Should clients pay for pitches?

I’ve been running Branzas Design for over 30 years, and here’s something I’ve learned the hard way: not every pitch turns into a project. The percentage of pitches that don’t win is sub-unit. But every pitch takes real time, real effort, and real people. We’ve spent weeks, sometimes months, developing ideas, treatments, and budgets, only to hear: “The strategy has changed.” “The budget has been drastically cut.” And the worst: radio silence.

After so much experience, we follow a simple rule: we don’t get involved unless there’s clarity on budgets and deadlines. And we only put in the hard work for clients we trust or for projects that we’re truly excited about. It’s not about ego. It’s about conserving energy.

Footnote: Current statistics tell us that today in Romania, the average hourly wage for an employee is 10.4 EUR/hour. About 1780 EUR gross/month. Starting from these figures, everyone can calculate (adding fixed costs) how much the services, most often unpaid, of an agency participating in a pitch cost.

What is the solution to this?