• by Alison Moser , Op-Ed Contributor, February 28, 2020

All of us are familiar with the frustrating fire drill pitch process – which may not even result in future work. I, like so many others, often dream of a world where we aren’t giving away our work for free. But unfortunately that’s not the reality.  

Even the agencies that claim they refuse to pitch work are still doing it. At the end of the day, acceptance of this inevitability and an appreciation for the benefits that can come from the process are key to maintaining our sanity during an otherwise barbaric process. 

Here are some guidelines for making the most of inevitable pitches: 

Pitch like you want to, not like you have to. 

Business realities sometimes require us to pursue opportunities that aren’t so shiny, in which case that should be motivation enough. On other occasions, your agency might be excited about a prospective opportunity. Others are more nuanced: promising chemistry with the client team, a challenging business problem to solve or a chance to resurface some really promising thinking.  

Regardless of the reason, the full team and agency must be on the same page. If you can’t find anything to be excited about, walk away.  

Make a play for client access right off the bat.  

You should fight for as much face time as possible with the client throughout the pitch process. Yes, pitches are time consuming and client teams have a lot more to think about than their advertising, but it’s no less time consuming (or expensive!) for the agency, and you deserve to be able to put yourself in a position to succeed. 

Why does access lead to success? It humanizes the process, gives your team access to information they wouldn’t otherwise have, provides real-time feedback, and sets the stage for what might eventually be a healthy working relationship.  

Demand transparency.

We often receive incomplete information at the beginning of a pitch. Sometimes this is accidental and sometimes it’s by design. Either way, no agency should be investing such a huge amount of resources when there are still questions about the opportunity. 

You should feel entitled to ask whatever questions you have to overcome this asymmetry of information. You may not get all the answers, but that tells you just as much about the opportunity as receiving the information itself. If a client can’t commit to an agency fee range, for example, you may want to reconsider your efforts. 

Be yourself. 

We can’t all be everything to everyone, and we shouldn’t try to be. The brands and clients you’re pitching should fit well with your capabilities and agency culture. Agencies need to be real with themselves and true to their strengths and offerings. It's okay if you’re not a fully integrated agency. Sometimes, a brand simply wants a cheeky Super Bowl spot. Other times, they want a 360 degree campaign with a robust digital ecosystem. Be confident in your strengths, but tackle your weaknesses head on. 

Think beyond creative. 

It’s an easy trap to fall into, but pitches aren’t simply creative presentations. Yes, often a big, shiny creative execution can be a deciding factor, but don’t lose sight of the fact that clients are buying more than that. They’re investing in a whole package, hopefully a years-long relationship inclusive of all aspects of our work. 

As most of us know all too well, the pitch process can be fickle and unpredictable. It’s best to recognize and accept the limitations of the process and focus on the things that you can control, like your team, your approach, and your attitude.  

Even if you don’t win the work, the exercise is just as much about investigating new creative avenues and building more efficient ways of working with one another. And if you do it the right way, when you do win, you’re off to the races.