If you’re in a service business like an agency or consultancy, chances are you’ve asked yourself these two painful but important questions:

  • Why do we lose pitches we work so hard on?
  • And when we do win – why do those clients often leave?

👇 In this video, I dig into exactly that – why so many pitches miss the mark, and how to approach them in a way that builds long-term success rather than short-term wins.

Watch the video, then keep reading for the key takeaways and how to apply them in your own client relationships.

The Expert Trap

When clients come to an agency, it’s not because they’re unsure -they already believe you’re better at this than they are. What they’re buying isn’t just your services; it’s your expertise, your judgment, and your ability to deliver, both now and into the future.

That’s where many agencies misstep.

In the pitch phase, there’s a temptation to over-sell – to dazzle, to impress, to promise a bold and shiny future. But in doing so, you risk selling something that looks good on paper but isn’t what the client actually needs right now – or worse, something you’re not great at delivering yet.

The result? Unmet expectations. Lost trust. And often, a churned client not long after the ink has dried.

Win the Now, Sell the Future

Here’s the mindset shift:
Focus on solving the problem they feel today.

Clients buy from pain. They’re looking for a fix to something immediate – something real and visceral. Your first job isn’t to sell the dream. It’s to address the current pain point with confidence and competence.

Once you’ve done that – and built trust in the process – then you can begin to sell in the future. That’s when upselling and cross-selling become natural, even welcomed.

Land and Expand

This is the heart of sustainable growth for service businesses:
Land well. Then expand with intention.

It’s tempting to see pitching as the finish line. But really, it’s the starting point of the relationship. Trust, delivery, and client service are what turn small wins into long-term partnerships.

Fishing is necessary to grow your client base. But farming – nurturing existing relationships – is where the real value lives. That’s how you scale.

So, when you’re prepping your next pitch, remember:

  • Solve the problem they feel today.
  • Don’t overreach – pitch what you’re great at.
  • Build trust early, then grow from there.

Because the goal isn’t just to win the work.

It’s to keep it and grow it.