Six ways to pitch your private equity fund at an event

You are at a private equity conference. It’s one of those events, like SuperReturn, that’s designed to help LPs and GPs meet. You want to identify LPs who may be interested in your private equity fund.

Assuming you get a meeting with an investor (which is hard enough) how can you increase your fundraising chances? When we advise funds how to be more successful at fundraising, we teach them best-practice techniques for successful fund pitching at events.

These techniques can help you pitch your private equity fund more effectively immediately:

Pitch Your Private Equity Fund | Tip #1 Tell stories

Stories are your secret weapon.

Stories appeal directly to the brain and can be very memorable. You could tell a story about the origins of your fund or a story about a particular investment or a story about how you realised why your investment strategy was so successful. Most of the most successful fund raisers are great story tellers.

Pitch Your Private Equity Fund | Tip #2 Don’t turn the pages of a PowerPoint

Nobody (at least nobody I have ever met) wants to be taken through a presentation. Most investors will tell you that they want to have a discussion, they want to hear your top-line pitch and they want to understand what sort of people you are. Learn how to give a great pitch without PowerPoint.

Note: investors don’t want to read a lengthy pitch book either. Check your Private Equity Pitch Book against our six tests for investor-readiness.

Pitch Your Private Equity Fund | Tip #3 Ask questions first

Start your pitch meeting with questions. Show interest in the investor and learn what they are looking for. Then use what you learn to tailor your pitch for that investor. The more you help them understand how to fulfil their investment mandate, rather than pitch your fund, the more successful you will be.

Pitch Your Private Equity Fund | Tip #4 Have a great elevator pitch

If you can summarise your pitch in 20 seconds then you have a strong tool in your hands. But summarising an entire pitch in a few seconds is not easy – although it is one of the most effective ways of testing the power of your message. You can use one of our intensive Messaging Cracker Sessions to help you get your elevator pitch sorted out.

I Want a Better Private Equity Pitch

Pitch Your Private Equity Fund | Tip #5 Test their interest early

A great pitch is interactive. Frequently check that the investors understand, like what they hear and are still interested.

Embrace tough investor questions – they mean that the investor is doing due diligence with you. In addition, the more feedback you receive, the more you can adjust your pitch to help address investor concerns.

Pitch Your Private Equity Fund | Tip #6 Finish with next steps

The end of your pitch is as important as the start. Psychologists talk about ‘recency’ – the last thing that is left in your mind when you part. Make sure that you leave on a positive note and you are all clear what happens next.

Do you want to increase your chances of success? If so, talk to us.

At Benjamin Ball Associates, we have developed a robust toolbox of techniques to help you run more successful GP-LP meetings.

We’ll help you engage with investors, grab their attention and sound more persuasive. In just a few short hours we’ll transform the impact you make. You can prepare a specific pitch with us, coach a team and even transform your pitch documents.

Speak to our Client Services Director, Louise Angus on 020 7018 0922 or email louise@benjaminball.com to discuss how we can add value to your fundraising process.

I Want a Better Private Equity Pitch

You may also be interested in our Little Green Book for Private Equity Fund Managers. This short guide details what we do at each stage of the process and how we can help you overcome your challenges with investors.

Video: How Private Equity Funds can pitch, present and persuade more effectively

Paul Farrow is a Partner at Benjamin Ball Associates. In this video from SuperReturn US East, Paul discusses the common mistakes made by Private Equity funds when communicating with potential investors. He reveals the unexpected personality trait that investors look for in fund managers, and why LPs don’t want to ‘be taken through your pitch presentation’. He shares essential advice that will improve your fund’s messaging, help you stand out and impress prospective investors. Click the play button below to watch:

I Want a Better Private Equity Pitch

Image credit: “Conference networking dinner” by NHS Confederation is licensed under CC BY 2.0