skills/pitch-deck-builder/references/md-level-standards.md

# Managing Director Level Standards

Use this reference to elevate outputs beyond analyst-level assembly.

## MD mindset

A Managing Director does not merely compile facts. The output must:

- name the client decision clearly;
- show why the issue matters now;
- anticipate CEO, CFO, Board, sponsor, lender, or investor objections;
- prioritize the few facts that matter;
- connect market evidence to client action;
- include risk, timing, execution, and stakeholder constraints;
- make the bank's role and next step obvious.

## What to avoid

Avoid:

- generic company descriptions that could apply to anyone;
- pages that are only data dumps;
- slide titles such as "Market Overview", "Financial Summary", or "Valuation" without a conclusion;
- unsupported superlatives such as "best-in-class" or "unique";
- excessive credentials pages;
- stale market data presented as current;
- valuation ranges without assumptions, dates, source basis, or caveats;
- financing alternatives ranked only by headline cost;
- buyer lists with no deal logic.

## Title rules

Slide titles should be conclusion-led. Examples:

Weak:
- Market Overview
- Buyer Universe
- Financial Summary
- Strategic Alternatives

Better:
- Growth in enterprise AI workflows has shifted buyer interest toward workflow-native platforms
- Three buyer groups are most likely to pay for distribution, data, and vertical workflow depth
- Revenue growth remains strong, but margin expansion is the gating question for valuation
- A minority growth round preserves control but does not solve near-term liquidity risk

## MD review questions

Before finalizing, answer:

1. What is the recommended client action?
2. What would the client disagree with first?
3. What data supports the most important claim?
4. Which pages are necessary for the meeting and which belong in appendix?
5. What is the bank uniquely bringing: access, judgment, process, financing, valuation, or execution?
6. Are we hiding uncertainty behind polish?
7. What is the next meeting, outreach, or workstream after this deck?

## Client-specificity test

A page is not client-specific enough if the company name could be replaced with any peer name without changing the argument. Strengthen by adding:

- client strategic priorities;
- recent client developments;
- ownership, leverage, liquidity, or shareholder constraints;
- buyer/issuer/investor relevance;
- sector-specific KPIs;
- specific deal precedents;
- risks or objections likely to matter to that audience.

## Commercial judgment signals

Include these where relevant:

- urgency: why now vs later;
- feasibility: what can actually get done;
- valuation tension: what the market will pay vs what the client wants;
- execution risk: antitrust, financing, diligence, shareholder, rating, market window;
- stakeholder map: board, sponsor, management, creditors, shareholders, regulators;
- alternative paths: fallback options if the preferred path is not actionable.