Nagham Maaboud’s Post

"If you're good at something never do it for free." The Joker was right. One of the biggest experiences that sparked my passion to start EightySeven was the pitch dynamic during new business between client and agency. From the beginning, we have had a firm belief against the "big reveal" where you put all your eggs into one presentation and hope that you beat the others. Our entire process is built on the opposite, progressive collaboration to maintain alignment. It's been a game changer for my business, but only because I experienced the downsides and negativity associated with, what should be, the most crucial part of a creative business. Winning more business. The amount of effort, energy, sweat, and tears that (literally) go into these pitches is bananas. B-A-NA-NA-S. For most of my colleagues, it was the biggest contributor to a lack of balance between career and real life. Which is why EightySeven is designed to create a different kind of relationship between clients and creatives. We're not order takers, we're creative catalysts. Our ideas have the ability to inspire and engage people. Creating lasting impact way beyond the project. Those ideas have value, that time is irreplaceable. Imagine if you applied the pitch process to any other industry, it's crazy. You basically ask 6 teams to build you a house and at the end, you'll select one. Or not, senior leadership might change their mind. Along with my colleagues, we've been on the receiving end of that experience. It's not fun and can change, if we want it to. Which is why on behalf of EightySeven, I signed the PORTO ROCHA NO FREE PITCHES pledge. Don't get me wrong. I love pitching, frankly it's my super power. But I also believe that if a company is requesting a plethora of ideas be brought to them, that in addition to awarding the project, they put aside some level of compensation for participation. It might be a crazy idea, but it's been working for us so far. https://nofreepitches.com/

I had the privilege -- really and truly, it was a privilege -- to listen to a half-dozen game pitches recently. Here are my takeaways, notes, and pieces of advice: 1. Know your audience: above all else, you need to know the personalities and goals of the people to whom you are pitching. Many times, the audience is full of cheerleaders who want the best for your idea. Other times, they need metrics to buy in financially. Ask yourself, "What do I want to get out of this pitch and what would be helpful to hear from person X, Y, Z?" 2. You're pitching yourself more than your idea: I'm a big fan of Shark Tank, and I've heard this comment and seen it play out plenty of times. Ideas are cool, but we're not just taking an idea and realizing it. We're translating a cloud of thoughts into a project, and it most likely needs you to help connect its nebulous pieces. In doing so, sell the future vision of what it's like to work with YOU on THIS idea. 3. Embrace your emotions: Similar to point 2, you ARE being judged. But that's not a bad thing. If you're excited, be excited. If you're nervous, be nervous. If you're argumentative, be argumentative. Why? Because we can see through the facade anyway. If you're not someone who will work well with others, you're not going to thrive in your project -- let alone the pitch meeting -- and you're wasting everyone's time. But not all emotions are bad ones. It's fine to stumble over your words. If you're genuine, we don't care about annunciation. We care that you're genuine! 4. Know what you're asking of others on a technical level: I'm all for "blue sky thinking," but I will always value a pitch that understands the ask of a team. Preferably, start with the smallest ask possible and then allow it to grow only if you know the team is capable of such additions. This is respectful to the team and forward-thinking in what you could accomplish. 5. Work out the details and then trim: There's an assumption that, if you're pitching, you have thought through many details. Therefore, we don't need to hear everything. We need to get excited by you and the idea, and it wanes if we get lost. Have the detail in your mind/notes -- or don't, which is fine as long as you're honest. But exercise that muscle of being concise. It's the opposite of, "If you can't do 10 pushups, do 20." Know how incredibly brave and courageous it is to put yourself in front of others and be vulnerable. It is not something to take lightly, and anyone who delivers a pitch should be proud of themselves! I look forward to hearing more of these in the future! ------------------------ Narrative designer, #gamedev coach, team leader, and empowering collaborator with a technical background and hybrid narrative and game design experience. I'm here to bring my passion for creatively solving problems to your company, team, or project. And don't be shy about sending a connection request! #narrativedesign #gamedesign #leadership #collaboration #videogames

Thanks, but no thanks. Has this ever been your response to a potential prospect? Well that was mine when presented with the opportunity to work with an innovative and rapidly advancing company ... and you might rightly be questioning my judgment! Over the years, our agency has evolved to focus on delivering more strategy led solutions that provide the greatest value for businesses and in doing so, has caused us to move even further away from design-led pitch competitions. And yes, this was a creative pitch. You know the ones – where you have to start solving the clients’ problems with pictures in a beauty contest as proof of your ability to come up with creative solutions! There still exists such a power imbalance between a buying client and a selling agency - the prevailing mindset being that we should participate in pitches and accept an acquiescent role in the purchase process. The first time you decide to turn your back on a potential pitch opportunity is the hardest. All your agency schooling is telling you to embrace the challenge and do it. There’s a fulfilment in preparing for a pitch. It seems natural. Normal. Turning away can feel like an act of sabotage. 👆 But one thing I’ve learned from years in this industry is that the most effective work is built on the foundation of close collaboration, strong partnership and deep understanding. 👉 Every project should have a clear goal, a solid strategy, and a high potential for return on investment. 👎 The absence of these not only makes the endeavour wasteful for the agency, but more importantly, unfair to the client who puts their faith in your abilities to drive their business forward. So, I bowed out and wished them all the best, offering our services if they didn’t get what they’re looking for. (But at least I’d sown the seed of doubt). #creativepitches #brandvalue #cleargoals Pic courtesy of Aisling ( Ash-ling ) Magill

THIS IS 2024..TAKE YOUR BUSINESS BRANDING SERIOUSLY…DOCUMENT Let's get straight to the point, this year and in this era, taking your business branding seriously is non-negotiable. I mean, who wants to play around with their hard-earned business, right? Now, the first thing we need to agree on is that we're not settling for anything less than excellence. Got it? Great. The next step is all about positioning your business in the right light. How do you do that? ... Documentation! Yep, you heard me right. Proper documentation is like a secret ingredient for your business. Your customers and staff will only take your business as seriously as you take it. So, if you want to be treated like a big deal, start treating your business like one. Let's break it down a bit. When you're bringing someone into your team, give them an offer or employment letter. It's like saying, "Hey, welcome aboard! We're not messing around here. And if you're getting some services from a vendor, hand them a non-disclosure form. It's like having a secret handshake but on paper. Oh, and don't forget about those interns and apprentices. Make sure they sign on the dotted line of a non-compete form. It's like setting the ground rules for the game, you play fair, or you don't play at all. Now, you might be thinking, "Do these documents really matter?" Short answer: Yes, they do a lot. This content right here is your guide to the MVPs – the Most Valuable Papers you need for your small business and trust me, they matter more than you think. Here's a quick rundown: Offer letter, Guarantors form, Non-disclosure form, Non-compete form. These are some of your business bodyguards, your shields against chaos. Get them, use them, and you'll thank me later. So, my friend, as you navigate the business world of this year, keep these documents close, and you'll be on the winning side. Keep winning, and let those papers do the talking! Cheers! #solaokunkpolor #dreamsworkafrica #businesscoach #excellence #2024goals #businesslessons #bisinesstips #success #growth #growthmindset #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #smallbizowners

Introducing Working Title Partners, LLC. Or WTP, if you’re into brevity. WTP is a solution-centered communication strategy and innovative production company founded by Aaron Putnam and John Mader. We’re partnering with brands, sports and entertainment franchises, and agencies to create content and tell stories that drive growth. What motivates us is finding the story that’s hiding within an idea. And, telling it in a new way that connects with audiences. Why is this important? In the past decade, the media landscape experienced a radical transformation, drowning consumers in a sea of unrelenting, uninspiring, and forgettable content. In marketing’s attempt to keep up, many brands have flooded the world with content that is ubiquitous and stale, uninspiring and undifferentiated. This relentless tide of unmemorable media has drowned consumers. The result? Attention spans are shorter than ever, if you can even capture that attention in the first place. As brand marketers, our competitors aren’t other brands. The competition for our customers’ attention is every other video, image, photo, sound, post, article, and experience both online and off. But, you know this already.   What’s the Solution? Your brand succeeding at the intersection of story, channel, technology and attention. Commanding attention. Keeping attention. Driving engagement and powering growth. On the customers’ always changing terms. Sounds simple. But if it was, everyone would be doing it.   Being successful requires evolving work for a world in motion. It requires creativity, flexibility, and efficiency. It requires pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. And, that’s where WTP thrives.   In just our first month, we partnered with Huber Engineered Woods, Lowe’s Home Improvement, National Gypsum, and Six3Tile.   Whether you need help crafting a winning strategy or a commercial production studio to bring your idea to life – we want to be your partner.   Let’s make something worth making. https://lnkd.in/gBWdJvAq

Here's 3 reasons why losing a pitch isn't bad 👇 We recently lost out on a client pitch that we were really excited about. Of course, after we found out we were disappointed but here's how I changed it into a positive... 1. The experience (sounds cringe, but it's true). We had the chance to pitch for an amazing client against other agencies who were much bigger than us at Spring the Agency and we still made it to second place 🙌 2. The work. I love leaving a pitch knowing we've produced the highest possible level of work we could have. Win or lose, I'm really proud of what we created. 3. The dream. Big moments like this help you dream bigger and strive for more. The opportunity is always out there, you just have to keep working towards it. What are the biggest lesson you've learned pitching to clients?

A lackluster pitch is a nonstarter. It confuses or worse, never engages the target audience. Many pitches are uninspired or overly humble leading to an actively disinterested audience. So here’s how to pitch yourself or your company in a way that hooks and keeps your audience’s attention. The cornerstones of a great pitch are messaging and confidence. If either one is lacking, it just doesn’t work. 

Translate your model “Use their language not yours Don't talk about the awards the idea might win or how cool the creative team thought it was. Instead use the language of business and more specifically the clients language. What measures do they really care about and how will this idea change those?” I would translate Sir Heharty’s advice for planners by recommending them not to present fancy models and to use half of the presentation time by explaining their fundamentals. Always try to simplify the models, to translate them into the client language.

Good advice here.

https://lnkd.in/et4KtkR9 Did you catch the premiere of #SharkTank? If so, you may have seen MNTN’s Chief Creative Officer, Ryan Reynolds, pop up during the ad break with a pitch of his own. That’s because 20+ brands featured on Shark Tank — and countless entrepreneurs — have used MNTN to get their ads on TV, grow their business, and generate millions in new revenue. So if you’re planning on pitching the Sharks any time soon, you may as well request a demo with MNTN, too. https://mountain.com/ Captions are auto generated