Client Voices

At Slide12 we’re comfortable working in any market segment, any product category, any audience type.

Here are Slide 12 Clients voicing their thoughts on our know-how, versatility and, most important, how they found their Voice and got great Results. Our clients will be happy to discuss their experience with Slide12 with you.

Director of Economic Development, Top 30 City, Serial Entrepreneur

“I would put Pat on the list for “Best Pitch Coach in The Country”. I have watched him work with a large variety (personalities) of entrepreneurs with consistent, high quality results.”

Human Capital, Organizational Change Management Consultant

“I met Pat six years ago when we were advisers to Flywheel Ventures, a New Mexico-based venture capital firm. He was assisting Flywheel’s portfolio companies to form their value proposition and communicate that message to investors and the marketplace, so building trusted advisory relationships and delivering in the lean world of early-stage companies was essential. I focused on human capital matters within the portfolio companies.

I recall attending an annual Flywheel investors meeting when Pat was recognized with an award based on his success in multiple companies. My private equity-backed start-up also engaged Pat and he was very helpful focusing our value proposition and messaging on the key product features and benefits. We also subsequently presented our product to one of Pat’s clients who hired him in a full-time role, which is one of the best testimonials for any adviser.

I also personally engaged Pat to work with an early-stage textile company that was seeking funding, and he brought clarity of purpose and message to the founder.

Pat is a gentleman and widely respected for his thoughtfulness, energy level, and integrity. He cares about his clients beyond the billing arrangement, and his energy and enthusiasm during client interactions is a perfect fit for a marketing role. He’s also a great listener and asks thoughtful questions that respectfully lead his audience to expand their thinking. A rare trait indeed!

Physician, Key-Opinion-Leader, Pharmaceutical/Medical Diagnostics Company

“As a physician and national speaker/KOL (key opinion leader) for pharmaceutical companies I’ve worked with many Speaker coaches over 25+ years.  Pat McNamara is the best I’ve seen at helping Speakers actually connect with audiences in a way that supports real change; like expanding a MD’s standard-of-care to include life-saving genetic testing.

KOL speakers work in difficult settings: PPT decks loaded with complex data in front of expert medical audiences that are hurried, weary, skeptical.

In spite of all this Pat helps KOL’s enhance the 2 personal qualities we want most when presenting to these tough audiences: Authenticity & Confidence. 

Pat blends audience insight, marketing know-how and strategic storytelling to leverage a KOL’s ability to influence others to action. And he comes at his work with a passion that inspires veteran KOL’s like me. 

Whether you work with Pat one-on-one or in a workshop you may find working with him to be transformational.”

Genetic Diagnostics, Cancer Prevention, Medical Affairs/Training Manager

“I was Pat’s/slide12 client delivering a communications workshop for Myriad’s Regional Medical Specialists. Pat worked with us to develop and conduct a first-ever program that targeted a tough challenge with our partner Health Care Providers. Pat worked side-by-side with 4 members of Myriad to define the problem; then he came up with an innovative strategy to segment our clients. The workshop leveraged group participation to create a “what to say, how to say it” toolkit. The workshop became a process – not just an event. A long lasting residual benefit is a library of IP that will continue to be valuable to our RMS teams. Pat’s teaching and group facilitation skills took our group far outside their comfort zone and helped them grow their confidence in difficult communication situations. He is all about marketing influence and impact that delivers results.”.

Sustainable Coatings – Wood Products, President & Co-Founder

“Pat’s unique gift is his ability to drive the essence and simplicity in creating “your story”. This encompasses defining the essential value proposition, mapping it to the market and profiling the target audience. Pat is relentless in his pursuit by asking questions, actively listening, researching and challenging the people involved to develop a story that represents an effective positioning and messaging platform. Pat is an asset to any organization or person whose goal is to compel others to action.” 

