As founding partner at WE ARE Pi and Pi Studios, Patrick Garvey has helped build one of the world鈥檚 most exciting independent creative shops, winning multiple global awards including International Small Agency of the Year, Brand Experience of the Decade, and many more.
By combining his enthusiastic perspective on creativity, independence, and with a passion for innovative solutions, Patrick has built a company culture that delivers breakthrough work for Heineken, Nike, LEGO, TED, Amazon, Uber, Virgin, Diageo, and Patagonia to name a few.
Patrick> We were a couple of years in, all in our early thirties, and throwing everything we had into the agency. Then, in the space of 24 hours, we landed Wrangler Europe and Under Armour Europe. Back-to-back wins that felt like a lightning bolt. It wasn鈥檛 just about the logos, it was what those wins meant. Months of graft, late nights, and relentless belief had finally paid off. We weren鈥檛 just playing anymore; we were proving we could compete at the top.
The lesson? Preparation and energy. Quiet, hard work sets the stage, but clients buy your belief. If you鈥檙e buzzing, they feel it. That鈥檚 what turns a 鈥渕aybe鈥 into a 鈥測es.鈥 Those wins were game-changers, and they proved we were ready for what came next.
Patrick> 鈥淛ust say it.鈥
It wasn鈥檛 even aimed at me, but damn, it stuck. Because in our world, we dance around ideas, sugar-coat feedback, and couch the bold truth in disclaimers. Real breakthroughs don鈥檛 come from politeness. They come from saying what needs to be said, in the moment. That鈥檚 when sparks fly, walls come down, and truly game-changing ideas see daylight. So 鈥榡ust say it鈥. It鈥檚 the simplest, bravest way to blast through the noise and do work that actually matters.
The Worst Advice I Got: 鈥淪tay in Your Lane鈥
That one still makes my blood boil. It鈥檚 the kind of old-school, top-down nonsense that kills creativity stone dead. 鈥淪tay in your lane鈥 is just another way of saying 鈥渙ne person鈥檚 the genius, everyone else: back off.鈥 That鈥檚 not how great work gets made. Brilliance isn鈥檛 about silos; it鈥檚 a full-contact, collective effort. The best ideas come from everyone leaning in, and not holding back. Being told to 鈥渟tay in my lane鈥 was the quickest way to make me swerve right out of that culture and agency, and I鈥檝e never looked back.
Patrick> The biggest shift? We鈥檙e all on the same team now, whether we realise it or not. The hotshot account manager you mentored last year is suddenly on the brand side, signing off on your budget. That scrappy social media exec you met at a conference a few years back? Now they鈥檙e the CMO calling the shots. Talent flows between agencies and clients at lightning speed, so the old 鈥渦s vs. them鈥 approach just doesn鈥檛 fly.
Today鈥檚 best marketers must be relentlessly collaborative. They want real partnership, not a once-a-year pitch parade. It means we鈥檙e constantly evolving, adjusting our approach, speaking their language, and flexing our process. If you鈥檙e still pushing outdated sales and pitch scripts, you鈥檒l fall behind. The best agencies get it: it鈥檚 about building relationships that can pivot and grow alongside this new breed of client. If you鈥檙e not ready for that, you鈥檙e already obsolete.
Patrick> Honestly, it goes way beyond a process and knowledge. Sure, you can memorise frameworks and hammer out a tried-and-tested pitch flow. But the real magic? It鈥檚 being able to break down any conversation, cut through the corporate jargon, and turn it into a genuine, human exchange.
That鈥檚 where emotional intelligence meets a solid dose of skill and it鈥檚 where 鈥渟ales鈥 transform from a transaction into an honest conversation. It鈥檚 not about forcing anything; it鈥檚 about understanding someone鈥檚 vision and showing them how your ideas can help bring it to life. I'm not sure you can teach that to everyone.
Patrick> Honestly, I think the whole thing could do with a reset. I鈥檝e heard people say actors don鈥檛 have to audition once they鈥檝e won an Oscar. Makes sense. And I think this can be applied to the very very very best agencies. On another note, when we鈥檙e hiring talent, HR always warns that a slow, dragged-out process is the quickest way to lose great candidates. The same is true for agency pitches.
If your pitch process is bloated and bureaucratic, guess what? As a client, you鈥檙e setting the tone for the relationship and you鈥檒l likely get the same back from the agency in terms of service. You get what you give. Keep it sharp, confident, and purposeful, and you鈥檒l inspire the same in return.
A pitch should be a mutual interview, not an endless dance. If you鈥檙e a client looking to invest in creative thinking, you don鈥檛 need 37 rounds of feedback to spot who 鈥済ets鈥 your brand. And if you鈥檙e an agency with a killer offering, you don鈥檛 want to water down your ideas in a marathon slog.
