Chargeable hour targets can feel daunting and partners can be tempted to take whatever work they can find. But just because you get invited to pitch for some work, doesn’t mean you should automatically accept the invitation.

The process of pitching takes up a huge amount of time. Your response has to be good. After all, your reputation is at stake. There may be better uses of your time, such as targeting more appropriate work.

Many firms would like to turn down certain pitch opportunities but are nervous to say ‘no thanks’, particularly if the work is for an important current client. Partners are fearful that the client might be offended. So I offer a default script to help you get the message communicated in an appropriate way.

But first, how do you decide whether to pitch or not? Rather than using gut feel for such an important decision, I recommend getting a few partners together to use a more rigorous process, such as a scorecard such as the one below.

The factors and the weighting of the score may vary. The pitch might be for a place on a panel or might be for a specific matter – this affects the factors you need to consider.

If the outcome is a ‘no thanks’, here is my suggested model script. It will need tweaking depending on the nature of your current relationship, the nature of the pitch and the context.

Thank you very much for inviting us to pitch for [    ].

We have spent some time considering the matter. Unfortunately we have concluded that we would not be the best firm for what you need in this instance and we don’t want to waste your time (or ours). [Provide a more precise reason to justify your conclusion].

We know other firms better placed to meet your particular needs who we could recommend if you’re interested….[Plug a non-competing referral firm, on the basis that this firm would then owe you a favour].

I hope you understand our position on this.

[Point out other areas relevant to the pitch where you would be more suitable].

[End with a positive message].