How to stop inflicting misery on people during pitching

There’s the good stress – the excitement of delivering an idea, the team spirit and the feeling that you’re at the heart of marketing and media.

There’s bad stress – the late nights, the fatigue, the waking up questioning if you haven’t done enough or put too much detail on to one of the many, many slides.

And there’s the very particular kind of pitch stress. The kind that has made some of us feel exhausted. The questions are wide-ranging, the timings are short, the relationships are new and the days long. I don’t think you would be human if you didn’t ask – at the end of one of those long days, ‘Is there not a better way?’

World Mental Health Day today (October 10) is a good time to reflect on why and how we can stop inflicting misery on people during pitching. It doesn’t have to be this way.

I’ve done a lot of pitching in my time and have fond memories of some and terrible memories of others.

The worst was leading my first-ever pitch – lasting for an arduous 48 hours, and not because I wanted it to, especially with a young baby at home and a very busy working wife. But there were too many cooks in the process, all more senior than me, so I ended up suffering. Not much sleep, lots of coffee and a rude client added to a horrible experience. (Side note: the client, when we first met, said: “If I’d had my way, you wouldn’t have won the business.” Charming.)

Then, there was the international pitch I ran independently, with just three months of comms planning experience. Rehearsals and prep were calamitous, with speakers changing each time we did a run-through. The pinnacle was when one market presented a lovely idea – a partnership with a French chef, to which the client said: “Do you know who sponsors that already? No? We do…” The taxi ride to the airport was very quiet indeed.

You might wonder why I’m still working in media after all that.

Well, one of the reasons is that when pitching is good, it’s great. Like when I worked for one of the UK’s biggest financial brands. The set-up was so brilliant that we felt almost invincible; we couldn’t wait to respond. The timings were humane. My bosses prioritized the pitch for me. The team’s energy was great, and the work was simple and creative. The client brief was clear. We were given the foundations of a fun, thorough and confident pitch process, and the results spoke for themselves. We won the account, and I looked after it for four years.

Support, especially for mental wellness, makes all the difference. The more we appreciate the importance of mental health, the more we realize what’s up with pitching and where we can, collectively, fix it for the greater good – leaders and individuals both.

Firstly, a call to action for managers and clients. It is not acceptable to drive people to the brink during every pitch. Lead with support and positivity instead; it will help your teams to be more creative and productive. Unless you think that stretched, overwhelmed team members produce their best work? (They really don’t). If you burn people out by the time they walk into the pitch room, clients can see it.

Pardon the pun, but ‘pitch in.’ You may already have a specific role, but I would encourage you to ask colleagues what you can do to help. It may sound a bit counter to mental health – do more work? - but by supporting each other, seeing through that commitment you have all tacitly made to deliver this pitch, you will start to foster a more supportive environment that you will benefit from.

As for the actions individuals can take… notice your markers for good mental health and how they’re affected by the pitch you’re working on. Sleep is mine. Am I waking up during the night, worrying about work? Am I finding it difficult to drop off? Sure, on a practical level, late nights at work will mean later bedtimes, but if I’m wide awake and buzzing at 3am after pulling another 14-hour day, I know something is up.

It’s then that I draw some boundaries. I create space to get outside, maybe for a run. I share the pressures with my family or friends. Sharing stress with your boss or the pitch leader helps as you usually discover that everyone feels the same. I was once so frustrated by not being able to find the very best answer to a pitch question that I went to my boss, who shouted at me, “I don’t either, but your answer is going to be as good or better than anyone else’s!” I was a bit shocked, but I often remind myself of that one to release a bit of pressure.

How can we think clearly, be creative, and communicate well without mental wellness? Mental wellness must be at the epicenter of the pitching process. It’s so crucial that on Fast Forward, the annual pitching course run by NABS, which I’m chairing for a second year in a row, we’re making more of an effort than ever to ensure that mental wellness support and awareness are embedded into the course.

For example, one of our course speakers, the brilliant Julian Douglas, will address the themes arising from the Pitch Positive pledge, which he’s spearheaded – a pledge that exists to protect the mental health of all those involved in pitching.

Pitching can make people miserable. It doesn’t have to. It shouldn’t. So please look at how you’re contributing to the process and make it better.

To find out more about Fast Forward, including how to sign up, visit here.

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