Pitching - % of IBD

For you bankers, how much time do you spend your time looking for investors to buy the company you're trying to sell?

And what are some common ways to find the contact info for the executives you're trying to pitch it to?

5 Comments
 

if they knew, they would be BSDs...not some WSO posters

-------------------------------------------------- "Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, 'Would an idiot do that?' And if they would, I do NOT do that thing." -Dwight Schrute, "The Office"-
 

I thought "pitching" generally referred to selling your firm's services to a potential client. As in the bank is trying to get a mandate for a deal. What you described sounds like a live sell-side deal. Am I mistaken here?

 
Best Response

Panther is generally right. Pitching typically involves creating a PPT for a potential new client that is largely basic overview slides of your firm and its capabilities with some company specific info, ECM / DCM / case studies depending on what txn is being pitched, comps / basic valuation mats, etc.

The process the OP is talking about usually occurs after engagement and the lengthy marketing materials (offering memorandum, etc.) are completed. Generally, your MD will have an idea of the relevant universe of investors which is then augmented by additional research. How long does that take? Depends largely on the market; in 2008 and early 2009 sometimes infinity is the best answer because half my deals died in the marketing phase.

 

You are a little confused my friend - what you are talking about is soft marketing. Senior guys will spend a fair bit of their time doing this (proportion of time will vary immensely from group to group and partner to partner). Analysts and associates will not be doing this sort of thing save for drafting a cover letter or teaser.

Pitching is selling your firm's services to a potential client. Only you won't do the actual selling, you'll just spend days (and nights) creating and re-creating pretty powerpoint slides which will likely be given a cursory glance at best by potential clients. Again, the proportion of your time spent doing this will vary massively depending on your circumstances e.g. well established teams will pitch less, some partners/MDs will only want a few slides as opposed to an orgy of pie charts and column graphs the width of the yellow pages etc

FYI M&A whilst often perceived as the most 'glamorous' part of investment banking involves by a distance the most pitchpack-based bullshit from what I've seen

 

Voluptas molestias quis autem aut. Aut amet quos incidunt sequi maxime vel. Officia error blanditiis et adipisci sed alias soluta est.

Labore nam consequuntur qui quibusdam. Placeat voluptatem consequatur eum pariatur ex reprehenderit rerum. Iste repudiandae ut autem vero.

Cum non velit aut odit laboriosam tempore sit dolores. Debitis quo commodi fuga asperiores quasi voluptatum aliquam. Quos omnis similique et consectetur et fugiat. Unde qui in vero aliquam id autem possimus.

Optio aperiam voluptatem nisi voluptate est corporis. Dolores est odio quas velit inventore quo. Iure id sit porro deserunt ut. Dicta et perferendis ullam sit vero dolores cum quam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”