Went to the Wellcome Institute yesterday where I had been invited to speak at a pitch 'masterclass' workshop organised by Loewy Group. Fascinating to hear the other speakers, who included Ian Johnston, Chief Exec of Loewy Group, Richard Williams of William Murray Hamm, Phil Ley of Branded and Timothy Ryan of EMI Music.

Roger Mavity, Chief Exec of Conran Group and co-author of 'Life's a Pitch'.

You can read his book for the full story, but his key points were: 

– Think of yourself as the client's 'brand doctor'. It's not about you; it's about solving his problem.

– Ideas, not numbers, are what change the world

– A pitch needs a clear, structured narrative and a 'cornerstone slide' – the bit that says, 'If you remember nothing else from this presentation, remember this.'

– Think of yourself as a playwright, not an actor. If your content is good, and you are confident of your belief in it, that's more persuasive than a slick presentation. Passion and enthusiasm count for a lot.

Tim Ryan presented from the client's perspective and had a list of ten things not to do when pitching.

1. Harrassment. (Don't call and email too often.)

2. Dissing your competition or their work

3. Boasting about awards

4. Over-the-top flattery

5. Recycling shit old ideas your clients didn't buy

6. Lying or taking credit for work done by others

7. Stains (on clothes and documents) / sloppy mistakes = poor attention to detail

8. Inappropriate pics on desktop of the laptop you present from (eg porn or your holiday)

9. Ignoring the client's budget and presenting something they can't afford

10. Begging for the business

Richard Williams of WMH gave a great talk about why they don't do free pitches and showed some of their (excellent) work.

I showed some of our work and talked about the highs and lows of pitching at W+K.

Back view of Dick Powell of Seymour Powell Design, who chaired the session.