I found it pretty thrilling to be part of a new business pitch team having only been at Catalysis for four months. This kind of learning experience is the sort of opportunity many other consultancies are unlikely to offer lower-level consultants, and is exactly the reason I accepted a position as a Junior Consultant with Catalysis back in June.
PR gets a lot of stick for being a little dodgy, for misrepresenting the truth and manufacturing outcomes. I have worked at companies that have dedicated new business pitch teams; smooth talking, smooth operating, vaguely good looking, and lovers of fashion. The Catalysis approach is different (as we’re very good looking) and much more honest. We decide at the outset who will work on the account if we are fortunate enough to win it, and this is the team that does the ground-work and preparation and ultimately presents in the pitch.
When I was researching prior to the pitch, I found learning the business relatively straightforward. The more difficult part came when out of nowhere the pug-nosed little paper-mill managing face of David Brent from The Office popped into my head and said: “I’m not used to public speaking, I pispronunciate a lot of my worms.” This led me to think that no matter how much background work I put into the pitch, there is still the off-chance that nerves would get the better of my usually iron-clad self-confidence on the day.
Nerves most certainly played their part in the build up to the pitch, and ‘pispronunicating a lot of my worms’ was an underlying concern. I have never found public speaking to be much of an issue, and in the right circumstances enjoy using it as an opportunity to tell rubbish jokes and generally have a bit of fun. Under these kinds of circumstances however, the team having put in so much work and preparation, the margin for error is zero.
Thankfully however, due to some first class guidance and uncanny brain power from above, the pitch went off without a hitch. I am sure pitching is not for everyone; however I considered this to be a very positive first experience of a core component to working in an agency.
Saying that, David Brent also said: “Eagles may soar high, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.”
Congratulations on your first pitch. Please tell me that photo was taken during it.