Friday 22 February 2013

Do you pray and spray in your pitch and tender processes?

For some of you, the pitch and tender process for winning business is someone else's problem - lucky you! For those in the agency end of the iMedia sector it's an established traditional way of winning business. But it has always been tricky.

Previously, we've asked you to establish how much you are spending on the pitch and tender process in your company . We've suggested a regular review of your success rate in winning and an appraisal of whether it is an appropriate use of your resources. We've suggested ways of tightening up your strategy to win. However, Graham Laing's blog, Tendering: You've already lost (29.1.13) is a brave wake-up call for us all. It could be invaluable for you to take note of what he suggests as a revised strategy, particularly as resources are stretched thinly in this economic climate.

Graham suggests seven scenarios for you to apply, asking yourself if the pitch is already lost before you enter the process. Worth considering, don't you think?

Another scenario occurs if you are the incumbent developer but you feel that things between you and the client are 'going off the boil'. The ISBA (The voice of British advertisers) in their analysis of their Alternative Pitch Practices survey results suggest a No Pitch, Pitch where you present new ideas and perhaps new personnel to refresh your relationship with an existing client to show how you have developed as a company. Another neat idea, don't you think?

So, things are moving on the pitch and tender front. Keep an eye on it as it can work in your favour.