5 Creative Pitching Tips to Win Over Clients
Winning over clients is never an easy task. And when it comes to pitching creative work, a little guidance can go a long way. Here are five fast-track tips to help land your next project.
1. MAKE SURE YOU AND THE CLIENT ARE ON THE SAME PAGE
Ask a lot of questions in the first kick-off call to clarify what exactly the client's needs are, and seek out some of the current challenges standing in their way.
Doing so creates context for the client. If it feels like you’re not creating ideas that are going to be valuable or useful, they’re likely going to reject those ideas immediately. However, if you frame your delivery in a way that says, “I heard you, and this is how we feel it addresses your challenges and goals,” it will be a lot better received and will create a more productive workflow.
2. FOLLOW UP TO ENSURE THE CLIENT IS UP TO SPEED
Check in to ensure you’re headed in the right direction and make the client feel as though they are collaborating and contributing, making them part of the process. By involving the client at every stage throughout the creative process will keep things transparent.
If the client doesn’t feel as though they have a hand in generating the ideas, then whatever you present will feel foreign to them and they won’t feel attached to anything.
3. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE WHEN IT COMES TO IDEATION
There are very few, if any, overnight successes with ideas. Being patient and committed to delayed gratification is an absolute must. Remember, ideas are fluid and require maturing over time.
Personally, I prefer working all the way up until the last minute before sending through deliverables; crunch time is where I generate the most ideas. You set yourself up at the beginning to figure out what the challenges are, and often it just takes time for something to surface — where the dots all connect — while you’re processing other tasks.
4. DON’T EXPECT CLIENTS TO DROOL OVER WHAT YOU DELIVER
Some people may need that external validation when doing pitches, wanting the client to salivate at the work they’re presenting. I’ve worked with creatives who had a tendency to let their egos dictate what was needed — they were more set out to prove what they could do rather than deal objectively with what the brief was asking for.
This approach can put serious strain on the client relationship. Taking critique personally will only backfire. Stick to what the brief is saying so that when you deliver the creative you can deal with feedback objectively to ensure the client is fully satisfied.
5. CONFIDENCE IS KEY
It goes without saying that you have to believe in what you’re selling. One thing to keep in mind is that the client is buying you as much as the idea, so it’s important to focus on building the relationship and finding common ground.
If you go in feeling that you’re not the best person for the job at hand, if you’re not confident in your own work, people will hear the desperation in your voice, and you won’t win them over.