Our point of view on speculative presentations

I find spec presentations to be one of the most perplexing business development practices in the marketing/advertising/creative services industry.  I know of no other industry where giving away strategic advice for free, as a prerequisite for determining one’s worthiness and capability, is so embraced than in our business.

Speculative creative work, or free pitching, is a convention that must be done away with.  Many clients, search consultants, and new business development firms may declare this impossible, but I believe the practice is outdated and does more harm than good in the long run. One of the compelling voices and opinions in our business on the evils of free pitching comes from Blair Ens. His “win without pitching” manifesto has been widely embraced by clients and marketing firms of all shapes and sizes.

For sure, this dialogue is a step in the right direction. It’s an uphill battle, yet more firms are resisting this practice and still winning business and serving their clients well.  We are willing to buck the system and stand up for the value we bring to our client’s business. As a result, we have discovered there is a better method to win client’s trust, serve them well, and grow our business profitably.

We hold our heads high.

There are two kinds of marketing firms–value creators and order-takers. Value creators are highly specialized experts in a particular practice discipline or industry category.  We see ourselves as equal practitioners to our client-side counterparts, retained to bring useful solutions to our client’s business problems. We have expertise that is not in abundant supply within the client organization, and our positioning reflects that. A client who insists that we devalue our expertise by giving it for free is not a client we would enjoy working for. In my 30 years of experience working with clients, rarely do they value what they don’t pay for. If our business relationship is marginalized and commoditized right from the start, we won’t be given the opportunity to add much real value anyway. To those we say, “thank you for your interest” and pass.

We will not solve business problems without being financially engaged.

Value creators won’t part with their highest value product without appropriate compensation. If we demonstrate to our clients that we don’t value our best product, why should they? We say to these clients,  “we save our best thinking for paying clients”. It makes no economic sense whatsoever to have our best thinking going to business we don’t currently have.  To prospective clients, we make a claim of expertise and prove that with a long history of successful work completed for paying clients.

We are specialists, not generalists.

Value creators position themselves as narrowly focused experts. We continually develop our skills, talent and processes to deepen and enrich our expertise so that we may add greater value to our client’s business. We don’t “partner” with our clients. That’s a term used by likeable order-takers, not problem-solvers or expert advisors.  As our expertise deepens, our impact on greater business outcomes for our clients grows and expands in equal measure.

We replace the “pitch” with a conversation.

Value creators realize that their interactions with prospective clients are not about pitching and selling, but rather about conversations to determine if there is a “fit” between the two parties. The basis of this lies in our understanding of the client’s need, and in our determination if our specialized expertise can serve them well. It’s far better to say no early and often, than to waste the precious time of all concerned.