When pitching on big commercial and TV jobs, there will usually be some sort of creative introduction before you start on your treatment. Oftentimes, it's a phone call, which can be a hard way to have a creative discussion. These calls are set up to learn more about a project and act as a first impression, which we all want to nail. So how do you go about doing that? At the end of the day, the client wants to feel like they’re in good hands with you, and that can come from a great conversation, from your experience, or just from them liking your personality. There’s no one way to “win” the first phone call, but these are some things you can do to help get there.
Setting Up The Call
Phone calls are hard. You can’t get a read on people’s faces, people speak over each other, and when people are in a conference room on speaker phone, it’s often very hard to hear what they are saying. So whenever possible, have an in-person meeting instead.
Now, unfortunately, in-person meetings aren’t always possible. Whether you live in different cities or there’s a pandemic happening, video conferencing is a great backup to the in-person meeting. In a video conference, you can get a sense of people’s personalities, and the best part is you know whose voice belongs to whom. Not to mention, you can actually see if they like what you have to say or not. Unfortunately, with COVID-19, this is probably the best means of conversation right now. So what I would say to you is, make sure you’re set up in a nice spot in your apartment/house/studio. Make sure there is good lighting, good sound, and, if possible, find a place that reflects some of your personality. I like to use my home office because it gives people a sense of who I am.
If it has to be a phone call, that’s fine. The same tips I’m about to share still apply. Phone calls aren’t always the easiest, but many jobs have been won from a great call – so don’t stress, you’re going to do great.
Be Yourself
This call is a bit like a job interview, or even a first date. They want to know who you are and what you can bring to the table. I’ve listened to phone calls with other directors in the past and have tried to mimic their style. It never works. It comes across fake and off-putting. Those phone calls always felt stale. I’m usually best when I’m relaxed and being myself. By trying to be someone I’m not, or portraying a certain persona, the phone calls never felt natural. On the other hand, when I am being myself, good things happen.
I once hopped on a call and was talking to my producer, telling her I almost didn’t make the call because of an embarrassing thing that happened. While telling her the embarrassing story, I heard laughter from someone else. It turns out the ad agency was on the call already, which I wasn’t aware of. I laughed it off and apologized to them. In my eyes I thought I had lost the job right there, but the opposite was true, the ad agency took a liking to me because they thought it was endearing. The point is, you can’t try to be someone you’re not, the people hiring you are always going to be drawn to honesty and authenticity, so be yourself. I wouldn’t recommend telling an embarrassing story to just anyone, but be yourself and see what happens. People want to work with people they enjoy being around. Sure, you need to be good at what you do and be professional, but being a “good hang” can go a long way, too.
Listen To What They Have To Say
When you get on the call and make your introductions, always let the client take you through the creative. Whatever the job may be, let them give you a rundown of where they are at. They may have sent you a deck or script already, but nothing beats hearing about the creative straight from their mouths. You may pick up on something you hadn’t thought about before, they may have insight as to how this job came about, or they may clue you in on what they’re looking for. Now is the time to let them talk through it all. It’s often perceived that on these calls you as the director need to hop on and run the show, but that is not the case. It’s more beneficial for you to sit back for a little and let them tell you about the project. By listening to them, you can speak to their concerns and build their confidence in you.
They also may talk about some likes and dislikes, it’s important to pay attention. The last thing you want to do is pitch an idea that they’ve already said is a no-go. Furthermore, it’s good to repeat ideas and concerns back to them. Maybe they’ve expressed concerns about pulling off a job with so many locations. By listening to them, you can now speak to this. Respond with something like, “I know the number of locations is concerning, but I see this as a good opportunity to be creative. Perhaps we try this solution…” Now you’re problem solving with them and helping them feel at ease with you in control.
Taking notes is helpful as well. You don’t need to write down everything verbatim, but bullet points can be your best friend. When you take notes, it becomes easier to go back and speak to various points when it’s your turn to talk, which brings up my next point…
What Should You Talk About?
Now that you’ve heard about the project and you have an even better understanding of the job at hand, it’s time to talk about some of your ideas. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this. Sometimes, the job calls for you to bring a lot of fresh ideas to the table, and sometimes it’s about how you’re best going to execute the idea. You’re going to have to determine what route you should take. Some of that comes from listening and some of that comes from what kind of director you are. For instance, I’m a comedy director, so oftentimes people will ask me how I’m going to take their concept and make it as funny as possible. I usually like to come with just a couple of my best ideas on how to punch up what they have. Bombarding them with a bunch of different ideas can sometimes be confusing or bring your focus into question. Instead, propose a handful of ideas and get a sense of how they feel about them. Sometimes you have a clear vision and you can jump right in and start to open up about that, but sometimes you still aren’t 100% there and that’s fine. You don’t need to have every answer at this point. In fact, this call is a great time to collaborate and get as much clarity as possible.
Bring Questions To The Table
When I was first getting the hang of client calls, I always felt I needed to know every single answer and have every single idea. It wasn’t until years later that I realized the best thing is to ask questions. Get a sense of what they want. If there’s something you’re unsure of, just ask. The more you know, the better your chances of winning the job. If you’re confused by something, don’t be afraid to ask for clarity. This is a great opportunity to find out exactly what they’re looking for. Ask who their dream cast would be, or how they see something coming together. Knowing where they’re coming from will only help you when you are pitching your own ideas.
The last tip I’d say is be gracious and make sure your phone is charged!
Note From Tongal: "What Creatives Need to Know About Mastering the Client Phone (or Video) Call" is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the Tongal Blog Open Call Project. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Tongal. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and then Pitch us a topic you'd like to write about for the Tongal Blog!
