Pitches don’t have to be utter carnage.
Not every late night or weekend is avoidable but I see each one as a small failure. So always ask myself ‘Why did that happen?’ to try and make sure it doesn’t happen next time.
One of the big recurring issue is creating too much work.
You’ve 30 minutes, if you’re lucky, to present the creative section (less if everyone else overruns).
So before creative starts working on executions I map out that time.
A single page with, usually, 20 boxes.
Each box is one deck slide. Fill them in with what you need, whether set-up, ad format or message.
Importantly, every slide has to have a purpose in the pitch story. A point to make and to sell, otherwise it’s just meeting fat trying to cover bases. Which doesn’t show much confidence or belief in your work. And it’ll show.
If the client hasn’t bought the idea by slide 20, they’re not going to be convinced by slide 48 featuring the 5th digi display message.
Pin up that one page guide you’ve created.
Add stuff, take away, or even change what’s on each board as you dev out. It’s goal is to help keep a direction and limit on what’s needed as well as the cohesive overall sell-in.
Hours and hours of effort won’t be wasted on unneeded work that’s ditched in the first run-through anyway, with the time saved able to go towards the work that will matter.
This works on the 100s of slides generated for agency vision, strategy, production, pictures of agency parties and all the other junk too.
If a slide’s not helping you win, get rid.
The pitch will somehow still be carnage but, hopefully, a little less so.
