Creating the right pitch environment for your teams
Career Leaders
The new chair of NABS’ Fast Forward pitching training programme offers advice on preparing teams to pursue new business.
Pitching has always been in the spotlight, with many suggesting it can be overwhelming and tiring at times. It’s been encouraging over recent years to see initiatives such as the IPA and ISBA’s Pitch Positive Pledge launch and start to take effect.
I’m so passionate about pitching and creating an exciting and rewarding experience for everyone that I’ve been involved with NABS’ renowned Fast Forward pitching training programme for some time now. I am incredibly honoured to be chairing Fast Forward this year after serving as one of its speakers and mentors.
As an agency MD, I can see that across the industry we’re making progress in making pitching a healthier, more fulfilling process for those involved. There is, however, more we can all do to build on this, so that we can offer practical support that feeds into success.
After all, pitching is intrinsic to how we work. It’s where some of our best and most creative work happens, where we see spectacular teamwork and beautiful ideas come to fruition.
I’ve also seen how the pressure of pitching can have a profound impact on people, not just during the pitch but for a while afterwards.
In fact, I’ve experienced this myself, having suffered from burnout a few years ago. To this day, I continue to do the ongoing work necessary to prevent this from happening again. Part of what led to my burnout was working on a series of pitches, almost back-to-back. So, I know first-hand what not to do and how we, as leaders, can help guard against this in our teams.
The most crucial action is to reframe the pitch
We start by taking away the mystique and worry that typically surround pitches, especially amongst our more junior employees.
We can do this by breaking it down into clear and teachable steps. In doing so, we empower our people to feel in control. That sense of control is deeply grounding, especially when trying to do your best in a high-pressure environment.
As the brilliant experts on the NABS Advice Line often say, a key to feeling more on top of things in life is to identify what’s actually in your circle of control, and what you can do about that.
Let your teams know what to expect as widely as possible. What tasks will be asked of them? How long will they have to create and deliver the pitch? How will they be supported to conduct their BAU work alongside their pitch work? It can also be very helpful to talk them through your own personal experience and approach to pitching.
Hearing about the real-life experience of a pitch removes any of the unknowns. After all, knowledge is power. Armed with this information, they can ask for help and support when needed.
Which leads me to the next important step…
Be approachable and open
Your team members will have questions. You cannot assume that they feel confident about pitching or that they have the necessary knowledge to take the process in their stride if they have limited experience of it. However, it’s safe to say that some of your team will be worried about asking questions about the process.
Our job as leaders is to make clear that we’re here for any questions about pitching, not just at pitch time, but any time.
NABS teaches the value of creating open spaces for conversations on its fantastic Managers’ Mindsets programme; operating in this way makes such a positive difference. Being able to discuss pitching in an open, curious and helpful way is so beneficial for everybody involved.
Celebrate the value of all roles in the pitch process
Delegates often come to Fast Forward thinking that everyone should be up front presenting. We’re very clear that all roles during pitching are valuable, and that pitching is a great opportunity for people to use their primary skills. You could be brilliant at insight, for example, well, that’s where you can shine, and clearly, if you’re doing something you’re naturally good at, that reduces the anxiety levels.
Time away
Make sure your team have time away from their desks to refresh and recharge, and most of all, model that behaviour yourself.
It’s not just a nice-to-have to switch off during a pitch. It’s a must-have. Replace sending emails at midnight with asking ‘how can I support you’ at the start of the day, and above all, celebrate your team’s hard work throughout the pitch, whatever the outcome.
Rachel Peace is UK managing director at Hearts & Science