Nanotechnology Coatings, CEO

“Last month I had the opportunity to see 2 pitches where Pat was a major contributor to the presentation. One of them won $10k in a start up pitch contest and the other company is working with an angel group on seed funding. Pat does a phenomenal job at helping companies present an audience-focused presentation. Quite simply, Pat has a way of helping entrepreneurs turn a slide deck into a compelling and focused story that gets results. I have seen him do this for small and large companies alike, including the work he has done for Lotus Leaf Coatings that is still yielding results”.

Semiconductor Design Software, CEO

“Early last Summer we made the decision to completely re-vitalize Tuscany’s positioning/image in the EDA market. One of our investors, Flywheel Ventures, recommended we consider working with Pat. That turned out to be a great idea. Faced with a looming deadline of our annual trade show, DAC, Pat assisted with a complete company positioning makeover. He collaborated on a strategy with our Team, recruited outside vendors and managed the project to phenomenal success. On time, on budget. Most important, he helped us articulate our benefits from the customers’ perspective, quickly, simply. In a matter of weeks we had a new company positioning, web site, trade show booth and investor presentation. I can’t say enough good things about my experience in working with Pat”.

Crowdsourcing Software Platform, CEO

“I’m sure Pat would like it if I describe how tall, smart and creative he is. Although he is those 3 things, I’m not going to do that. The reason I’m recommending Pat is because he has a fundamental and profound understanding of storytelling and engaging an audience. As any pitchman, salesman, or business person will tell you, if you can’t communicate, it doesn’t matter how good your ideas are. Pat dramatically helped me in 3 key areas: helping me understand audience motives, creating a PPT that delivered the essence of our value proposition and fine-tuning my presentation style. Pat emphasizes the importance of authenticity and focused practice. Practice gave my performance a huge boost. Pat also helped clarify our marketing messaging which was critical in our customer development process. Here’s my recommendation: if you want great results in your next investor or sales pitch get in touch with Pat. Dollars very, very well spent.”

Venture Capital Co., Founder, NVCA Board Member

“Most presentations, sales calls, marketing pitches, and similar communications are organized around information and data – especially so in the world of high-technology entrepreneurs in which I invest. Yet, effectiveness in these settings is mostly around the human factors: trust and integrity of your reputation, chemistry of your interaction, psychology of the people you are meeting, etc. Pat is better than anyone I’ve ever worked with at moving you beyond “delivering information” toward “connecting” with other people — and in doing so, getting both the results you want AND developing authentic human relationships that produce results beyond what you could have imagined. Pat has helped many of the entrepreneurs and companies in which we have invested, as well as Flywheel ourselves – and everyone has seen tremendous results. In a sea of “charlatan” consultants, Pat is the real thing.”

 Family Welfare Non-Profit,President/CEO

“Pat is more than “marketing”; he’s a fabulous teacher—the kind who doesn’t spoon-feed you knowledge but lets you discover it at your own pace. All Faiths’ management and Board were fortunate to have him create and conduct a story-telling workshop and subsequently develop our first integrated marketing plan.

Recently, Pat was instrumental in helping us create our new brand and message through a major grant proposal that awarded us $120,000 in funding. This grant is now the backbone of supporting services for abused children.

Pat brings enthusiasm, relevant dialogue and change to an organization — I am looking forward to working with him in the future.”

Video Game Production Co., CEO/Founder, Academy Award Winner

“I hired Pat based on the recommendation of a VC, which turned out to be good advice. We were prepping a crucial investor pitch for our company, Cosmic Forces. Having won an Academy Award on a team, I know what excellence looks like, and that’s what Pat delivered. He helped us improve our pitch with a high impact PPT story and prepping for Q&A.”

Algae-to-Biofuel, Founder/CEO

“We initially engaged Pat in to help us refine our investor presentation. He helped us simplify and focus our value proposition ” “ we subsequently closed a $15MM round. Based on the work Pat performed, we asked Pat to lead the development of our marketing plan and messaging platform, facilitate C-Team strategy sessions, and conduct a PR agency search. Through his connections in the technology space, Pat also introduced us to a valued technical partner. Bring Pat in when you need proven Marketing results.”

Venture Fund, Managing Founder/Director

“As Managing Director of Cottonwood Technology Group, a new seed stage focused fund based in New Mexico, I have been keenly aware of the need to identify quality resources available in New Mexico which can contribute to the success of New Mexico start-up companies and even my own Fund’s success. Pat brings national level experience and a unique set of skills to New Mexico that I’ve not seen from any other providers in New Mexico related to marketing and communications. In particular Pat has an amazing talent for quickly grasping the essence of any new idea and understanding how to crystallize the core value proposition and communicate it effectively into a crowded landscape of competitors.  This skill is of key importance to any early stage company trying to attract money or customers.

Pat has helped me in several key areas as I build my fund – positioning and messaging and developing my presentation for investors and partners. When you work with Pat you get high energy combined with unmatched creativity, practicality and a wealth of proven marketing experience. He becomes part of your team and becomes invested in your success. Whether you are building a venture fund or a company I highly recommend Pat McNamara.”

Regional Tech Transfer/Incubator, Executive Director

“No entrepreneur or start-up should go without Pat’s services. He’s a true professional; he’s passionate about investing himself in the success of others. Feedback from the RCIC’s clients and partners is consistent and sincere. Pat knows his stuff and brings a wealth of experience to the table. He brings rigor, thoughtfulness and results to those serious about improving their pitch.”

Cleantech, Thermoelectric Heat-To-Power Harvesting, Founder/CEO

“I am CEO of a young company with a disruptive technology. We hired Slide12 and Pat McNamara to help us hone our presentation before running the capital acquisition gauntlet. Pat joined us on site, toured the facility, and met the employees. Almost immediately, he recognized that the Company was going in too many directions in its desire to exploit every opportunity. Together we honed the Company’s message and focus and crystallized a development plan directed at the single best market.

In retrospect, the redirection that resulted from our two days together is obvious, but it took an outsider to show us the way. My company has an accomplished technical staff while lacking a sales and marketing perspective. Pat wears that sales and marketing hat and contributes a lot of general business smarts. This guy has seen a lot of deals! I enthusiastically recommend Slide 12 as an important resource for any company that needs a third party perspective.”

Wireless Sensor Power Systems, Founder, CTO

“I met Pat after I gave an initial presentation to an angel investor group. He was very complimentary about my skills, but suggested he might be able to offer a few suggestions to improve the effectiveness of my presentation.

The work Pat did with me not only improved my presentation, but changed my perspective on the potential my company has for success. Pat quickly grasped the intrinsic value of our high-tech product and showed clearly how to communicate it to even the least technical audience. He showed me the power of connecting on an emotional level rather than just an intellectual level; while I have given many presentations during my career, they have mostly been to academic and technical audiences, so this was a new approach.

To say that he has energy is an understatement. Pat is a dynamo! His enthusiasm and passion are infectious. I could not help but walk away with more confidence for my pitch. The four hours one-on-one were among the most intense, yet productive in my career!

I recommend Pat’s work wholeheartedly.”

Nanotechnology/Biofuels, CEO

“Slide12 was instrumental in getting our marketing and messaging rolling. Pat worked with me and the rest of the team to prep a pitch given to the NREL Growth Forum, the premier event for clean technology. He immediately captured and generated ideas on positioning our core vision. Then he worked to prepare and rehearse me for the 11 minute investor presentation and tough Q&A session.

We worked together for 2 days:
– refine our product positioning and elevator pitch
– revise our investor & alliance partner PPT
– rehearsed me with video to improve our messaging, presentation skills and confidence
– developed Q&A list and gave us insight into investor worldview

In short, Pat was instrumental in getting our marketing and messaging launched. He accomplished (as a total newcomer to our technology and complex, changing market ) more in 2 days that  I could have  expected from a person steeped in our segment.

