Pitches: Not my Field

Nine times out of ten the creative and coding projects I complete originate from clients commissioning me specifically to work with them. My reputation, portfolio, marketing and combination thereof give people the reassurance they need that I will convert their wants into realities. All they really need is a cost and a timeline but otherwise they can't wait to get started with me. I'm overjoyed the hard work I've put into the business I've built works this way.

That other one time out of ten though is not a direct commission - it's an invitation to make the case to be commissioned. It's the door not open for work but merely ajar. It's a request to pitch.

I am probably the biggest cheerleader of anti-pitching you'll meet, to the point of being so acrimonious about the rigmarole I'd write a blog post about it that begins with a glib and reductive analogy about grocery shopping, one of the most morbid human pursuits.
You see, I nurture an obdurate distrust of the whole pitching process. For one thing, I don't trust that a definitive arbitrator always reviews the content of a pitch, but rather tallies the volume of submissions until a protocol mandating a fixed count is appeased, ahead of then electing the contractor the work was always destined for.
I don't trust that my seeds of inspiration and ingenuity sown into the pitches I write - sown to make a credible first impression - aren't unduly harvested without credit or compensation just ahead of being outright rejected for the project.
Mainly I distrust myself as a reliable pitching participant. I approach pitch writing with generous apathy; I'd rather gargle a cactus than lock-out an entire day from my jammed-up schedule to - in spite of my reputation, portfolio, marketing and combination thereof - produce a document persuading an allegedly interested party to elect my services over undisclosed others.

The effort I put into crafting the pitches I do begrudgingly entertain isn't insignificant, but still my output is likely leagues beneath what is considered "industry standard". I champion brevity, hypothesising and generalisation when dealing with a prospect I've no guarantee to be working with and am reluctant to turn over a comprehensive breakdown of every conceivable molecule the potential project would comprise should it ever materialise. To do so would decimate even more of my precious working days. I'm certain my 80% pitch failure rate is directly attributed to my reservations and attitude, and I am unmoved in wanting to improve that. In fact, I've pretty much made up my mind that I'll never pitch for work again.

A few months ago I was invited to submit a proposal for a project. The brief outlined budget and deadline, neither of which were aligned with reality. In the proposal I tendered I illustrated how my solution would best benefit the organisation but only if we could exceed both the budget and timeline.

I did not win the work, but I did see evidence of my growth as a professional. A much younger version of me would have seen this knock-back as a failure; immense sulking would ensue and I'd promptly begin fretting about lost income.
Actually, a much younger version of me transfixed with people-pleasing would likely have taken on the work despite the infeasibility of delivering it, out of fear of people not being pleased, and then suffered for months on end.
But now - 40 years of age and running my business very successfully - I am equipped with better sensibilities and lived experience. Not only was I able to take that knock-back in my unphased stride, but I could look at the pitching process retrospectively for what it is. It's an unnecessary overhead. It's a bad fit for my business model. I never enjoy composing them, I don't seem to win them and even without them my diary is fully booked for the next quarter at least.

I've a lot of time for clients who do their homework, peruse my vegetable garden and carry their own basket ladened with crop to my counter themselves. Those are the clients I have the greatest relationship with because the dynamic from the get-go is balanced. Those are the clients I want.