Chapter 6
How to Contribute Before, During, and After Pitch Day

True story: years ago, before I became an “agency person,” I was a client, seeking an agency. I identified three, one of which was a firm called Stone & Adler.

Stone & Adler made a visit; they were enticingly good presenters, plus had some smart, engaging ideas to propose—things well beyond anything I ever anticipated—the best by far of the three competitors.

But they were sloppy. Their slides were marred with typos; their people were casual, offhand, and even dismissive. It was as if I was lucky they honored me with a presentation. I found the experience diminishing, just narrowly avoiding insult. They came across as less than professional.

The other agencies I met with also had good ideas, but lacked the attitude and the sloppiness. I went with one of the other shops.

You would think the best ideas inevitably win in new business. I wish this were true; the best ideas should win.

But they often don't.

Stone & Adler had great ideas. But so did everyone else. The fact is, great ideas are not enough; to win, you need great ideas and something else. What is that something? Is it a magical ingredient, which once injected into a presentation, guarantees success?

Actually, there are many “somethings,” that in many cases cumulatively amount to the difference between winning and losing. These “somethings” are not about ideas; they are about all the other elements that comprise a successful pitch. I refer to them as “casting and choreography,” which begin with pre-pitch activities and end with post-pitch follow-up.

At last count, there are 11 such items to which a committed new business person need pay heed. All of these are simple and easy to master, and yet, if you visit most agencies competing for new business, you will discover most of them are ignored. This suggests a problem for those shops, but an opportunity for your shop, and for you.

I'm going to walk you through these step by step. If you're an account person, especially someone new to the business, you want to pay close attention, because these are items that not only might make the difference between a win and a loss, they might make the difference in the trajectory of your career.

Pre-Pitch Prep

Your goal is simply to not present to a stranger. Why?

Strangers get to say “No thanks.”

Friends are much more likely to say, “Yes, let's proceed.”

The thing you want to avoid at all costs is to walk into a new business presentation in which you meet the prospective client for the first time. The odds are stacked against you before you shake the first hand or utter the first word.

How do you avoid being a stranger to the prospective new client? That's easy. Suggest a face-to-face meeting. Not to present, instead to learn—not so much about the prospective company (helpful, of course, but you have other avenues at your disposal to gain insight)—but about the person or people sitting across from you.

Why are they seeking an agency? What keeps them awake at night? What challenges do they want help with? Which competitors do they admire, and why?

Forward-thinking, prospective clients will welcome the opportunity to connect, and will make a point of visiting your shop, and those of your competitors, as part of the pitch process. They recognize the value of seeing agencies in their habitat, knowing it reveals insights about culture and collaboration, or a lack of them.

But not all clients are forward-thinking. If you can't get an in-person meeting, a conference call is the best fallback option. Either way, spend some time in advance to get ready, using this to craft a short, focused questionnaire—no more than 10 questions—that guides your discussion, demonstrates the depth of your preparation, and the quality of your thinking.

Have as many of these meetings or phone calls as you reasonably can, with as many people you identify as having a say in the decision. No, I don't mean frivolous, easily dismissed calls in which it's obvious you are simply trying to curry favor with the prospect. Yes, I mean meetings and calls in which you can engage thoughtfully and productively with the person across the table or on the other end of the line.

Your goal is, as well as you can, to know the people you are going to meet before walking into the room to present on pitch day.

Presentation Timing

I mean timing in two ways: (1) the order in which you will present; and (2) the length of your presentation.

On presentation order, assuming there are other firms competing for the assignment, you want to present first or last. Present first to establish what you might call the pitch standard. Present last to make a lasting impression on the prospective clients. Is there a preference? If the choice were mine to make, I'd choose last, even in the unlikely event a firm preceding you actually is able to win before you get to your presentation day. Yes, this could happen, but I'd take that bet, and there are obvious advantages to being the last agency on stage.

Prospective clients see lots of presentations during the review process; they tend to blend together, with differences becoming fuzzy. Being last, and being best, gives you the best chance of making an impression, and earning a win.

What about presentation length? Prospective clients will tell you how much time you and your colleague are allotted to make your case. Plan to use no more than half the allotted time—yes, I mean 50 percent—with your formal remarks, meaning if you get 60 minutes, plan to present for 30; if you get 90 minutes, present for 45.

Your presentation will almost always be longer than you rehearsed. Commentary previously unrehearsed will mysteriously appear, lengthening your remarks. Clients ask questions, and you will want to build in time and techniques to facilitate and encourage those questions. Good questions lead to discussion, discussion leads to connection, and connection often results in a win.

Discussion takes time, which is why you want to take no more than half the allotted time to present. The last thing you want is a client impatiently pointing to their watch, indicating, “It's time to wrap up” as you rush to cover the key point you want to make.

The Design of the Room Where You'll Be Presenting

Ideally you'll be presenting at your shop, which will give you control over the look and feel of the room. You can dress it any way you want, and can be as creative as the opportunity requires and your imagination dictates.

But more often than not, you'll be presenting at a location of the prospective client's choosing. It could be a neutral site, like a hotel meeting room, or it could be at the client's office.

Most agencies don't give location a second thought. They walk into a room minutes before their presentation, having to set up on the fly. But if you think about this for a minute, you'll quickly realize there are advantages to being able to scout a room in advance of presenting in it.

If the client agrees, arrange to send someone before your presentation date to video and photograph the room. If this isn't possible—the venue is out of town, logistics are difficult, the client can't or won't be bothered—at least try to have the client take and send photos to you. Absent that, even a written description—size, layout, lighting, presentation equipment, the best way to handle props—can be very helpful.

Even if advance scouting is possible, and especially if it isn't, you want to ask the client if you can arrive for a room setup at least an hour before you are scheduled to meet. This will give you enough time to set up and test your equipment, decide on seating, and have some time to relax and compose yourselves before going on stage.

All of this makes sense, but what if you or your colleagues walk into a room and discover a disaster-in-waiting? If you've presented at prospective client locations, you know how often a room is too large, too small, too light, or too dark, with no place to display work and AV equipment from the last century.

Now you know why it's a good thing you arrived an hour before the presentation to deal with these issues.

Some of this is within your control; some of it isn't.

If the room is too large, present from the middle of the space, with the clients arranged around you, closing as much distance as you can between you and your audience.

If the room is too small, use the resulting intimacy to your advantage: rather than standing to present, perhaps you remain seated. If space is really tight, have your colleagues cede space to the clients, remaining off to the sidelines until it's their turn to speak.

If the AV equipment is outmoded or too arcane to figure out, you'll be glad and relieved, that you brought your own gear, which actually is preferable, given its reliability and your familiarity with it.

Assessing Client Culture

Prior to presentation day, you will likely be buried by facts, figures, and all sorts of other data about the prospective client organization. These items are helpful, but you need to look beyond them to things that are harder to measure and quantify.

Are these people who show up in suits and ties, or in shorts and flip-flops? Are they formal...