B1 · Module 01 · Class 01 — The Pitch
Narrative Scene
Santiago Reyes has spent eleven years at Altius Consulting Group, working his way from junior analyst to Senior Account Director. He is good at his job — methodical, credible, trusted by clients — but he has always relied on his manager Elena Durán to handle the formal English in pitch meetings with international clients. That changes today.
Altius has been shortlisted by Vantage Capital Partners, a European infrastructure fund headquartered in London. Vantage is exploring its first major investment in Mexican infrastructure — toll roads, energy distribution, logistics hubs — and is looking for a local consulting partner who understands the regulatory landscape, the key stakeholders, and the political risk. The engagement could be worth up to $800,000 over six months.
Elena pulled Santiago aside on Friday: 'I want you to lead the pitch. You know the infrastructure sector better than anyone on the team. I'll be in the room, but it's your meeting.' Santiago spent the weekend preparing. He knows what he wants to say. Now he has to say it — in English, to a room of London bankers.
The Vantage team flies in on Tuesday. Claire Beaumont, their Head of LATAM Strategy, will chair the meeting. Santiago has 20 minutes to present, followed by Q&A. Everything he has built over eleven years comes down to this.
Vocabularyfirst impression: the opinion you form of someone the first time you meet them credibility: the quality of being trusted and believed by others elevator pitch: a very short summary of your value, deliverable in the time of an elevator ride (60–90 seconds) rapport: a close, friendly relationship based on mutual understanding stakeholder: any person or organisation with an interest or concern in a project track record: a history of past achievements used to demonstrate capability pitch: a persuasive presentation to a potential client or investor value proposition: a clear statement explaining how your service solves a client's problem engagement: a consulting project or assignment with a client due diligence: a thorough investigation of a business before signing a deal mandate: a formal instruction or agreement giving authority to act on someone's behalf shortlist: a reduced list of candidates or firms selected for final consideration follow up: "She asked us to follow up with a written proposal." (= contact again after a first interaction) put forward: "Santiago put forward a strong case for Altius's local expertise." (= propose/present for consideration) narrow down: "Vantage had narrowed down the shortlist to three firms." (= reduce options to a smaller number) regulatory landscape: the set of laws, rules, and governing bodies that affect a business sector acquisition: the purchase of one company or asset by another due diligence period: the time allocated to investigate a deal before committing to it scope of work: a detailed description of what a project will include and deliver proprietary: owned by a specific company; not publicly available |
Reported Speech — Relaying What Was Said
A. Introduction to Reported Speech
When we report what someone said, we do not usually repeat their exact words. We use a reporting verb and shift the tense back (called "backshift").
Direct Speech | Reported Speech | Tense shift |
"We are interested in your firm." | She said they were interested in our firm. | present → past |
"We have worked in Mexico before." | She said they had worked in Mexico before. | present perfect → past perfect |
"We will decide by Friday." | She said they would decide by Friday. | will → would |
"We can start in January." | She said they could start in January. | can → could |
"We need a local partner." | She said they needed a local partner. | present simple → past simple |
B. Reporting Verbs
"Said" is the most common reporting verb, but professional English uses a wider range to convey tone and meaning precisely.
Reporting verbs by function: Stating: said, stated, mentioned, noted, explained, confirmed Asking: asked, enquired, wanted to know, questioned Promising / committing: promised, committed, agreed, confirmed, guaranteed Requesting: asked (+ object + infinitive), requested, invited, encouraged Warning / advising: warned, advised, recommended, suggested, urged |
C. Reported Speech in a Business Context
Meeting debrief — Santiago reports back to Elena: "Claire asked how long we had been working in the infrastructure sector." "She mentioned that Vantage had already spoken to two other firms." "She confirmed that they would make a decision within two weeks." "She asked us to send a written proposal by Thursday." |
D. Pitch Structure — Value Proposition
A strong B1-level pitch is brief, credible, and client-focused. Use this four-part structure:
The PCPI Framework: Problem: "International funds entering the Mexican market face significant regulatory complexity and political risk." Capability: "Altius has been advising investors in Mexico's infrastructure sector for 15 years." Proof: "Last year, we helped a European energy fund navigate a $200M toll road acquisition — on time and within budget." Invitation: "We would welcome the opportunity to show you how Altius can do the same for Vantage." |
Phrasal Verbs in Contextfollow up: "She asked us to follow up with a written proposal." (= contact again after a first interaction) put forward: "Santiago put forward a strong case for Altius's local expertise." (= propose / present for consideration) narrow down: "Vantage had narrowed down the shortlist to three firms." (= reduce options to a smaller number) |
Read Santiago's opening pitch to the Vantage Capital Partners team. Notice how he uses the PCPI structure.
Santiago's Opening PitchVantage Capital Partners MeetingMexico City, Tuesday 10:00 a.m. | Altius Consulting Group boardroom "Good morning, Claire. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for making the trip. My name is Santiago Reyes. I'm a Senior Account Director at Altius, and I lead our infrastructure and energy practice here in Mexico." "I'd like to start by acknowledging something we all know: entering a new market is complex, and Mexico's infrastructure sector is particularly so. The regulatory landscape involves federal, state, and municipal stakeholders — and political risk is real. We have seen several international funds lose significant time and capital because they underestimated that complexity." "Altius has been navigating this environment for 15 years. We have advised on 23 infrastructure transactions in this country — toll roads, energy distribution, water treatment, and logistics. We have proprietary data on every major regulatory decision made in the sector since 2009." "Our most recent engagement was with a European energy fund — I'm not able to name them publicly — but I can tell you that we guided them through a $200 million acquisition in the northern corridor. The due diligence period ran four months. We came in on schedule and under budget." "Vantage has an exceptional track record in European markets. We believe we can give you the same level of certainty here. I'd welcome the opportunity to show you how. But first, Claire, I'd like to hear from you. What matters most to Vantage as you enter Mexico?" |
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
Claire ___ whether Altius had experience with energy distribution projects.
She ___ us not to underestimate the political dimension of the deal.
Elena ___ that the timeline was unusually tight for an engagement of this scale.
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