How I pitch ideas to clients
One aspect of our business that can drive anxiety is creative. Clients come to us and ask us for our opinion, our design, and our direction. It can be nerve-racking to spend a significant amount of time creating something, only to have the client say “let’s try another direction.”
The fact of the matter is, clients (generally) don’t know what they want, they have a direction, but they are leaning on the creative company they hire to lead them down the right path. In this blog, I want to cover how I pitch ideas once we’re under retainer. A few things to note upfront:
I don’t pitch ideas for free, it’s a quick way to either look desperate or lose a deal
I am clear about the deliverables and what success looks like to a client
I don’t over-promise and under-deliver, I make sure expectations are proper
How to create something great
Art is subjective. The Nike logo is “just a checkmark” but the company is built on its image and is worth 35 billion (2020). Other logos cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make and you may think they look like hot trash. What matters is (1) does it meet the client’s expectation and (2) is it integrated into a plan that leans on growth and is built on great branding.
To create something truly great, you must make it great in the context of the client’s expectations.
Our average brand kit and logo charge range from $695 to $1,495 but we’re dealing with local to regional companies. The larger the risk of the design and the area it’s going to cover, the more the logo and brand strategy should cost.
The art of the pitch
When I create something for a client, I am not a big fan of variations. When I first started Wayne Media and I had a logo request come in, I would give two or three different designs and let the client choose. Now, that seems weak to me. It seems like I am not sure of the direction and because of that, I had to create “life raft graphics” just in case my primary choice sunk. I bring one idea to the table and if they don’t like it we discuss why and I go back to the drawing board. It’s this way with websites, logos, cover art, etc.
I want to believe in what I am presenting and much like God, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to believe in all of them, it would be contradictory.
To date, since I’ve adopted this new pitch option about 8 months ago we’re batting 1.000 on our presentations. There may be a small change here or there, but the bulk of the designs are approved and I believe it is because we went in strong will full belief.
Talk to people, not down to them
I believe in my ideas strongly, but at the end of the day, it’s not my company. The companies that hire us to perform for them have invested countless hours and resources into making it to where they are. With that comes a certain level of respect. I always believe in talking to people rather than down to them, which is why we’re reviewed constantly for our friendly and consultative approach. It’s something I continue to inject into the DNA of our culture.
If someone doesn’t agree with my idea, I will explain why I believe in it so strongly. But if a change needs to be made, we’ll make it. A while back, we designed a website for a beauty salon. The initial design was approved and the development was greenlit. After the reveal of the full website, the client came back and wanted us to do a redesign into a completely different theme off of a gut feeling.
At the time, it was a setback, but that gut feeling actually caused us to be more creative and develop an even better website. At the end of the project, it was clear that the client’s gut feeling was right.
4 rules to a better pitch
Here are four things I always recommend before going into a pitch. This applies to sales, creative, etc.
Be prepared: understand what you created and why you created it
Be articulate: tell the story behind your idea
Be firm: explain why the idea is great and how it fits into a long-term plan
Be a friend: talk to people like you’re at their kitchen table, drinking a beer, and giving them advice as if you are a friend
I don’t believe in “hard sells” I believe in transparency. Whether you’re making an initial sale or you’re trying to get a project over the finish line, it’s important to keep those principles in mind.
Questions? You can email rob@waynemedia.com
All the best,
Rob