How To Win A Pitch – Top 10 Tips Pitching for New Business

How do you win a pitch? What makes a winning business pitch? How do you pitch a client to win? What strategies are there to win pitches?

Meet the Author: Benjamin Ball

Ben is the founder of Benjamin Ball Associates and leads the presentation coaching and pitch deck creation teams. Formerly a corporate financier in the City of London, for 20+ years he’s helped businesses win with better pitches and presentations, particularly investor pitches. He is a regular speaker and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and UCL London.  Follow Ben on LinkedIn or visit the contact page. 

Why Pitching for New Business Is So Hard

Pitching for new business is tough. That’s because you’re not just selling a product or service—you’re selling yourself, often under intense pressure. How to win a pitch? You have to quickly build trust, prove your expertise, and stand out from competitors, all while navigating the client’s unspoken expectations.

It’s personal; when you’re rejected, it can feel like a blow to your confidence, not just your pipeline. And let’s face it, you’re often up against rivals with more experience, better connections, or sharper pricing.

Add tight deadlines, last-minute curveballs, and the need to adapt your pitch for every audience, and it’s no wonder it feels like such a challenge.

But the hardest part? Knowing that no matter how well you prepare, success isn’t guaranteed—so you’d better make every word count.

Mastering Pitching Skills in Business

Strong pitching skills are essential in business because they turn ideas into opportunities—whether you’re winning clients, securing investment, or rallying your team.

A great pitch isn’t just about presenting facts; it’s about storytelling, persuasion, and emotional connection. You need to be clear, concise, and compelling, distilling complex ideas into simple, engaging messages.

Confidence matters, but authenticity matters more—people buy into people first, then ideas. The best pitchers don’t just talk; they listen, adapt, and respond to their audience in real time. Like any skill, it improves with practice, feedback, and refinement.

Whether you’re pitching to a boardroom or over coffee, the ability to sell your vision effectively can be the difference between success and missed potential.

CASE STUDY – How to Win a Pitch to Investors

Preparing Saemor Capital – a Dutch hedge fund for meetings with global institutional investors

Their Challenge: upcoming pitch meetings with investors

Saemor’s €500m+ Europe Alpha Fund approached us after 4 years of outstanding performance for help as they started the process of pitching to blue chip institutional investors. Their head of IR, Erwin de Klein, asked us to polish their investor pitch and to coach members of the team for meetings with important US institutional investors.

BBA Solution: reworked pitch deck and polished team

We started by making the team clarify what it is that makes Saemor’s investment strategy unique. Then, re-working the pitch, it became easier for them to explain how they achieve their superior returns and why they expect this great performance to continue.

The Result: better meetings, investment & awards

A week after we finished working with them, Saemor flew to the US for a Morgan Stanley Prime Brokerage Capital Introductions event. They were praised for the quality and clarity of their investor pitch. They secured meetings with all the investors they wanted to meet.

“It was like a breath of fresh air.” said Sven Bouman, Saemor’s CEO and CIO. “BBA’s approach helped us create a compelling presentation. Most importantly, BBA gave us the confidence to tell our story in a powerful and natural way.”

Erwin de Klein added, “The new presentation properly represents the professional institutional quality of our fund. It has been a step change for us. It is now much easier to explain what we do and why you might want to invest in our fund.”

How to Win a Pitch

We all want to win new business pitches.  For many of us, winning pitches is a crucial part of our job.  

Putting together a winning pitch can be challenging; and we can all pitch better.  With the right approach and proven strategies, you can increase your chances of success when pitching a client.

We’ve been coaching new business and investor pitches for 15+ years.  These ten simple but essential tips on how to win new business pitches could transform your pitch win rate.

Each tip might seem like simple advice, but these are some of the new business pitch skills that people regularly forget when pitching.

10 Ways How To Win New Business Pitches

1. How to win a pitch? Build a relationship with your client

Building a relationship with the client before and during the pitch is essential.  People are much more likely to buy from someone they know and like.  How do you do this? You want to be curious.  That means asking questions and listening. Show genuine interest in them and their business. 

You want to demonstrate your knowledge of their business and build a rapport.  The good news is that you can use coaching to help build a relationship to make winning a new business pitch easier.

Crafting a compelling sales pitch for a new product requires a blend of clarity, focus, and a strong understanding of your customer base. When introducing a great idea, it’s crucial to clearly show how it will benefit potential customers.

Rather than diving into every detail, centre the pitch on the product’s main value points and how it fits into their lives or business needs. This approach keeps the focus on the problem your product solves and why it’s a must-have, rather than just a “nice to have.”

2. To win new business pitches, understand your client’s needs

OK, that sounds obvious – it is essential to understand your client’s needs and what they are looking for.  But too many pitches we have seen put the supplier at the centre of the pitch rather than the client. 

So don’t boast about how good you are.  Instead, make sure everything you say is about your client and what they need.  And use the techniques of tip 1 if you don’t understand exactly what the client really needs.

A successful business pitch starts with a clear value proposition. This is the core of your pitch and explains why your product or service is uniquely positioned to address specific pain points for your target market.

A strong value proposition reassures potential clients that you understand the needs of your target audience and have crafted a solution tailored to meet those needs. The first step in developing a powerful pitch is to clarify exactly what sets you apart—your competitive advantage.

