…know this; just speak some specific truths in your pitch.

Below are some of The “14 Phrases Every VC Wants to Hear in Your Pitch” as outlined by a venture capitalist.

1. “How much time do you have, and how would you like us to use it?”

Starting a meeting like this shows us you’re thoughtful, respectful and a professional.

2. “Here’s why my company’s product or service is personally important to me.”

We asked this question to Doug Evans, founder of the innovative Juice company Juicero and he said, “If you cut me, I bleed juice. It’s all I know. It’s all I ever want to do.” We’re investing in you just as much as we’re investing in your business model.

3. “We’ve worked together for years and have always wanted to start a company like this.”

Teams outperform individuals, and teams that have worked well together before outperform everyone else.

4. “I don’t know. Let me look into that and get back to you.”

When you don’t know the answer to a question, we’d prefer that you’re honest. Being upfront instead of manufacturing an answer demonstrates humility, integrity , and consideration for our own intelligence.

5. “We’ve been working on this problem for years. We finally figured it out.”

This indicates you’ve done your research and are committed to the company, i.e. it’s not a project you casually dreamt up over beer.

6. “We feel like we have the right strategy, but we’re still testing, learning and are open to input.”

We are all still learning, and we want to know you’re fundamentally curious and open to trying new strategies.

7. “Here’s what our team looks like today, but we know we need to beef up X. The next three hires we plan to make are A, B and C.”

This shows you’re aware of any current gaps in your team and have a strategy for filling them once you receive funding.

MORE at http://fortune.com/2016/10/05/phrases-vcs-want-to-hear/