Eric Faulkner, partner and chairman of Madclarity, writes about the highs and lows of the pitching process and the value of knowing when to say ‘no’.
We recently pitched for a client and lost. We had pitched for another project with the same client not long ago … and lost that too.
When we were invited the second time, we thought about not pitching again … it hadn’t been a great experience last time. But, of course, we couldn’t just ‘give it’ to our competitor … could we? So we wasted more hours, days, energy, and resources on another pointless pitch.
On both occasions, we asked for a de-brief. And both times we heard the same words … “Your clients said great things about you, but we aren’t sure we want that sort of a relationship … your response was thorough, but maybe too all-encompassing for us … we wanted something cheaper”.
There were many signals that we had seen, but chosen to ignore:
- Briefed by a procurement manager, who was pleasant, but didn’t really understand what they were asking for.
- A brief that was both muddled and contradictory.
- A follow-up Q&A that failed to clearly answer our questions.
- No direct involvement from the chief marketing officer.
- Always in a rush … to then make us wait.
A couple of hours after we were told that we’d lost … again … I was having lunch with the marvellous CEO of one of the top out-of-home media companies. The conversation turned to hiring and retaining great people. “Our number one criterion is values”, he said … before sharing those company values with me.
I said that was music to my ears, “… we do the same thing. Our values are also really important to us.”
But …
We hadn’t applied the same values-based discipline to whether we accepted that invitation to pitch.
Next time … we will.
Because the pitch process, the quality of the brief, and the integrity of the people involved tell you a lot about what that company would be like to work with.
However frustrating it may be to allow your competitor to be ‘gifted’ a piece of business … it’s so much more painful to end up working with a client who doesn’t share your values.
The compromises you make today will only become more frequent and significant until you drive your own team out of the door.
Last week we were asked for a proposal to run an interstate coaching program. The client brief was clear, comprehensive, and thoughtful.
We prepared and sent the proposal and arranged a follow-up Zoom call.
In a 30-minute professional and friendly conversation, all questions were answered and the program logistics were agreed upon.
I said to my partner, right after the call … “From now … if potential new client meetings are not like that … we walk away!”
