Every single dollar of your money
The hidden cost we don’t want you to pay for!
We’ve all heard the quote…
‘Nothing in life is free’.
The OUCH! Factor™ Report published in 2021, ran an extensive market research study with a sample size of 120 and found the average agency:
The average agency spends $92,000 per pitch and pitches 11 times per year for a total of $1,012,000 spent on pitching!
You, the client, end up paying for all those pitches as part of their hidden fees because to be profitable, they have to cover those costs.

This means the average client onboarded by their agency actually “pays” 1/0.45 X $92,000 or $204,444 for their ‘free pitch’!
This is just simple math. Otherwise, it would take 17 months for the account to be profitable and that’s just not economically feasible.
No wonder they called it The Ouch Factor Report!
‘Numbers don’t lie!’ Please pause and absorb those numbers – it’s pretty crazy. Now here’s what you don’t get told…
You, the new client, are actually paying for the billable time spent on LOST pitches in hidden future fees – the ‘people hours spent pitching’.
You actually never find out about it, because agencies have to cover their overall costs including and especially the cost of the won AND lost pitches somehow – so they eventually get passed back to you in future (hidden) fees.
Yes, you read that correctly. You end up paying for YOUR pitch and all the ones the agency LOST to get you onboard. Sure, they’ll tell you it’s all part of their marketing strategies, a cost of doing business, but that’s just what you want to hear.
The truth of the matter is: We don’t have the costs of pitching, so we don’t have to cover those costs and pass them on to you…
Hmmmm… As we all know…’nothing in life is free’.
That’s why we don’t pitch.
We never have and never will. We didn’t even “ditch the pitch” since we never pitched from day one.
If you want us to pitch to you, we’ll be glad to do so, but not for free. Please hear us out.
We “think different”
We Value …
For us ‘time is money’… And money is time.
Over the past 10 years, we have built a transparent approach to marketing excellence. And like any great sport or race, it’s how you start and how you approach your end result that matters.
We begin with the end in mind.
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- Your results.
- Our performance.
- We have to have a win-win partnership.
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To be crystal clear, we will, from the start explain as openly as we can, what we are doing, how we work so you can choose to bring us on board to scale your business.
If you don’t have a project or campaign ready, instead of a ‘pitch’, we can provide you with our Quick Wins Bundle for $10,000.
Click below to see what that includes.

We have a framework-driven process proven to deliver market-beating results
If, in our initial meeting, we don’t think we can produce better results than you’re getting, we will not quote on a project.
Over the past decade, delivering incredible results for our clients, we have meticulously developed our own proprietary process to extract the maximum value for every dollar our clients invest leveraging every minute our talented team of specialists provides.
Our adaptability and agility with best practices like Kanban, Agile and end-to-end project management integration with a 100% Asynchronous remote team spread across the globe is our defensible competitive advantage you can start to leverage right now.
Since 2014, we’ve been relentlessly delivering market-beating results for our clients

