How to run a killer pitch process

A strong pitch outcome starts long before the first deck lands. For brands briefing agencies, the process you design shapes the quality of thinking you get back. This warrants care, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel - good pitch practice is well established, and briefing is a skill you can refine.

Here are our seven top tips:

• Keep the field tight
  Invite no more than three agencies. More options rarely improve the outcome — they just slow the process down.

• Be clear about goals and budget
  No agency can form an appropriate and workable response without knowing these basics in advance.

• Focus on a few key capabilities
  Focus the ask on a small number of capabilities that really matter, rather than a long laundry list.

• Share selection criteria
  Let agencies know how you’ll be judging their pitch and how those factors are ranked so they can calibrate their response to what matters most.

• Be transparent about who else is involved
  This helps agencies play to their strengths and reduces the chances of middle-ground mediocrity.

• Treat the pitch as a collaborative process
  Workshops and consultations give you a clearer read on how an agency thinks, collaborates, and adapts in real conditions. This is where you see how the relationship will actually work.

• Manage the timeline
  If the pitch process takes longer than the project itself, something’s off. And, for everyone’s sanity, avoid deadlines that land right before public holidays.

When you apply these fundamentals with discipline, this sets the foundation for a great client-agency relationship that yields consistently effective work. And ultimately that’s why we’re all here.