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TO PITCH OR NOT TO PITCH - TIN MAN FOUNDER MANDY SHARP TALKS PITCHING WITH PR WEEK

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Tin Man founder Mandy Sharp has spoken to PR Week about the perils of the modern pitching process, as well as sharing her top pointers for developing a harmonious, satisfying and long-term agency relationship.

To pitch or not to pitch?

That is the question…

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind…. Ok scrap that. Let’s get to the point.

Being honest, pitching Covid-style is challenging and I’m sure we’ve all had our share of disappointments and successes over the past year.

As we start to navigate the hangover of 2020 and brave the unpredictable seas ahead, brands face more pressure to be nimble, commercial, responsible and creative. Meanwhile, agencies juggle evolving client needs, unpredictable P&Ls and balancing profit margins. 

So, are lengthy pitch processes always good business sense?

For every pitch an agency wins, three or four others have wasted hours of time and money. Not including the hours involved client side reading endless slides or RFI responses.

If a marketing team has (really) done their homework, they’ll probably only find one or two agencies best suited to their needs. A good (virtual for now) chemistry session, detailed brief and response from select agencies will likely deliver the perfect partner, saving hours of time and money for everyone involved.

Or here’s a wild thought - scrap the traditional pitch completely in favour of a test & learn process. Good relationships flourish as both sides learn more about the other.  Trialling an agency on a short-term contract can make sense. If successful, move on to second base - if not, very little time (or love) is lost. 

But if pitching is essential, treat it like a new relationship with 3 golden rules to success: mutual respect, time and honesty.

From my own (and other agency colleagues) recent experiences, here are some (top-line) pointers that might help set the foundations to a harmonious, satisfying and long term agency relationship.

Mutual respect:

  • If you’ve sent an agency a brief. Stick to it. Don’t add additional challenges the day before the presentation. A pitch is a flavour of agency thinking – rarely a ready to go plan.

  • Join the meeting on time (and stay till the end), include all decision makers, ignore your mobile whilst the agency is presenting and keep your camera on.  There is nothing more soul destroying than presenting ideas to an abyss of empty black squares

Time: 

  • In a Covid-driven world where time is short, money is tighter and everything takes longer, give yourself and the agencies the gift of time. You’ll never get the best work asking an agency to turnaround a pitch in a few days.

  • Agencies need time to get under the skin of the challenge. Even with procurement run pitches, Q&A and tissue sessions are imperative to getting good responses. Agencies usually only have a couple of weeks to live with your brand. The more info you give, the better the result.

Honesty:

  • Virtual pitching makes ‘reading the room’ near impossible, so feedback is gold.

  • Don’t ghost agencies. Win, lose or even if work is delayed, we’ll understand, but be honest.

  • You’re asking experts for their objective opinions, so be open minded.

  • Always include budgets but be realistic (not disappointed) when the responses are then tailored to that

For the full article, please click here.

Mandy Sharp