Pitchbook Problems? 3 Ways Technology Can Help

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Automation and technology help with pitchbook and other investment management literature problems

It’s tough out there for investment management sales teams and only getting more challenging. Today, pitchbooks must be customer-centric, created or changed on a dime, on-brand, compliant and have digital output and tracking options. That’s like trying to make a delicious, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and sugar-free wedding cake in 10 minutes.

If that hits home, then this article is for you.

(If you didn’t find that amusing, you’ve clearly never tried to make a cake in 10 minutes.)


Most financial services companies put a heavy emphasis on personalized pitchbooks. Even so, there continues to be a major pitchbook problem across the board.  Three main obstacles that still exist at asset management firms are:

1) Marketing teams struggle with creating personalized pitchbooks at scale
2) Sales teams customize their own material, which poses a compliance risk
3) The firm still creates static pitch decks and doesn’t support presentation customization 

Industry trends show differentiation is the special ingredient for capturing new clients and investment dollars. This supports the idea that customer-centricity is mandatory to be competitive in the field. The firms using technology and processes to encourage customer-centricity are closing more deals.

How Automation Helps

To create perfect pitchbooks at scale, automation is the only reliable option.

An automated pitchbook strategy is the best way to create highly targeted presentations for each and every sales opportunity. Therefore, leading firms in the industry are making smart investments into financial sales enablement technology to support the creation of high-quality and compliant pitchbooks.

Firms with pitchbook automation in their marketing technology strategy experience three leading benefits:

1. Increased Productivity

Time is money. Automating the pitchbook process greatly reduces the level of effort required to produce them. So, teams are freed up to do more strategic work. In some cases, automation technology reduces the time required to update and manage pitch materials by 40 percent and production time by up to 70 percent. As a result, firms are able to move their marketing efforts forward significantly, saving precious time.

2. Better Risk Management

Pitchbooks created manually have a higher risk of non-compliant materials getting into the hands of investors. Compliance isn’t at the forefront of a salesperson’s mind; getting a presentation together and being the first to present are.

Commonly, salespeople start with existing presentations they then use to modify and create subsequent presentations. This is a compliance nightmare. There is no way to verify or approve the materials before they are shown to the client.

Firms can ensure pitchbooks are compliant by using a solution that enables sales teams. For example, quickly creating a presentation from pre-approved slides. A desirable automation solution will support archiving and record-keeping. So, it’s clear when the material was used and who it was pitched to. It should also provide tracking and reporting features that offer usage statistics to help identify behaviors and trends of the sales force.

3. Consistent Branding

Inconsistency in messaging and branding is another damaging side effect of manually produced pitchbooks. Outdated, inconsistent or poorly-planned materials significantly harm your brand and your overall reputation. With fierce competition in the asset management marketplace, it’s increasingly more important to have a compliance-focused brand and pitchbook strategy.

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How Pitchbook Automation Works

Pitchbook automation allows marketers to easily manage a library of sales presentation materials, which provides sales with ready-to-go content in real-time. It also provides the ability to put in compliance controls so sales never uses non-compliant materials to begin with. So, the sales team is starting from already pre-approved content upon opening the pitchbook platform.

An ideal pitchbook automation solution will support single sign-on, provide mobile platform accessibility, exist on a secure web-based platform and play well with any CRM, like SalesForce.com.

When a platform is integrated with a firm’s product data, it allows the solution to automatically update dynamic charts, tables, and graphs. Marketing teams can set restrictions and business rules. These might include grouping and ordering rules, linked disclosures and slides, approval requirements, etc… Pitchbook creation is a straightforward process for the sales team with these controls, and they are able to generate custom and compliant pitchbooks in minutes.

Why Pitchbook Automation is Worth It

With an automated pitchbook process in place, marketing teams spend less time catering to pitchbook requests and more time doing more strategic work. As a result, compliance teams aren’t bogged down by the review process, which improves turnaround times. In turn, the sales team will spend more time out in the field making sales pitches with more effective materials. It’s a win-win for everyone involved: marketing, sales, compliance, and even IT!

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Emilie is Chief Marketing Officer at Synthesis. She brings over 15 years of integrated sales and marketing experience working with financial services, SaaS, and health and wellness companies. Her passion is architecting holistic marketing strategies that align with each business function to achieve client experience, employee advocacy, and revenue goals. When she isn't marketing, you can find her rehabbing her home in the Chicago suburbs, practicing yoga, or spending time with her family.


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