A little over a year ago,  we took the decision that the agency wouldn’t engage in any more pitches. It wasn’t an easy decision – it split the board BUT once the decision was made the entire team got behind the new way of working. We took the decision because we had seen a long-standing trend. There is no need to embellish this other than to say that the weaker Marketing Directors/Managers and their like always wanted us to pitch while the great
and inspiring Marketing Directors, Managing Directors and Business Owners didn’t.

The later certainly were not in anyway naïve – they were the absolute opposite. Serious, highly paid individuals either operating at board or with a direct and respected report to board. They were miles above being interested in CV building because they would always be in employment where they wanted to be – in short….they were players. It is also worth saying that they all agreed that the pitch process was way too time consuming and ‘flawed’.

Our experience with the other camp had been poor. It wasn’t, as we stressed at the time, that we had experienced a poor pitch run -  infact quite the opposite -  we had an enviable record. However in almost all the ‘pitch’ win situations we had experienced, the work was slow, painful, there was little to no ability post-pitch to make decisions and, in many situations, the pitch winning idea wasn’t implemented. On top of this, the monies discussed weren’t available and to cap it all the client then tells you on the quiet that they hate their job and are moving.

We didn’t take the decision to stop pitching because the risk was all ours and the effort was hardly ever rewarded. We took the decision because with those ‘players’ who were appointing us on a mix of our case studies, reputation and chemistry (although with the later it has to be said that, in their determination for results, ‘chemistry’ was sometimes overlooked), the ongoing work was fast and dynamic – fuelled by the type of senior decision making you would expect. These people allowed us access to their fellow board members to ensure our work could resonate. I recall a few of them discussing that for them ‘marketing was business and business was marketing’. Oh how we agree with that.

So we took the decision to aim ALL our efforts at finding and engaging ’players’. We took the decision to withdraw from pitches where the client-to-be was demanding to see some creative and or unqualified strategic advice. That’s not to say that we don’t turn up at the odd pitch and hijack a meeting where the client is expecting to see some ‘nice creative ad ideas’ and instead we deliver a 10 point charter on exactly why we don’t pitch, because we have converted these on at least three occasions and had the pitch cancelled.

There is always tonnes of debate about pitching, its expense, its fragility and farce.

For those interested in exploring another way we can report that one year in we have seen a far higher business conversion under our no pitch model – more importantly we have a stable full of very serious and senior clients which allow us to get on with the work and support us with fast decisions and financial resource.

Perhaps we have unearthed a previously undiscussed issue that pitch-loving clients remain to be unable to make choices and decisions post the pitch stage, where as those who follow a better logic go on to give the agency a sporting chance of ongoing success.

Summary: I think agencies who like pitching should pitch and are better suited for the type of client who will pitch. On the other hand if you despise the ethics and sheer lack of logic in the pitch process…there IS another way. There will always be exceptions – such as an existing client of an agency deciding to pitch an account. In that situation an incumbent might decide that as they have the insight required to push forward some new alternative ideas that are qualified but again should it get to that? Surely if a relationship isn’t working than a client must simply move on. No pitch needed. And one final thought: whilst ever the marketing press get off on celebrating a pitched win above a straight win there will always be some false  belief that clients who pitch their work have better work to pitch with bigger budgets which simply isn’t true.