A pitch book is a valuable tool that investment bankers, asset managers, and financial advisors use to present an investment opportunity. Its main purpose is to focus the attention of prospective investors on a number of key points. After the meeting, the pitch book may also serve as a “leave behind” document that prospects will use for reference.
Although they’re usually printed out, pitch books work perfectly well as slide decks. Regardless of the platform, your pitchbook should be accurate and well-organized in presenting information.
There really isn’t one exact way to make a pitch book although there are some basic things that firms should keep in mind. For starters, you need to identify your key points and your audience. But aside from those, another important thing to consider is design.
Design’s Role
According to gyroVoice‘s Adam Swann, design is a key component simply because humans – no matter how high they are in the corporate ladder – are generally influenced by appearances. You’ll see this in trade shows. Booths with striking marketing collaterals and demo stations mostly outshine those with better yet poorly marketed products.
Pitch books should also be as attention-grabbing although a bit more professional. Below are key elements that will make your pitchbook – and your firm – look attractive to prospects:
Appropriate Colors
A well-designed pitchbook leaves a lasting impression. Using the right colors can help you achieve that. It also doesn’t hurt that colors stimulate the mind better than plain black-and-white. Just consider your choices carefully to keep your slides or pages from looking unprofessional. The best thing to do is use the ones that are consistent with your logo and other branding initiatives.
Just consider your choices carefully to keep your slides or pages from looking unprofessional. The best thing to do is use the ones that are consistent with your logo and other branding initiatives.
Eye-catching Graphics
Pitch books tend to get a bit text-heavy or too technical what with all the financial facts and figures. You can engage your audience better by including relevant graphics or imagery. Apart from helping your prospects identify with what you have to say, this strategy allows you to highlight your key points with ease. Avoid overdoing it, though, so you won’t distract your audience.
Apart from helping your prospects identify with what you have to say, this strategy allows you to highlight your key points with ease. Avoid overdoing it, though, so you won’t distract your audience.
Proper Length
Let’s be honest. It’s possible that prospective investors won’t read your pitch book word for word. They’ll read even less during a live pitch. The ideal length would be between 10-20 slides, each with a word count of 125 or less. Make it as concise as possible.
Try not to include so much detail – that is what the appendix is for. And for better flow, introduce only one concept or topic per slide.
Conclusion
Your pitch book’s job is to show your firm’s philosophies, successes, and advantages over the competition. It is also important that you design it well.
You have to assume that your prospects see hundreds of pitchbooks every year. So if yours isn’t well-organized and fails to get to the point, they’ll lose interest quickly. But with a well-designed pitchbook, you’ll be able to stand out and leave a good impression.
References
“Choosing the Right Colors for Your PowerPoint Design.” SlideGenius, Inc. June 3, 2014. Accessed
Swann, Adam. “Welcome to the Era of Design.” Forbes. May 3, 2012. Accessed May 8, 2014.
