As creative professionals, the biggest and most anticipated moment during a project or a pitch is the presentation of the creative work. On Mad Men, the masterful Don Draper sets up the client with a prospective question and as they ponder, he unveils the mocked up art boards that reveal the answer (and usually win the account.)  This is not a purely fictional scenario, in reality it's the ideal way that well crafted creative work should be presented, even if we can't always do it as smoothly as Mr. Draper. 

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There's an inclination to "hide" your budget from an outside firm when you talk about marketing. Typically we hear "I don't know what this costs, I want you to tell me," or "I want to see what you come back with vs. other quotes I've had."

There are some fundamental problems with this:

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I was recently asked to give some business advice. I thought about it for quite a while – first of all, I’m not that old, so I haven’t accumulated much wisdom worth sharing. But I have opinions, so I could find something to say. What, then, could I suggest that is unique and has real value?

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