10 Years In Business

100+ Clients served

65+ Industries covered

$50+ million of media invested

2+ billion impressions served

$200+ million in additional new sales booked

1+ million new leads generated

10+ million website visits tracked
There’s Is A Real Hidden Cost To Traditional Pitching
Our philosophy is echoed by credible industry research reports that concluded that pitching costs aren’t actual sunk costs in the agency, they are real costs that will ultimately get transferred to you in future agency fees. If you think about it, how else does the agency maintain profitability over time? Let us explain in more detail and share some additional highlights.
The mental toll on the agency and the major distraction that comes with pitches:
Traditional pitches often divert funds and resources from current client account execution, resulting in compromised strategies and diluted ROIs for those existing clients. Plus the mental toll and distractions in managing all these pitches amongst the day-to-day work. It’s a self-defeating cycle we never got ‘sucked into’.
Picture this in a typical week in a typical agency who’s always pitching.
Typical case study
example of pitching
The prospective client enquiry comes in or the warm call goes out, as the new business development team are chasing work from new clients.
The back and forth continues, until the new prospect provides the scope to submit a proposal or demands a full pitch.
The sales team come in and ‘interrupts’ management, senior account managers, art directors and the wider team to support the urgent pitch.
Then the agency spends precious time and energy putting together the ‘best work’ to win over the prospect, who usually has as a minimum of 2 other agencies and sometimes 5 to 10 all pitching against each other together. The math is simple: There is less than a 33% chance of winning the pitch.
The team gathers and presents the pitch.
The sales and management team follow-up with feedback until the final decision is made.
All of this the direct and indirect talent allocated to this with their mental focus, time and effort devoted to this process is significant and add up quickly especially when they are repeated for each new prospect.
Most importantly, all this cost and the interruption to the existing client account work is substantial. Often, the best talent (the A team) is focused on new business that is never deployed for client campaigns. So you’re not even getting who was pitched, you end up getting the B team instead!
We believe in a different ‘no pitching’ approach
Our commitment is to be transparent, accountable and ensure your investment with us delivers unparalleled results from day one. Transparency means every cent is accounted for. No hidden expenses. No unexpected invoices. We are accountable to you, shouldering the responsibility for every project we undertake. There are no retainer fees that do not deliver ROI; instead, we focus on delivering market-beating results for each project on a fixed price basis with set deliverables for each project. We ensure all deliverables are provided within the approved project budget.
So how do we do it differently?
If you answer yes to most of the above questions, we know we can help you get your outcome quickly with our Quick Wins Bundle or a project of your choice.
Our Quick Wins Bundle is designed to identify specific strategies to accelerate your business growth by at least $100,000 in the next 30 days.
This ONE-OFF upfront investment gives us the chance to prove to you what we can do for your business as a proof of concept to give you the confidence to proceed with future projects. It circumvents the pitch and gives you peace of mind.
Our Core Principles
Transparency: Full Disclosure For Better, Informed Decisions
Transparency isn’t just a buzzword for us – it’s the cornerstone of our ethos. We believe in open, clear communication where every aspect of your investment is crystal clear. You deserve to know exactly where every dollar goes, and we make sure of that. No hidden costs, no surprises.
Our commitment to transparency empowers you to make informed decisions, fostering trust and ensuring every aspect of our collaboration is aligned with your objectives.
Accountability: Taking Responsibility For Results
When you engage with us, you’re not just hiring a service; you’re partnering with a team committed to your success. We don’t rely on retainers because there is no ROI attached to them; instead, we take full ownership of each project from inception to execution.
Our promise? Delivering results that surpass expectations. We shoulder the responsibility because we believe in the tangible outcomes of our collaboration.
Your success is our success, and that’s the level of accountability we bring to the table.
“We make money FOR you, not FROM you!”
Efficient, Effective and Streamlined Strategic Campaigns
Efficiency is about doing things faster— Effectiveness is about doing them smarter. We do both with a fully integrated production management system refined over the last 10 years. We’ve honed a best practices methodology that optimises campaigns, ensuring every resource, every strategy, and every creative endeavour is streamlined for optimal deployment to maximise your investment ROI/ROAS.
Respecting Everyone’s Approach To Business
Of course, we support and respect all marketing agencies out there doing incredible work and pioneering new creative ideas and fantastic commercial outcomes.
We choose an alternative process-driven approach focused on client success on a project-by-project basis.
We encourage you to view our extensive online company profile that further substantiates how we can be of service to you, to do things differently, for you and your company.
Our “We Don’t Pitch” philosophy isn’t about discrediting traditional practices; it’s about offering an alternative path that prioritises your investments and focuses on achieving unparalleled success.
Your Decision Step
So, if you are reading this, we thank you for considering us.
If we decide to work together, we would be honoured.
Additional references on the cost of pitching in Australia
Below, we have summarised some further research on the ‘Ditch The Pitch’ topic in the following supporting articles. We will continue to stay close to the industry develops and share articles and research supports to optimise the client/agency relationship.
‘The OUCH! Factor™ Report’, New Business Methodology
https://www.ultimateedgecommunications.com.au/blog/it-isnt-a-glitch-weve-ditched-the-pitch/
• Traditional pitching can cost significant amounts for agencies, ranging from $20,000 to $300,000, with no guarantee of winning the account. Lower-end market pitching costs range between $20,000 to $30,000 per pitch. Top-end market pitching can cost an average of $300,000 and take a year for agencies to break even.
