Starting Point - Winning without pitching

A Manifesto of Business Practices for Creative Firms

The forces of the creative professions are aligned against the artist. These forces pressure him to give his work away for free as a means of proving his worthiness of the assignment.

Clients demand it. Designers, art directors, writers and other creative professionals resign themselves to it.

But while collectively the battle may seem lost, a revolution is afoot.

Some creative firms are fighting and winning. They are reclaiming the high ground in the client relationship, beating back the pitch and winning new business without first having to part with their thinking for free. They are building stronger practices amid the forces of commoditization.

This treatise contains the twelve proclamations of a Win Without Pitching firm. It describes a trail blazed by owners of creative businesses who have made the difficult business decisions and transformed their firms, and the way they go about getting new business. They have gone from order-taker suppliers to expert advisors and have forged a more satisfying and lucrative way of getting and doing business.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

pitch (verb)

	\[pıch\] To attempt to sell or win approval for one’s ideas by giving them away for free, usually within a competitive, buyer-driven process

1. {The First Proclamation} - We Will Specialize 1. {The Second Proclamation} - We Will Replace Presentations With Conversations 1. {The Third Proclamation} - We Will Diagnose Before We Prescribe