A pitch costs £3,880. At one win in four, the client who says yes costs £15,520 and the other three send nothing
Pitch Cost and Win Rate Calculator
Every win pays for the losses that came before it. Put your pitch hours, loaded cost rate and hard costs in, add your honest win rate, and see the true cost of acquiring one client, then hold it against the first-year fee before you agree to the next beauty parade.
Pitch Cost and Win Rate Calculator
What a pitch really costs at loaded rates, and what each WIN costs once the losses are paid for.
The number to hold against the fee
The demo pitch: 60 team hours at £58 loaded plus £400 of hard costs is £3,880 per pitch. At a one-in-four win rate, every win carries three losses: £15,520 per client won, before anyone does the work.
Hold that against the first-year fee: a £15,520 acquisition cost on a £30,000 project is half the revenue gone before hour one. On a £150,000 retainer it is fine. Same pitch, different answer.
The levers, in order of power: qualify harder so the win rate rises, pitch smaller so the cost falls, and decline free-pitch beauty parades unless the prize justifies three funerals.
Take the workbook
The pitch ledger in Excel: every pitch priced, the wins and the true cost per client.
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