How to (effectively) Pitch to C-Suite
I was recently speaking to a customer, a B2B startup founder– let’s call him Steve– during one of our weekly touchpoints.
Fintech startup, pre-seed, team of 5. They’re early, still very much building, but they’re working with pilot customers and learning how to convert them into full-time, paying customers.
It’s exciting and a full-on grind at the same time. Par for the course though– in startup land.
During our touchpoint, Steve asks for feedback on a document he’s preparing. One of their pilot customers– a Fortune 500 real estate management company– is considering a full adoption, and Steve wants to deliver a formal ‘business case’ to his champion / POC– who’s a mid-level executive at the company.
The idea is to articulate a case for their solution with this document– complete with a detailed ROI, time-to-value, etc. – and for the champion to pass along the document to the key, final decision maker.
Steve’s hoping his document’s compelling enough to gain approval for their solution, and to kick off a legal and security review in parallel.
Cool! And pretty straightforward. So we get into it.
First thing I notice is the document’s an edited version of their standard deck, some 25 slides long and not a whole lot of personalization. Not good– and we’ll get back to that.
“Who’s the key decision maker?”– I ask.
We look up the individual on LinkedIn. Seasoned exec, 30+ years at the company, number 2 or maybe number 3 after the CEO.
“You’re essentially planning on handing this document over to this guy?” – I ask.
“Yes.” Steve says.
And that’s when the lesson began.
Lesson #1: The way you communicate to people within a large organization– like a Fortune 500 company– is different depending on who you’re addressing and where they sit on the corporate ladder.
The higher up you go, the more your message has to be about the bigger picture.
Measurable gains in revenue, meaningful cuts to cost– that sort of thing.
They don’t want to hear how easy your solution is to integrate, or how user-friendly the interface is. They’re looking at the forest, not the trees. Your pitch needs to hit them with the impact on the bottom line. Talk about how your solution will drive growth, improve efficiency, and deliver a competitive edge. It’s about strategic advantage, not just operational convenience.
As you go lower down the corporate ladder, you can start to get into the weeds with your messaging.
These folks are the ones who will be hands-on with your product, so they care about the details. They want to know about the integration process, the learning curves, and the day-to-day benefits. Show them how your solution will make their jobs easier, streamline their workflows, and eliminate pain points. For them, it’s all about the nuts and bolts– the practical, tangible improvements your product offers.
In sum, executives want the 30,000-foot view: big-picture benefits, ROI, and strategic impact. Closer to the frontline, they want the ground-level details: functionality, usability, and immediate advantages.
As highlighted in Harvard Business Review’s "How to Pitch a Brilliant Idea," tailoring your pitch based on the role and priorities of your audience is essential to capturing their interest.
Back to Steve.
He gets it, so we move on to:
Lesson #2: Less is more the higher up the corporate ladder you go.
Steve’s original idea is to hand over a 25+ slide deck, and with lesson #1 under his belt he now understands he’ll have to tweak the copy and messaging to focus primarily on big picture items.
But lesson #2 suggests he’s not done yet. 25+ slides seems a little much for a c-level executive. And it is. So I tell Steve:
This individual likely has very little time, so condense your message to a single page. As noted in Forbes' "The Key Presenting to Senior Executives," C-suite leaders prefer concise, to-the-point presentations that cut out the noise and focus on key insights.
Make it easy to read. Follow Steve Jobs’ rule and stick to three or four short bullets (link), max.
Remove the noise: no logos, icons, or visuals (*exception below). Just text. (Steve was playing around with logo sizes when we began our conversation).
Lesson #3: Personalization is key.
Generic pitches rarely hit the mark. As highlighted in “How to Make a Sales Pitch," personalized messaging that addresses the unique pain points of senior executives is crucial for building trust and showcasing value
I tell Steve his message needs to resonate with the specific needs and challenges of this very decision-maker. I asked Steve to dig deeper:
What strategic priorities have they articulated to you in your past conversations?
What are the challenges they’re currently facing that your solution addresses?
How can you tie your solution directly to their major business goals?
To demonstrate an understanding of the company’s current landscape, and how his solution fits into their vision, Steve needs to do a bit of homework.
He needs to review past call recordings and his notes to peel back the major strategic initiatives they’re working on. He uses Fathom (plug?) to record his calls and can easily run through the transcripts– so that’s the easy part.
He can review the company’s most recent 10-Ks (we’re lucky, it’s a publicly traded company), and comb through the Management Discussion and Analysis sections to pull together their major business priorities.
That’s a bit of work, but it's necessary work.
The goal is to craft a message that doesn’t just say “here’s what we do,” but rather, “here’s how we solve your specific problems and help you achieve your specific goals.”
Steve also needs to customize his messaging to the decision-maker's role and responsibilities.
The decision-maker’s a CFO, so the focus should be on financial impact and ROI. Had the decision-maker been a COO, operational efficiency and scalability would be the name of the game.
Lesson #4: Use data to tell your story.
High-level executives are driven by data.
They need concrete evidence that your solution will deliver the promised results. As McKinsey & Company highlights in "Ascending to the C-Suite," a compelling pitch must be backed by a strong, data-driven narrative to resonate with senior leaders. I advised Steve to include:
The clear, quantifiable benefits their solution has delivered throughout the pilot.
Testimonials from current employees who have worked with the product during the pilot.
Metrics and KPIs that the executive can easily relate to.
Numbers don’t lie, and a data-driven narrative will make Steve’s case far stronger.
Additionally, visual representations of the data—such as charts and graphs—can be easier to digest (*this is the exception).
Lesson #5: Anticipate and address objections head-on.
Seasoned executives have seen their fair share of pitches. You can rest assured they’ll have tough, pointed questions, and difficult objections to overcome.
Steve needs to be ready. This means:
Including potential risks and how they anticipate mitigating them.
Providing clear implementation timelines, and details surrounding levels of provided support.
Presenting ROIs and long-term time-to-value benefits.
By anticipating these objections, Steve demonstrates he’s thought through the details, he’s prepared to handle concerns– and this isn’t his first rodeo.
Conclusion: Craft an Executive-Level Pitch That Drives Decisions
To recap, communicating effectively within a large organization requires understanding your audience– their role, where they sit on the corporate ladder, their priorities– and tailoring your message accordingly.
High-level executives need the big-picture view; frontline managers need detailed, practical information.
You can craft a compelling business case that resonates at all levels of the corporate ladder, you just need to:
Tailor Your Message to Your Audience: The higher up you go, the more you need to focus on big-picture benefits like revenue gains and cost savings. Executives want strategic advantages, not operational details.
Do More with Less: High-level executives have limited time. Condense your pitch to a single page with three or four key bullet points. Keep it concise and to the point.
Personalize Your Pitch: Generic pitches won't cut it. Tailor your message to the specific needs and challenges of the decision-maker. Do your homework to align your solution with their strategic priorities.
Use Data to Tell Your Story: Executives are driven by data. Provide clear, quantifiable benefits, relevant metrics, and testimonials. Visual data representations, like charts and graphs, can make your case more compelling.
Anticipate and Address Objections: Be prepared for tough questions and objections. Address potential risks, provide clear implementation timelines, and highlight long-term benefits and ROI. Show that you've thought through the details.
By following these principles, Steve will deliver a message that grabs attention, drives the decision-maker towards action, and paves the way for a formal customer relationship. As a betting man, I think Steve’ll get his legal and security reviews soon enough.
If you’re aiming to sharpen your pitch or need guidance on tailoring your message to land with senior decision-makers, let’s chat.
We’re here to help you craft compelling, executive-level presentations that drive action and close more deals.
