What to do when you lose a pitch

I was speaking to a creative agency recently that lost a big pitch. They were gutted as they felt that they were in with a good chance. The client explained why they were not selected and it did seem to reflect a realistic explanation of the agencies short comings.

The response to the loss by the agency team was a shrug of the shoulders and “never mind, we will do better next time”. This is not unrealistic but it is not the right way to react.

Before we move on to how they might have reacted differently let us summarise what we and they know so far. The client selected this agency to pitch so they knew of their ability and reputation. So getting on the pitch list was a positive step. They had the opportunity to stand in front of the client and pitch. This offered them an opportunity to size up the client, their likes and dislikes, how they think, what makes them tick and so on. Finally they had the gold dust – the deal making reason why one agency won the business.

If this was you and you had all of this information at your disposal you have the chance to do a number of things

• Make sure that if the selected agency fails to deliver, then you are willing to step into the gap at short notice having been already fully up to speed with the project
  

• Ask for other work that better suits you.
  

• Ask for a referral or a contact that they might follow up.
  

Lastly, why not be really cheeky and ask to do a repitch? The winning agency might have won but their offering might have just scraped the bar. The client might be hoping for better but for whatever reason they had to decide. Asking to one more repitch might just give you the opportunity to deliver that Perfect Pitch. If nothing else it shows determination and willingness to win the pitch.

Losing the pitch is not the end of the game, just another opportunity to demonstrate your true worth.

Remember - life's a pitch