That鈥檚 why I love Mother鈥檚 鈥淧itch it Forward鈥 initiative. It鈥檚 basically a quick audition. A simple, two-way conversation that respects everyone鈥檚 time and makes it clear from the jump whether there鈥檚 real chemistry. No overcooked theatrics or free spec work. Just a fast, honest dialogue where both sides can say, 鈥淵es, this feels right鈥 or 鈥淣o, let鈥檚 move on. The best part is that the saved time and sunk costs avoiding the pitch gets repurposed on purposeful projects. What better way to build mutual respect and chemistry?
At the end of the day, the best client work and relationships are built on trust and shared values. You can usually tell if that鈥檚 on the cards within the first meeting or two. Drawing it out rarely changes the outcome. So let鈥檚 drop the convoluted pitches, trade them for a tighter, more confident process, and spend less time filling in boxes and more time doing meaningful work together. That鈥檚 the real win.
Patrick> Start by figuring out who they really are. Not just the job title, but the person behind the desk. We鈥檙e all human. It鈥檚 about listening, uncovering what drives them, what their ambitions are, and where their pain points lie. Once you get that, you speak their language: drop the fluff, and focus on what actually matters. Because that鈥檚 how you shift from 鈥渢rying to sell something鈥 to actually helping, and that鈥檚 when you really earn trust.
Patrick> Rejection鈥檚 just part of the game. You can鈥檛 control when a client鈥檚 ready to buy in, but you can control how you show up. For us, it鈥檚 about living and breathing our 鈥淣ever Settle鈥 mantra. Pi doesn鈥檛 repeat itself; it鈥檚 always moving forward, never stagnant, and that鈥檚 exactly how we operate.
We stay sharp, curious, and constantly ahead of what鈥檚 coming next. That鈥檚 the trick to turning a 鈥淣o鈥 into something better鈥 鈥淥h, that鈥檚 interesting.鈥 And honestly, I鈥檒l take that spark of interest over a safe, boring 鈥測es鈥 any day. It鈥檚 about staying restless and relentless, no matter what.
Patrick> Personal relationships are great, but they鈥檙e not the point. Clients don鈥檛 show up to be your friend. They鈥檙e there because they need solutions, and your job is to prove you鈥檙e the one who can deliver. Trust, value, and results always come first. If you can鈥檛 nail that, it doesn鈥檛 matter how many drinks you鈥檝e shared.
That said, when you do get the work right, the relationship can grow into something deeper, more collaborative, more supportive, and yes, even personal. But that鈥檚 the cherry on top, not the cake itself. Start with trust, lead with value, and let the rest evolve naturally.
Patrick> Energy and belief. Clients don鈥檛 just buy ideas; they buy the energy behind them. When they see you鈥檙e passionate, that you believe in the work and its potential to change their world, it鈥檚 contagious. But belief alone doesn鈥檛 cut it, you need clarity. They need to leave that room knowing exactly what you鈥檙e bringing to the table, how it solves their problem, and why you鈥檙e the only ones who can do it.
Be confident, be sharp, and back your vision. That鈥檚 how you take them from interested to all-in.
Patrick> It鈥檚 everything. Selling (I hate that word) isn鈥檛 just about what you say, it鈥檚 about understanding how people work, what they value, and what makes them tick. That鈥檚 where cultural nuance comes in. Being based in Amsterdam gives us a massive advantage. This city is a melting pot of talent from every corner of the world, and because of that, working internationally becomes a muscle memory. It鈥檚 not a stretch, as it鈥檚 just how we think and work every day. The end.
Our 100% international team doesn鈥檛 just get the nuances; they鈥檝e lived them. They understand how to build trust in China, France, the UAE, Berlin, New York, the Netherlands, the UK, the US and beyond鈥 which is where our clients came from last year.
Patrick> Technology鈥檚 made it easier to track, manage, and scale, sure. CRMs, data dashboards, AI-driven insights and content creation. They鈥檙e all brilliant for efficiency and getting a bit of extra engagement.
The danger is leaning on tech too much, turning relationships into algorithms and treating people like data points. The best new business doesn鈥檛 come from a spreadsheet; it comes from showing up with energy, clarity, and a genuine understanding of the people across the table. Tech鈥檚 just the tool. You鈥檙e the difference.
Patrick> Forget everything you think new business is. It鈥檚 not about being pushy or perfect, it鈥檚 about being real. If you鈥檝e been asked to win new business, it鈥檚 because someone believes in you, so start by believing in yourself. And don鈥檛 try to be someone you鈥檙e not. The best new business people don鈥檛 sell. They connect. They inspire. If you bring your authentic energy to the table, people will respond. Because at the end of the day, people don鈥檛 buy from strangers, they buy from humans they trust. Be one of those.