Pitch disasters, told by the people who lived through them.

In this episode of Smack My Pitch Up, the panel trade their worst moments in the pitch room. There’s a 2011 Skype pitch that accidentally went to video, straight out of the pool, in front of ten senior marketers. There’s an art director in a banana costume chanting “save our bananas” through a client’s office while redundancy consultations ran in the room next door. And there’s a business partner who spent a two-hour pitch hiding in the stationery cupboard.

Not every story ends in a loss. One pitch was won over a phone call taken naked during lockdown. Another was won after a sceptical client asked if he’d have to tap dance for it, and the presenter did.

There’s a running theme under the laughs. The disasters are the pitches people remember. And as one guest found after turning a stand-up comedy course into team training, being able to laugh your way out of a bad moment is a real pitching skill.

Make the client fall in love with you without them realising it.

In episode 2 of Smack My Pitch Up, the roundtable shares how they’ve done it, from a £1,000 Scottish breakfast that won a drinks pitch to a cocktail truck turned mobile meeting room.

Plus, is it better to pitch first, middle or last?