andydidyk.com

As I mentioned in my last post, I was recently in NYC for a pitch to a large financial institution. The pitch was a culmination of over six weeks of work, and I believe that our team did an outstanding job of research, presentation building, and other preparation. When we arrived in New York on Monday night (we were to present Tuesday morning) and sat down to dinner, Ethan, our Creative Director, raised his glass to mine and stated simply, “pitching is a privilege”. As our glasses clinked in a toast, a connection snapped in my head: I had never thought of it that way before.

I had been buried so deeply in preparing for the pitch, along with other projects, that I hadn’t paused to think about what a privilege it is to be invited into a client’s house to tell them what they need to do to be more successful, and why they need to pay you to do it. I’ve heard from more than one expert in our field that smaller agencies are often too timid when it comes to their positioning, and that assertiveness can go a long way towards meaningful profitability and charging what you’re worth, but I think it also pays, no matter how big your are, to approach a client’s space with some degree of humility.

Sure, as a visual communicator, you’re the expert and you need to be positioned that way (why else would someone listen to you?). But being the expert (similar to having wisdom) is as much about knowing what you know as it is knowing what you don’t know. I believe that clients respect that. So for those of you out there traveling and pitching your ideas, be encouraged. It’s not something that a lot of people get to do, and it’s a great opportunity. Thanks Ethan.