• In the last 5 years, the number of hours spent on pitching has increased by 225% instead of decreasing.
• 82% of agencies advocate for the #DitchThePitch movement.
• 67% of brands respond positively to agencies refusing to engage in a traditional pitch.
• 93% of agencies desire changes in the pitching process.
• Only 44% of brands/agencies believe the traditional pitch process reveals a “true sense” of what working with an agency will be like.
• This figure drops to just 21% for bigger agencies, indicating a lack of confidence in the efficacy of traditional pitching.
• Agencies like Ultimate Edge Communications have a 100% success rate with an alternative approach that involves paid statements of work, involving stakeholders collaboratively throughout the process.
Mat Baxter, Initiative’s global CEO, urges the industry to ditch the “dog and pony show” pitch process, citing its adverse effects on culture and sustainability.
- Mat Baxter, Initiative’s global CEO, urges the industry to ditch the “dog and pony show” pitch process, citing its adverse effects on culture and sustainability.
- Pitching standards have declined significantly over 13 years, showing an increase in the number of meetings, responses to briefs, and payment terms, leading to financial strain for agencies.
- The process that took about 7-30 days for payment terms now extends to 30-120 days, adding to agency burdens.
- A global pitch now takes about a year for an agency to break even, with an average cost of $300,000, compared to earlier times when it took less time and was cheaper.
- Financially, agencies are pressured to accept 120-day payment terms, making it challenging to sustain operations in the long term.
- Clients often demand cost reductions (21-25%) from agencies, contributing to a high-speed cycle that leads to shorter client-agency relationships and a focus on short-term goals over long-term brand building.
A study conducted by Creative brief surveyed 50 senior brand marketers and 50 agency chief executives about their perspectives on the traditional pitch process
https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/brands-willing-work-agencies-refuse-pitch/1463679
- A study conducted by Creative brief surveyed 50 senior brand marketers and 50 agency chief executives about their perspectives on the traditional pitch process.
- Majority agreement (61% of brands and 93% of agencies) that the traditional pitch process is outdated and no longer suitable for the contemporary environment.
- Less than half of brands (44%) believe that the pitch process provides an accurate understanding of what working with an agency is like.
- For agency leaders, this figure drops significantly to just 21%, indicating a lack of confidence in the efficacy of the traditional pitch process.
- 67% of brands expressed a positive willingness to work with agencies that refuse to engage in the traditional pitch process.
- 82% of agencies agree that they should be prepared to decline participating in a pitch to drive change and modernisation in the pitch process.
Businesses are investing in relationship management, training, and coaching, choosing partnership over pitching
https://www.campaignlive.com/article/ditch-pitch-focus-optimising-relationships/1218180
- Businesses are investing in relationship management, training, and coaching, choosing partnership over pitching.
- Contrary to the misconception that long-term relationships hinder creativity, companies concentrating on partnerships generate growth and exceptional communications.
- Companies like McDonald’s have improved creative quality and commercial effectiveness through formal evaluations and structured bonus agreements focused on enhancing partnerships.
- A two-way formal evaluation ensures issues are addressed, leading to consistently better work and enjoyable collaborations.
- Oystercatchers’ Optimise studies revealed that marketing departments maintain several agency relationships but work closely with only a few as true partners.
- Face-to-face relationships are essential for effective partnership evaluation; technology, while helpful, shouldn’t replace direct communication.
Conducted by New Business Methodology (NBM) and SI Partners, the OUCH! Factor Report delves into the hidden costs of pitching in Australia
https://www.bandt.com.au/data-reveals-why-pitching-is-unsustainable-for-many-aussie-agencies/
Conducted by New Business Methodology (NBM) and SI Partners, the OUCH! Factor Report delves into the hidden costs of pitching in Australia. The survey questioned CEOs, CFOs, and MDs from various agency services, analysing factors like pitch performance, hours invested, and win rates.
The analysis evaluates how time spent on pitching could equate to billable activities, calculating additional revenue needed to recover pitching costs.
Despite the push to ditch the pitch, the industry doesn't entirely wish to let go of it.
https://mumbrella.com.au/dont-ditch-the-pitch-disrupt-the-pitch-or-yourself-763462
- Despite the push to ditch the pitch, the industry doesn’t entirely wish to let go of it. While some agencies excel at the process, others struggle.
- Previous attempts to campaign against pitching haven’t seen substantial industry-wide support.
- The costs associated with pitching in Australia are escalating, leading to agency losses, excessive client time spent, and employee disillusionment.
- Instances like approving a seven-figure travel bill for a pitch point to mismanagement in handling pitches.
- Rather than ditching the pitch entirely, disrupting the process is suggested as a solution.
- Ideas like ‘flipping the pitch’ by agreeing on revenue terms beforehand or auditing agency pitch hours are proposed to mitigate risks and manage expectations.
- Agencies struggle to say ‘no’ to pitches due to business structures built around participating in numerous pitches, making it challenging to extract from this cycle.
- Turning down pitches requires structural and strategic changes within agencies. It necessitates buy-in from management and a shift in the agency’s approach to client acquisition.
- The article suggests strategies where agencies choose not to pitch but instead focus on specific clients they are confident about serving effectively.
- The author outlines three options: disrupting the pitch process, altering agency operations, or continuing without engaging in the ‘ditch the pitch’ discourse.
4 month pitch process with a group of 5 agencies shortlisted to win the Specsavers account
- A 4 month pitch process with a group of 5 agencies shortlisted (not sure exactly how many) to win the Specsavers account
- The article states that the final agency chosen already had 14 years of extensive experience from New Zealand.
- There were multiple stages in the 4 month pitches process, including, Initial RFI response, Chemistry Sessions, Simulated Live Environment Workshops.