Three-quarters of UK companies do not provide formal pitch training

How prepared is your organization for that all-important new business pitch? New research from presentation design agency Buffalo 7 found that many UK companies are not properly prepared to win new business pitches.

by Helen Leggatt

The survey of nearly 300 marketing professionals in February and March this year found that not only do most companies provide no formal pitch training (75%), many lack in-house staff who specialize in designing slides for presentations (61%).

And so it's not surprising, therefore, that while 76% of companies have pitched for new business during the past year, 54% reported to be losing half or more of the pitches in which they participate.

However, more than two-thirds of the marketing professionals interviewed (68%) said they enjoyed presenting.

"The Buffalo 7 survey into pitching habits suggests that many companies are unprepared for what we know can be a very costly part of winning business," said Traci Dunne, Consultancy Manager at ISBA. "This is an area related to our own research on Pitch Alternatives that launches later this month, which will identify trends and patterns to help both clients and agencies make better pitching decisions."