Free pitching is here to stay, says Andrew Henning, MD of digital agency Redweb in response to recent articles in NMA, and he maintains agencies should stop whinging about the effort/cost and consider the end result for their business as a whole.
He said: “Obviously a lot of work and input is needed to secure new work, but it should be only a major issue with agencies who live and die on pitches. Free pitching is the way of the industry and it’s not going to change”.
“Putting ourselves in the clients’ shoes would help us find the solution. Their issue is often that they see the best of their agencies at pitch stage and then the attention dwindles as the relationship continues. So, putting as much (if not more) emphasis in developing existing business is more lucrative than going for the constant pitch. It’s also, ironically, a great confidence builder for prospective clients in a new pitch.”
He agrees that a pitch should not be confused with the project. “It’s up to the agency to stand firm on what they are willing to give and have the confidence to walk away at times.
“Part of the issue is what the agencies put on the table,” says Henning, “especially when big budgets are involved. It’s too easy to get carried away and put all your creative cards on the table up front to secure the deal. Instead, it is often most fruitful to show your approach and examples of how that has worked with existing clients, to demonstrate how it would benefit the prospective client and tease them with elements of a solution – without creating a mass of new work from scratch each time.”
Henning concludes that the proposed suggestions for official guidelines for pitching are not practical. “It would kill competitive spirit and the ability to differentiate - which is what drives the energy of the industry and can help secure success for everyone.” .
For more information on this article get in touch with us, alternatively go back to the news archive to read more about Redweb.