Many marketers will choose to run their own pitch or agency tender, writes TrinityP3’s Kylie Ridler-Dutton. Here are the pitfalls they should seek to avoid when they do.
The age of outsourcing every agency pitch is drawing to a close. In fact, our TrinityP3 State of the Pitch research consistently shows that marketers and their procurement colleagues now manage 80 per cent of agency pitches (with marketers directly leading 60 per cent and procurement the other 20 per cent). Today’s marketers, empowered by robust procurement teams and a demand for efficiency, are increasingly taking the lead on their own agency selection processes.
This “Do-It-Yourself” or DIY pitch model is more than a cost-saving trend; it’s a confident assertion of control over one of the most critical decisions a marketing team makes.
The arguments for running an in-house pitch are compelling. It allows for tighter control over the brief, quicker alignment with internal commercial objectives, and a direct, unmediated assessment of chemistry and cultural fit. When managed correctly, a DIY pitch can feel faster, more authentic, and perfectly aligned with the organisation’s values.
But here’s the critical watch-out: believing that ‘DIY’ means ‘easy’ is the fastest route to a costly mismatch.
While a pitch consultant can bring valuable objectivity and process, marketers who choose the DIY route must acknowledge that they are effectively assuming the role of the pitch expert. This requires far more than simply setting up a few meetings. It demands structure, deep market ‘up to date’ knowledge, and internal honesty about resource constraints.
Watch-Out 1: Mistaking the Brief for the Strategy
The most common pitfall in a DIY pitch is treating the Invitation to Tender (ITT) or Request for Information (RFI) as a simple document request, rather than a strategic exercise.
Your pitch brief should not only detail the project scope, but also define the criteria for success and the commercial realities of the partnership. Most DIY pitches start with a general description of the desired creative or media outcomes. They often fail to articulate the required resource model, the expected commercial terms (e.g., fee structure, payment terms), or the internal reporting cadence. Before sending out a single email, your internal team must define two key elements: the non-negotiable KPIs (and how they will be measured), and the budget, clearly distinguishing between fixed costs and performance incentives. Vague briefs yield vague, and ultimately disappointing, proposals.
Watch-Out 2: The Illusion of Market Knowledge
Marketers often fall back on the agencies they know, the ones their friends recommend, or the ones that are currently doing great work for a competitor. This leads to a shortlist built on comfort and confirmation bias, rather than genuine market-wide fit. Your shortlist risks being shallow and biased. You might miss a smaller agency perfectly positioned to deliver a niche brief because they lack the high-profile credentials or are simply not top of mind. This results in the wrong agency being selected, or worse, the same agency being chosen for the wrong reasons. You need a systematic approach to market mapping. This requires access to a comprehensive, up-to-date, and unbiased database of the agency landscape—one that categorises agencies not just by size or location, but by specific capabilities, client history (confidentially noted),current staff and their experience, and unique commercial models. Tools that utilise AI to search and match natural language requests with extensive data are crucial for ensuring a comprehensive and equitable selection process.
Watch-Out 3: Underestimating the Time and Resource Drain
The pitch process is not just a marketing task; it is an administrative, legal, and emotional marathon that requires significant internal resources and commitment. TrinityP3 research consistently shows that marketers running their own pitches frequently underestimate the time commitment by factors of two or three. The pitch starts strong, but quickly loses momentum. Marketing directors and CMOs, already operating at capacity, become overwhelmed by coordination, scheduling, NDA management, and the sheer volume of material review. This disruption not only affects the pitch quality but also distracts the internal team from its core business responsibilities. Pitches drag on, leading to agency fatigue and a damaged reputation in the market. Resource the pitch internally as if it were a high-priority, dedicated project. Assign a lead project manager (who is not the primary decision-maker) and ensure they have a clear internal deadline and the necessary authority to demand timely input from procurement, finance, and legal teams. Can ascertain who needs to be in each meeting or not. Furthermore, have a structured, transparent process for providing feedback and eliminating candidates quickly and respectfully.
The Path to a Successful DIY Pitch
The power of the DIY pitch lies in the control it grants the marketer. It is an opportunity to forge a relationship that is fundamentally aligned from Day One. However, success is not achieved through convenience; it is achieved through diligence and perseverance. By proactively structuring the brief, embracing comprehensive market mapping beyond the usual suspects, and realistically accounting for the massive internal resource commitment, marketers can confidently navigate the pitch process.
Own your search, but do it with the structure and rigour that a multi-million-dollar decision deserves. This balance of confidence and discipline is the true mark of a successful DIY pitch. And if you get stuck or lost along the way, we are always happy to help.
Kylie Ridler-Dutton is a senior consultant at leading marketing management consultant TrinityP3.
