families - that have opted for the home schooling option," Clark said. "For distance learning, I don't know the exact number because it keeps changing. We had a lot of families that first decided to distance learn, but as they learned about the options and how we're doing things, they decided to come back to us for in-person learning."

During the Aug. 17 school board meeting, the number of students opting to distance learn was approximately 50. Since then Clark and the school district have worked hard to educate parents on the how the district will operate this fall. That has given some confidence for young students to return.

In addition to buses and classrooms, dining will also be a different experience. Students who are present in K-6 classrooms will eat at their desks rather than crowding into the cafeteria. In addition, the district will continue to offer lunch shipments for students who are taking classes from home.

Students in grades 7-12 who need to meet with their teachers for any reason will have the option of making an appointment to come to school on Fridays. There will not be enough time slots for all students to come to school every Friday, but the district is working on a system to make it work for students.

For those students, the district is working on bus routes that will allow them to come in in the morning and leave before the end of the school day, possibly in conjunction with lunch deliveries.

Some students identified by the school's leadership will also qualify for in-person high school classes.

Travis Grimler may be reached at 218-855-5853 or travis.grimler@pineandlakes.com. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Travis.

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It's all hands on deck for start of classes at PR-B - Pine and Lakes Echo Journal

The first place Chicago Cubs and Anthony Rizzo will visit the St. Louis Cardinals and Paul Goldschmidt back-to-back nights on ESPN. The teams will face of on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Taco Bell this Sunday, September 6, at 7 p.m. ET, and on Holiday Baseball Presented by Hankook Tire this Monday, Labor Day, at 4 p.m. The classic rivalry will also be the MLB game of the day on ESPN+ on Friday, September 4, at 8 p.m.

The Sunday Night Baseball team of Matt Vasgersian, World Series Champion and analyst Alex Rodriguez and reporter Buster Olney will provide commentary for both telecasts on ESPN. Sunday Night Baseball is ESPNs exclusive, full national game of the week. Mondays game is subject to local blackout restrictions in the Chicago market.

Jon Boog Sciambi and Chris Singleton will describe Sundays action on ESPN Radio. Ernesto Jerez, Luis Alfredo Alvarezand reporter Guillermo Celis callSunday Night BaseballonESPN Deportes.

Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown will precede Sunday Night Baseball beginning at 6 p.m. on ESPN. Karl Ravech will host the show from ESPNs Bristol, Conn. studios alongside World Series Champion and analyst Mark Teixeira as they break down the storylines of the week and preview the game ahead. They will be joined remotely by analyst Tim Kurkjian, Senior MLB Insider Jeff Passan and Olympic Gold Medalist and analyst Jessica Mendoza. During the show, Mendoza will catch up with Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty, who will discuss his involvement in the ongoing social justice movement.

BBTN Live, ESPNs digital pregame show, will stream on theESPN AppandESPNsTwitter from 6:30-7 p.m.Clinton Yates hosts with Joon Lee and Gary Striewski.

Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., the first place Cleveland Indians and Francisco Lindor host the Milwaukee Brewers and Christian Yelich on ESPN2. Ravech, Eduardo Perez and Rick Sutcliffe will call the game, which will be subject to local blackout restrictions in the Milwaukee and Cleveland markets.

AllESPNMLB games, shows and content are also available to stream via theESPN App.

Upcoming 2020 MLB Game Schedule:

ESPN Radio: Jon Boog Sciambi, Chris Singleton

ESPN Deportes: Ernesto Jerez, Luis Alfredo Alvarez, Guillermo Celis

*Blackout restrictions apply to local market

Upcoming MLB on ESPN+ Schedule:

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On Deck: First Place Chicago Cubs Host St. Louis Cardinals on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Taco Bell and Labor Day Edition of Holiday...