The one-sentence summary

Present something ingenious, express it simply, stick to the point, and solve the problem.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYSHOW NOT TO COME SECOND

  • This book is sub-titled The Art of Winning Business Pitches
  • The author used to work at Lowe, DDB, and Omnicom
  • It constantly returns to the point that it is all about the winning. Far too many pitches fail because people don’t do the simple things and get distracted
  • Elements of getting it wrong include: deluding yourself that you were a very close second; trying to over complicate things that are actually simple; and, people who are professionals most of the time acting like amateurs in the pitch process

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

  • Although it’s all obvious stuff, clients want a good team, people who understand them and their business, some fun and stimulation, good value, and problem solving. There is many a pitch that does not deliver these
  • The ingredients for successful pitching are:

1.     Be organised

2.    Know your audience (many agencies pitch blind)

3.    Solve the problem

4.    Price properly (note – not “cheaply”)

5.     Practice (methodically, not at the last minute)

6.    Great presentations

7.     Unstoppable momentum

8.    Feedback

  • Other advice includes compiling the pitch bible, meeting everyday, brainstorming with the top talent, networking like crazy, and having a mole on the client side
  • It identifies four types (expressives, amiables, drivers, analyticals) who may be present on your team and the client side. They require careful casting
  • Pitch on a postcard is a good idea – if you can’t fit your argument on one, it’s not good enough

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

  • The author is English but the book has been adapted for an American audience
  • It briefly falls back on De Bono’s Six-Hat Thinking, which isn’t new