Agencies love to make a splash in pitch meetings.
They dim the lights. They roll out the high-production sizzle reel. They showcase themselves.
And then they wonder why the prospect tunes out.
🚨 Here’s the hard truth: Clients don’t care about your agency.
They don’t care about your award-winning work.
They don’t care about your “creative process.”
They care about one thing—their own problems.
If your pitch isn’t 100% focused on them, you’ve already lost.
How I Won Little Caesars by Making It About Them, Not Us
I once pitched the local Little Caesars franchise account.
Now, I could have done what every other agency did:
- Show off our portfolio
- Walk through our services
- Talk about our experience in the industry
But I knew that wasn’t what they cared about.
So instead, I made the pitch all about them.
- We focused entirely on their biggest challenge: selling more pizzas.
- We spoke their language—no agency jargon, no fluff.
- We had them laughing, nodding, and engaging—not just politely listening.
By the end of the meeting, they weren’t just interested.
They were in.
We won the business because we weren’t pitching ourselves.
We were solving their problem.
Where Agencies Get Meetings Wrong
🚨 1. They Make It a One-Way Presentation Instead of a Two-Way Conversation
If your meeting is just you talking at them for 30 minutes, it’s already over.
A great pitch is a discussion, not a monologue.
💡 Fix it: Get them engaged early. Ask real questions. Make them feel like they’re part of the conversation.
🚨 2. They Lead With Their Work Instead of the Prospect’s Pain Points
Your prospect doesn’t care about your past campaigns.
They care about what you can do for them—right now.
💡 Fix it: Open with their problem, not your portfolio. If you can articulate their challenges better than they can, they’ll assume you have the solution.
🚨 3. They Talk About Features Instead of Outcomes
“We offer strategy, design, branding, and digital marketing.”
Okay… so what?
💡 Fix it: Tie every capability to a measurable business result.
🚫 Bad: “We run performance-driven ad campaigns.”
🔥 Better: “We help QSR franchises sell more pizzas by getting them in front of hungry customers at the exact moment they’re ready to buy.”
One is forgettable. The other makes you indispensable.
🚨 4. They Try to Impress Instead of Connect
Your prospect doesn’t need to be dazzled.
They need to feel heard.
💡 Fix it: Stop “presenting” and start digging deeper into what actually matters to them.
When you make them feel like you already understand their business, they don’t need to be convinced.
Final Thought: Stop Selling Your Agency. Start Solving Their Problem.
Prospects don’t care about your sizzle reel.
They don’t care about your agency’s story.
They care about what you can do for them, today.
So before your next pitch, ask yourself:
🔥 Is this meeting about us—or about them?
🔥 Am I selling services—or solving a real business problem?
🔥 Is this a one-way presentation—or a real conversation?
Because the agencies that get this right?
They don’t just pitch.
They win.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pitching the Right Way
Q: Shouldn’t we still showcase our work?
Yes—but only after you’ve made it relevant. Your case studies mean nothing unless they directly connect to your prospect’s challenges.
Q: What’s the fastest way to get a prospect engaged in a pitch?
Start with their biggest pain point. If you can speak to their problem in a way that feels deeply relevant, they’ll be hooked.
Q: How do we stand out from competitors pitching the same client?
Stop pitching your agency. Focus entirely on the client’s business, their industry, and their needs. Most agencies don’t do this—which is why the ones who do, win.
Q: What’s the #1 mistake agencies make in pitch meetings?
They talk too much about themselves. The prospect should feel like they’re the most important person in the room—not you.