The document that changed our pitching process forever.

To round up this mini series on pitching, I’d like to share a short story from when I co-owned a production company.

Towards the end of our second year, we began working in partnership with an agency who’d built their brand on being edgy and provocative. Many agencies appear to be like this on the surface, but behind closed doors they operate just like every other agency.

Not this agency. When they brought us in to assist with pitching for a large multinational, we were taken aback at how their pitch was constructed. It had little of the formalities you would expect in a pitch, and instead listed everything they didn’t want to make.

Many projects start off with aspirations of “pushing the boundaries”, but after several rounds of amends with a multiple stakeholders all of the rough edges get worn away until you’re left with a blob of average.

This pitch cut straight to the heart of the problem the client had, and told them it would not be solved with average.

Every agency claims to be bold and brave, but few actually are. Most just want to get paid. This pitch screamed we know the best way forward. Hire us, or don’t, but don’t neuter our ideas.

As a creative freelancer or small business owner, never forget that companies look to hire external services when they cannot solve a problem with the skills they have. They’re in unfamiliar territory, and they’re looking for a tour guide. It’s your job to lead them, and sometimes that means telling them they can’t take a certain path — even if they really want to.

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