3. Winning a pitch means creating a compelling proposal

A well-written, well-organised and simple proposal is most likely to succeed.  Too many proposals are too complicated.  When writing a pitch you want to make it easy for your client to read your pitch. Beware of just making claims. 

Instead, use data and case studies to back up your points so that your proposal is as persuasive as possible.  And don’t underestimate the power of stories to win new business pitches.  If you want help writing great pitches, we’d be delighted to assist.

Include an executive summary. This will improve your chances of delivering the perfect pitch. The executive summary should give a concise overview of your product, target market, and growth potential, while your market strategy should outline how you plan to reach your audience and achieve your business goals. Different types of pitches will emphasise these elements differently, so understanding which format best suits your audience is essential.

Using real examples or hypothetical scenarios can help connect the value of your offering with the real-world problems of potential customers. The aim is to keep the audience engaged and demonstrate how your business meets a specific market opportunity in a way that resonates with them.

Why Pick Benjamin Ball Associates for Your Pitch Coaching

At Benjamin Ball Associates, we’ve been coaching business people to improve their business communication skills for over 15 years.  Our coaching is fast and effective.  We work with individuals and with companies, one-to-one and in groups.  Call us today to learn more.

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”

Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

Our most popular training courses include:

• Presentation Coaching
• Public Speaking Coaching
• Investor Pitch Support and Coaching

Trusted by some of the most successful companies globally

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email info@benjaminball.com to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

4. New business pitch skills: Practise, practise, practise your new business pitch

It is tough to win pitches without practice. Don’t just rehearse your presentation. Instead, role-play the meeting. Get feedback from colleagues or a coach to improve your delivery AND your content. 

Make sure that everything you say will make your client feel good.  And simplify what you say so that your messages are clear and concise.  Concentrate on building a great relationship first.  If you a good relationship with your client you are more likely to succeed.

Refine your pitch with best practices in mind. Keep your message simple and direct, practice delivering it until it flows naturally, and leave room for follow-up questions. A successful business pitch doesn’t have to be overly detailed; instead, it should highlight the best ways your idea addresses unmet needs, inviting further discussion.

Each pitch is an opportunity to improve, so take note of feedback and adjust your approach as you go. Following these steps will help you craft a pitch that not only captures interest but builds confidence in your vision.

5. Be prepared for questions during your pitch

You will get asked questions during the pitch – so it is important to be prepared to address them. Anticipate potential questions and have answers ready.

Showing that you have thought about their concerns and can provide solutions that will demonstrate your expertise and increase your chances of winning the business.  Practise your Q&A as much as you practise other aspects of your pitch.

6. Pitching to win: Use visuals effectively

Visual aids can be a powerful tool when pitching to win, as they can help the client better understand your solution and the value it will bring to their business. Go beyond PowerPoint. 

A well-organised slide deck can elevate your pitch by visually reinforcing key points. For a product pitch, keep each slide clean and concise, showcasing the product’s core features, its unique selling points, and the potential impact on the target audience.

Think props, video, demonstrations, graphics and charts.  Make it fun and interesting.

7. To win pitches differentiate yourself from the competition

Show your client why your company is the best choice for their business. Highlight your unique selling points and any competitive advantages you have over other potential partners. This can include things like your company’s experience, track record or proprietary technology. But don’t trash your competitors.

Once you have a solid foundation, build your winning pitch around a compelling story. A great pitch deck should do more than list facts; it should guide your audience through your business journey, illustrating how your solution emerged from new ideas and innovative thinking.

8. Follow up after your pitch

After the pitch, follow up to thank them for the opportunity and reiterate your interest in working with them. Use this as a way of sending additional information the client may have requested.  Keep your company top of mind to increase your chances of success.>

9. To win a pitches you must be flexible

Practice your delivery so it feels natural and engaging without taking up too much time. A good thing to remember is that your confidence and clarity often make as much impact as the content itself. By keeping your pitch tight, visual, and focused on the product’s value, you set the foundation for a successful presentation that can lead to a meaningful next step, whether that’s a follow-up meeting or direct feedback.

No matter how well you prepare, there will be unexpected challenges. The whole point of practising is that you want to be flexible, adaptable and confident when faced with the unexpected.  Again, that is why practising with a professional coach can be so powerful.

10. Winners don’t give up

Even if you don’t win new business with a particular pitch, it is important to take the experience as a learning opportunity and use it to improve your future pitches. It can be disheartening to lose out on a potential client, but it is important to stay positive and continue to pursue new business opportunities. 

After every pitch always ask yourself three questions:  What did we do well?  What could be better?   What shall we change next time?

By following these tips and putting in the effort to thoroughly prepare and deliver a compelling pitch, you can increase your chances of winning new business pitches and growing your company.

How to Win a Pitch With Expert Support

These are some of the basics you must get right to win new business pitches. We work day in day out helping companies create compelling, persuasive pitches and presentations. And we’d love to help you.

If you want help to polish your new business pitches, contact Louise Angus, our client services director.  She’d be happy to discuss how we might be able to best support you.

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Why Choose Us:
Transform your pitches and presentations with tailored coaching

We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too.

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”

Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice for leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We’ll help you improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.

Some recent clients

Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email info@benjaminball.com to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

FAQ: How to Win a Pitch

If you want help winning pitches, get in touch. We’ve been helping teams win pitches for over 15 years. Our coaching and advice has saved many a great business pitch.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation