You can build the most beautiful pitch deck in the world and still lose the client, if you built it for the wrong person. Margaret Ward, founder of CC Consultancy, breaks down what actually makes a pitch land.
About Margaret Ward
Margaret Ward is the Founder and Managing Director behind CC Consultancy, an email marketing agency helping e-commerce brands turn their email list into their most valuable asset, blending bold strategy with creative storytelling.
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Find Out Who Actually Signs Off
The person you’ve been building rapport with isn’t always the person making the final call, and they often care about completely different things.
“The founder who is going to have to sign this off doesn’t care about all of the nice, fun bits. What they care about is black and white. This is what the result is going to be.”
Margaret Ward
- Ask directly whether there’s a decision-maker who’ll need something different from what you’re currently building
- If you’re pitching to a creative lead, still prepare a simple, results-first version for whoever signs off
- Don’t assume more slides and more creative flourish always helps. Sometimes a founder just wants one clear email
Interrogate What Success Actually Means To Them
When a client says they want more click-throughs, that’s not always the real goal. Digging one level deeper stops you solving the wrong problem.
- When a client states a metric they want to improve, ask what improving it would actually let them do differently
- Ask about success measures for the wider business, not just the channel you’re being hired for
- If what they’re asking for doesn’t line up with what the business actually needs, say so before you build the strategy, not after
Master The Underrated Skill Of Context Switching
Jumping between completely different brands, industries and tones in the same day is a real skill, and one that barely gets talked about.
- If you work across multiple clients, build a quick “reset” habit between calls, even two minutes of notes on the next brand’s voice
- Recognise context switching as a genuine skill worth naming on your CV or in a pitch, not just something you quietly cope with
- If you’re newer to freelance or agency work, give yourself grace, this genuinely takes practice to do well
A pitch that reads their real need, not just their stated one, is the one that actually gets signed.
Catch Margaret live at the Business of Marketing on 13 November.