An agency pitch is won or lost internally long before an agency is briefed. The quality of the final decision depends on how clearly you align stakeholders, define evaluation rules, and prepare the internal infrastructure that will guide every choice, score and conversation.
Day Two of Pitch Week focuses on orientation and alignment.
The message is simple: if you skip the internal work, no agency can save your pitch. Poorly organized reviews damage reputations, invite last‑minute politics, and create decisions that will not stand up to scrutiny when senior leaders change.
Well‑run pitches create clarity on who is involved, how they will score, and what great looks like before a single chemistry meeting is booked.
This is why Tom Denford describes preparation as the real contest, echoing Muhammad Ali’s point that the fight is decided far from the spotlight.
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe"
Abraham Lincoln
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses. Behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights"
Muhammad Ali
By the time agencies perform, the outcome is largely shaped by your internal discipline: who has a vote, how objectivity is protected, and how you prevent any one senior voice from overruling months of structured work at the last minute.
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The session introduces three practical tools that give teams structure and confidence. The Orientation Plan clarifies why you are pitching, what you want from a new partner, and which stages your organization will follow from decision‑to‑pitch through to final contract. Advertisers use it to map stages, owners and timelines so the process feels controlled rather than ad‑hoc.
The Stakeholder Map defines who is working, consulted, supporting and informed at each step. In a typical global pitch, 10–12 people from different markets and functions may be involved. Without a clear map, scorecards fill up with subjective views, or late‑arriving executives try to re‑open decisions. With it, only the right people score the right milestones, and everyone understands their role.
Finally, the Comms Plan turns this design into daily reality. It specifies who drafts, approves and sends every key communication: decision‑to‑pitch announcements, incumbent notifications, RFI and RFP launches, stage‑gate outcomes and final award calls. Dedicated FAQs, call scripts and holding statements reduce stress at high‑pressure moments and ensure agencies, leaders and internal teams all receive timely, consistent messages.
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Used together, these tools do more than manage risk; they energize internal teams around a shared process. A strong comms plan makes sure people know what is happening, when milestones are reached, and how decisions will be made. When stakeholders see that the rules are objective and agreed in advance, they are more willing to engage fully in workshops, read submissions carefully and use the scorecards as intended.
This structure is especially valuable when teams change mid‑pitch or when new senior sponsors arrive late. Instead of relying on opinion, they see a clear evaluation framework built on the “three Cs” of capabilities, commercials and cultural fit, with transparent weighting and documented rationale. That transparency is what allows your final choice to withstand scrutiny months or years later.
Day Two closes with a pre‑flight checklist: a simple way to confirm that your Orientation Plan, Stakeholder Map and Comms Plan are complete before you invite any agency. Only then do you move to external briefings, knowing the real work – winning the pitch internally – has already been done.
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