Keeping in Touch with Failed Pitch Clients

We were recently invited to pitch for a large project/account which we didn't win. Feedback was that they liked us and would keep us in mind for future projects. How can we ensure we remain on their radar and be first in line next time a project comes up?

My friend at MCBD, Nina Jasinski, would have a whole contact strategy around keeping failed pitch clients warm until the next opportunity. She would put them on the e-newsletter circulation, send them examples of new work, diarise courtesy calls and send messages of congratulations from holiday when they are promoted. It is a very small world and even if they do not award you business in their current role, they may put you on the pitch list when they inherit a dog of an agency in a new role down the line.

If the chemistry is good, catching up for a coffee on a regular basis (or initially after a few months) may be something they are willing to commit to.

But be wary of clients who cannot give valid feedback and just want to be loved by all losing agencies and most pertinently just want to move on from the arduous pitch process. The number of agencies who come a “close second” can sometimes equal the total of pitching agencies minus the successful one. So validate and qualify if/why they liked you and keep in mind for future conversations.

And sometimes you should just be thankful that you didn’t win but that’s another story…