(With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.) ‘Twas the night before pitching and all through the firms, Not a worker was idle, not even interns, The slides were enduring their nineteenth revision, The art boards reflected abject indecision, The laptop computers were in IT hell, While Xerox machines chose this night to rebel, And during...
Monthly Archives: December 2009
Confident or Arrogant?
The agency team was smiling as it left the client’s wood-paneled conference room and headed to the parking lot. Once safely out of earshot, the team leader burst out with a “Yes!” and a fist-pump. “We nailed it!” said another, patting his team-mate on the back. “We were awesome!” shouted a third. Meanwhile, back...
Dear PitchSmarter: New Year’s Resolution
Dear PitchSmarter: What’s a useful New Year’s resolution for an agency manager to make if he or she wants to increase the new biz win rate in 2010?-Optimistic in Orlando Dear Oppie: Repeat after me: “I will rehearse my pitches. I will rehearse my pitches. I will rehearse my pitches.” Too many agency people...
Dear PitchSmarter: Freelancers Can Keep Secrets
Dear PitchSmarter: My boss is adamant about never using temporary or freelance help for pitches–she says they’re likely to leak confidential processes or information. So we get swamped every time we pitch and can’t call for help. Do you think freelancers can be trusted? -Paranoid in Pittsburgh Dear Par: In my experience, the biggest...
