To pitch or not to pitch

By LBV

02 Dec 2009

We recently had a pitch day at Workhouse. A big Lancashire company gave us, and five other agencies, a brief and one week to present ideas and rationale for a big new website for them.

It was great to be invited as we’ve wanted to be involved with that particular client for some time now. The pitch, however, was unpaid.

We put a team of three people on it, spent three long days and nights on the pitch, and delivered our wares to the best of our ability in time for the deadline.

The feedback from our team was that it had gone very well, there were a few things we could have done a bit better, but overall they did the agency proud.

What made this pitch stand out, though, was that we had to present to ten senior executives, some of whom had flown in for the meeting.

Does it really take this many people to choose a website and a website supplier? Does anybody know how many cooks it takes to spoil the broth? How many is too many?

Ten people, six presentations of at least an hour makes 60 hours of management time, plus airline and accommodation expenses!

And a committee of ten is likely to choose the safest and blandest solution, while the original, different and groundbreaking idea might be overlooked.

The question is, though, should we pitch in these circumstances or not?

We don’t have to. A six to one chance of winning isn’t brilliant odds, but as the lottery says you’ve got to be in it to win it and if we don’t pitch we have absolutely zero chance of winning. If we turn the pitch offer down, it is highly unlikely that we’ll ever work with that client ever again.

There are agencies who refuse to undertake pitches without being paid for them, but if the client doesn’t want to pay, the chances of working for them in the future are also slim.

I think it’s a necessary evil in our business even though I think we must be the only industry in the world where six agencies provide the client with the full solution to their problem for free.

Pitching is quite time consuming and costly for the agencies involved.

There’s the research, the understanding of the issues, the strategic solution, the creative solution, the presentation costs, and as we want to do a thorough and professional job, a lot of brainpower.

Multiply that by six, and a lot of good agency people have been tied up when they could have been applying their skills to their existing clients’ businesses.

But this is the business we’re in and it is the business we love, and if we have to pitch to progress then pitch we shall. The high of winning is still one of the best feelings in business, and with odds of six to one, why not have a go?

We’ve got the same odds as Olly winning X Factor, or Blackburn knocking Chelsea out of the cup tonight…
 

Mark Jones, managing director, Workhouse Marketing.

 

Enjoyed this? Read more from LBV

Latest news

1

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft David Nichol John Garnett Aydan Jones and Laura Tilley

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft

12 Sep 2025

2

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change University of Lancashire new feature

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change

12 Sep 2025

3

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake Lucy Field, Kate Walsh, Ellie Fisher, Zainab Aswat, Reece Jones, Aisha Bibi Patel, Finley Vila, Uzair Zariwala, Richard Prest, and Charlie Harrison

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake

11 Sep 2025

4

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment Andrew Grove

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment

11 Sep 2025

5

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November Gary McEwan managing director of Interfloor

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November

10 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September
TMM Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
25 Sep 2025 - 25 Sep 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September

Chorley, PR7 2SL

18:00 - 20:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin