What’s the perfect way to kick off a pitch?

Agency pitches have a universal problem: getting off to a good start.

We see hundreds of agency pitches each year, and most fail to stand out or capture the hearts and minds of the prospective clients. Many agencies are just too eager to get in and sell the prospect on the brilliance of their agency. We’ve often witnessed agencies spend the first 10 minutes (or more!) of a pitch talking about themselves, and then say, “enough about us.” Our thought is generally, “It was enough about you 10 minutes ago.” They dive into talking about themselves, believing their skills and experience are the selling point.

They are not.

Everyone loses when the agency focuses on themselves rather than the prospect. An agency’s history, people or capabilities have little value if the prospect doesn’t feel like you understand their challenge.

You bond with a prospect over their problem, not your solution.

Don’t tell them you’re good. Show them.

What’s a better way to kick off a pitch?

The Prospect-Friendly Pitch Opening

If you’ve read It’s Not About You: Winning Business in a Crowded Agency World, you may recall our 9-step Prospect-Friendly Pitch Process. The first four steps – let’s call them The Prospect-Friendly Pitch Opening – set the stage:

1. Agency Introductions
2. Client Introductions
3. Manage Expectations
4. Mutual Agenda

Let’s dive in and see how these steps create the perfect initial few minutes of a pitch.

Agency Introductions

To kickoff, an agency owner or a senior executive from the leadership team should greet the prospect team and thank them for the opportunity to meet. Then, move quickly to agency team introductions. These are straightforward and brief! Each team member should tell the prospect their name and what their role would be in the prospect’s business. That’s all.

A nice touch is to use a slide that features a photo of each agency member present, along with their titles. You can also use placemats instead of, or in addition to, this slide. The placemat is a simple printout (often 12×15) that can include:

• Pictures of each member of the presenting team
• Their roles in the business
• Agency positioning
• Key clients
• Size, awards, locations

Keep headshots clean and professional. We’ve seen agencies use photos of dogs, babies, cartoons, or even types of cheese for introductions. While that might be entertaining for an internal team-building activity, it has no place in a pitch. Simply state who you are and the role you’ll play in the client’s business.

That’s it: thank the prospect for the opportunity and provide quick agency introductions. This two minute beginning is good manners and sets up the next few magic minutes, beginning with prospect-friendly client introductions.

Client Introductions

Client introductions are often skipped and if not are generally underutilized. That is a shame, as done well the client introductions can set the stage for a winning pitch.

This might sound surprising but stay with us for a moment.

After the agency introductions are completed, ask the client team to introduce themselves by saying something like this:

“As we dive into our presentation, we’d like to make sure it meets your needs. Please introduce yourself, tell us what your role is on the business, and one thing you’d like to accomplish during our time together.”

“One thing you’d like to accomplish during our time together” is the magic phrase.

Make sure to capture the “one thing” comments. Take good notes, and if possible, capture them for all to see on a whiteboard or flipchart.

That one question helps you achieve things no other presenting agency likely will:

• You’ve gotten the client talking within the first few minutes of your pitch.
• You’ve captured valuable information about what’s top of mind for them.
• By capturing the responses, you’ve demonstrated how your agency actively listens to their needs.

This is an incredibly powerful technique! Beyond the benefits we’ve just outlined, it’s very possible that some attendees haven’t been deeply involved in the pitch process and may want you to address topics that were not fully covered in the RFP. One of these individuals could even be the most senior decision-maker, who may have entirely different priorities. By asking the “one thing” question, you’ll be the only agency with the opportunity to tackle important issues that weren’t captured in the RFP.