I would give anyone with a crucial presentation, of any kind, my heartiest recommendation to work with Slide12.”

On-line Digital Music, Founder/CEO

“We met Pat at an angel-investors meeting and it was truly a lucky day.
We hired Slide12 to create a PPT presentation for our capital-raising efforts. Pat delivered a compelling, powerful and precise presentation. His knowledge of investors’ expectations is matched only by his marketing insight and his creative communication experience.
Working with Pat was exciting and we can confidently recommend him to any company or entrepreneur.”

Cleantech Water Purification Systems, VP, Business Development

“I recommend working with Slide12, for many reasons. Pat is both a joy to work with and highly competent. This extends into I’m sure much broader areas than I’ve experienced directly, but at a minimum includes market entry strategy, messaging and positioning, marcom, and the art of the pitch (as applied to potential customers in my case). You’ll gain a confidant and a valuable business associate. Filled with enthusiasm and a zest for life, and results-oriented, you’ll see the effects of his work immediately and reflected in your bottom line.

In particular, he’s a quick study and not limited to the industries with which he’s competed directly in his career. Arm him with information and get out of his way, day or night week day or weekend.

On-line Travel Company, CEO

“As the CEO of a fast-growing, resource-hungry company a key focus for me is fund-raising. We’re going for our next round of funding, and at the suggestion of a key investor and Board member we decided to hire Slide12. Turned out to be a very good decision. Pat gave us an improved vantage point on our investor presentation – from our positioning statement to slide design. He was able to help us gain clarity and focus on our key competitive advantage and value proposition to investors and partners. And, also companies looking for acquisitions to build out their product portfolios.

Pat helped me with my presentation skills in keeping with my personal communication style. We worked together on getting ready for hard-hitting questions I would get from potential investors – a real boost to my confidence and credibility. If you have a crucial presentation in your future you should connect with Slide12. Pat can get more done for you in one day than you can imagine.”

Strategic Marketing Communications Agency, Founder/CEO

“Pat is so good that you’ll be tempted not to tell anyone else about him. One of the sharpest marketing minds you’ll ever meet and a heck of a lot of fun to work with, he may singlehandedly drive the less-than-perfect pitch into extinction.”

Top 3 Health Insurance Company, Special Investigations Director

“I’m an experienced speaker. Giving presentations is a big part of my job. The day I spent with Pat was unprecedented in the general and specific ways it helped my confidence, both in clarifying my message and how to deliver it. We kept focusing on ‘what’s your point?’. And ‘who cares?’.

The first thing Pat asked me, “how do you want to be seen by your audiences?”. For me I want to be seen as: “knowledgeable, credible, approachable”. That’s what I saw on the videotape when our day together was done.

Pat gave me important insights into what media was appropriate for various settings. At one point we scrapped the PPT and created a flip chart. Amazing how much easier it is to connect with a small audience when I leave my laptop unplugged.

The 2 most long-lasting benefits of the day: videotaping and Q&A. The videotape enabled me to see myself and become my own coach. And preparing for ‘questions I hope they don’t ask’ boosted my confidence 100% as I present to new unpredictable audiences.

I’ve never felt better about giving a presentation, big or small.   Thanks, Pat!”

Homeland Security Contractor, CEO

“We ‘parachuted’ Pat in at the last minute to facilitate a 2-day strategic session with our key business unit managers. This was a new executive team that was thrown together under entirely new leadership, and frankly, the team hadn’t bonded yet, and had some mutually exclusive agendas.

Pat was able to create a positive meeting environment and get the best thinking and practical planning from the my team. And, at just the right times, he had ideas from his marketing experience that helped trigger our creative process and get us ‘unstuck’ on several key topics. The results – Great!”

Holistic Health Organization, Board of Directors, Chairperson

“Our 40 year-old organization was stuck in a rut. Old fear-based mental models were getting in the way of our membership and student enrollment goals. We had zero growth.

