The Win Without Pitching Manifesto

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A manifesto of business practices for those who sell ideas and advice, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto lays out twelve steps–in the form of proclamations–that owners of creative businesses can take to distance themselves from their competition, regain the high ground in their client relationships and learn to win business without first parting with their thinking or writing lengthy proposals. The twelve proclamations were written to inspire owners of independent creative businesses (e.g.: design firms and advertising agencies) to rethink how their services are bought and sold. Anyone who sells ideas or advice will find relevance in their teachings. The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns – eBook Details The Twelfth Proclamation contains an excellent summary: "We will see ourselves as professional practitioners who bring real solutions to our clients’ business problems. We will seek respect above money, for only when we are respected as experts will we be paid the money we seek."I especially like the approach to sales as the expert practitioner determining fit, rather than as the persuader. Avoid setting a precedent by reminding the client of the true value and documenting it everywhere in contracts, estimates and invoices A good client will begin to relinquish control once he has the confidence that the expert practitioner knows more than he does, or has the tools to learn more." If you struggle with finding a balance between creating and selling your creations, this is the book for you.

Legitimate price negotiations are fair game.” BUT: don’t cut price past the point of profitability.

We do not need to be faster, smarter or more creative than other firms, only more focused. Start with focus. Fewer Options of Better Quality → When giving a client an option, give fewer options of higher quality. My focus is on issues management & crisis communication; leadership communication & executive preparedness; thought leadership & corporate reputation; and strategic problem-solving & facilitation. I have considerable expertise across ethical healthcare, OTC, consumer health and medical devices and has worked for healthcare clients including Takeda, Roche Diagnostics, Pfizer Consumer Health, Medtronic, Macmillan Cancer Support, Medco, Allergan and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Enns made the thematic and structural choice for this book to write it entirely in "we" statements, or proclamations, of which there are 12. It has the vibe of certainty, of time-worn experience creating some trustworthy principles. But it also means we don't get to hear any personal stories from Enns' actual experience, though, and it sounds like there could be some awesome anecdotes from contracts gone wrong. I read this because it was recommended by The Freelancers Show. I read it online. Following are my notes for several of the proclamations.

Enns' path is also one of control. He wants to be "in charge" of the client relationship, to show strength, and to not be screwed over. I understand that, but suggest there may be a path available that involves more collaboration, openness and empathy, instead of ratcheting up prices and control. The proclamation "We Will Replace Presentations With Conversations" is the closest thing Enns presents as an empathetic approach. Power in the client-consultant relationship often rests with the client and this power comes from choices (competition).The narrower our claim of expertise, the bigger our integrity. The claim of expertise build us credibility. We will see ourselves as professional practitioners who bring real solutions to our clients’ business problems. We will seek respect above money, for only when we are respected as experts will we be paid the money we seek." Say no early and often —> weed out those that would be better served by others and those that cannot afford you.

If we are not seen as more expert than our competition than we will be viewed as one in a sea of many, and we will have little power in our relationships with our clients and prospects When wanting to have open options. We must be narrow. We must walk through one door and close it. Only then we can see that new doors lie ahead, but the first we should close it. The goal of this book is to free the creative firm from the ‘ pitch’. But what is the pitch? It is described in the book as: A good client will begin to relinquish control once he has the confidence that the expert practitioner knows more than he does, or has the tools to learn more. Objective: to see if there is a mutually beneficial next step between the client’s need and our expertise.Technology and oversupply are combining to rapidly widen the gulf between the commoditized tacticians who now bid their services against each other online, and the expert practitioners who command significant fees for leading their clients to novel solutions to meaningful business challenges. The middle is disappearing. Blair Enns has the answers. Blair is the author of the game-changing book, the Win Without Pitching Manifesto. He has survived the ups and downs of the business side of creativity for long enough to achieve guru status. In this episode, Blair talks about the philosophy that informed his book, and, ultimately, led to the Win Without Pitching program. And operating in a knowledge-based economy, why would we provide our ideas or solutions for free when it’s the very service we are selling? We Will Specialize Win Without Pitching: "secure the business before it gets to a defined, competitive selection process" Among other things, those responsibilities include the need to generate a profit above and beyond the salaries we pay ourselves. It is from this profit that we build strength and create many forms of possibilities for ourselves and everyone involved in our enterprise."

Value=Qulity/Price. In most cases clients are uncertain of the quality, but your expertise should do the work. Avoid providing reference of services, process and the price. Things speak for itself.His first proclamation is that we will specialize, and the second proclamation is we will replace presentations with conversations. The truth about average people is that, regardless what they claim to want, they will avoid difficult decisions or undesirable tasks even thought they represent the path to what they want. The problem with existing clients is usually one of quality, not quantity —> don’t compensate by adding more. It is our policy…” is how you can communicate with clients on things such as not doing things for free each and every interaction in the buying cycle is simply to see if there is a fit between the client's need and our expertise suitable enough to take a next step."