We called Slide12 and worked with Pat. We needed Change and it had to start with our semi-annual Board meeting. We asked Pat to “wear 2 hats” – meeting facilitation & marketing strategist. Basically, he helped us turn how we thought about the business upside down.

We came out of our 3 day session with actionable strategies that included a new web-centric business; harvesting revenue from old library content. And using incentives among our membership to accelerate word-of-mouth referrals. His work took us to a completely new level of thinking about how we manage resources and connect with customers.

Two words to describe our experience with Slide12: fantastic results.”

Global Lifestyle Magazine, Founder/Publisher/CEO

“We’re a quarterly magazine startup based in NYC. I sent slide12 PDF’s of our media kit and publication prototype on a Friday afternoon. By Tuesday morning I had an investor pitch that was ready for testing with ‘friendly’ investors.

Pat created the investor PPT that perfectly matched my company and publication personality. And he gave me important insight into our brand essence, competitive position and how to leverage my value proposition across media boundaries. We worked together on an elevator pitch based on different audience profiles.

During ‘rehearsals’ Pat helped me understand the crucial motivational differences between various investor types. And he hammered the importance of creating audience connections in the first 3 minutes of my pitch.

Here’s the best part. We did this all long distance!
I’ve never met Pat face-to-face.

Don’t head into a big presentation without talking to slide12.”

Software SaaS Company, Founder/CEO

“We brought Pat in to kick-start our sales and marketing efforts for MVP Sport Systems, LLC and he did just that – armed with an overview of the project, he came back with multiple equally strong strategies for moving things to the next level. Under Pat’s direction, we launched a successful sales and marketing campaign to boost sales and keep long-term strategy on the radar. If you need to go from 0-60 quickly, Pat is your guy.”

Elevated Work Platforms, Founder/CEO

“As a start-up company with a hard-goods product we had lots of technical & mechanical skills but we were very light on marketing savvy.Pat worked with us to refine our competitive positioning and elevator pitch. He built our investor presentation and coached me on my delivery. Pat got all this done in less than 3 days. A crucial element to the success of our pitch was spelling out the benefits our product had to offer in terms of “trust” (for example the strength of our steel components). He also moved the demo of our product from the end of the presentation to right after my opening remarks.That immediately got our investor prospects personally engaged.

Pat’s pitch worked so well that we had investor interest the first time we presented it. That investor is providing much needed seed funding and using his network to help us get our prototype productized. We could not have asked for better results. Thanks, Pat!”

Consulting Services/Software, VP Sales & Marketing

“As a serial entrepreneur, I know what it takes to build an emerging company. I’m glad Slide12 is on our collaboration team. Pat has guided us in our target market strategy, positioning and messaging. He’s a master at focusing resources on what matters most for sales results. Pat came up with our new ‘story’ and launched our first electronic lead generation campaign. Pat is both creative and practical in his approach. I strongly recommend Slide12.”

Advertising Agency, VP

“This coaching has helped me become more clear and professional in my communications. This coaching was the best. The interaction and practice helped grow my skills – it makes a world of difference.”

Network Security Software, CEO

“Slide12 was recommended to us by our venture capital firm. We have only just begun working with Pat but he has already delivered value in a short time by making introductions to important people in his network, leaving us with ideas that are gems and providing us with positive criticism and tough love. We are looking forward to a long and valuable relationship with Pat as we grow our company.”

Development Officer, Top 3 Community-Care Non-Profit (pro-bono)

“Pat worked with our temporary “sales” force called Loaned Executives during their week-long training. The insight and inspiration he gave to them, and to all of us, was astounding. He helped all of us think about our mission in a new way and his “…handling tough questions” session helped build our confidence giving fund-raising talks to small and large groups.

In our end-of-campaign surveys, Pat’s workshop was one that was regularly mentioned as a highlight of the training.”