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In 2026, client budgets are shrinking, but expectations are skyrocketing, driven largely by AI. Increasingly, clients are shopping around for the best deal, requesting more pitches, bids, and complex submissions of interest that drain hours of work from already stretched teams.
Here we’re sharing brand-new research on the new phenomenon of ‘Clientfishing’, the hidden cost of the pitch economy, and how to use Teamwork.com to manage this.
Growth is often the default goal for client service businesses. And when you step back a bit, you can see how that drive to get more clients, more pipeline, more revenue can easily morph into a growth strategy that lacks clarity or intention.
This shows up in a bunch of different ways. In how you chase new work. In how much unpaid effort you’re willing to give away. And in the kinds of “opportunities” you say yes to, even when something feels off.
In Teamwork.com’s new research we spotted something that often happens as part of this process. We’re calling it Clientfishing.
Client seems too good to be true? They probably are.
Bidding for work always gets off to a great start, doesn't it? You feel energised. Your prospect seems like a dream. Big budget. Nice team. Cool project you really want to be a part of.
And then all of a sudden, you get that familiar feeling that something is off. The more you meet the client, the more you start to feel that they’re not what you thought. Or worse, after a bunch of hard work and complicated pitches, they ghost you completely.
And suddenly you realise: the client never really planned to take on a new partner at all.
That’s Clientfishing.
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Budget cuts = more window shopping
In 2026, client budgets are shrinking — or at least they’re much more cagey about spending*. And at the same time, AI means the pressure to do more with less is skyrocketing. So you wind up having to fight harder than ever to justify your invoices.
Our research found that the gap between what clients want to GET vs. what they want to PAY FOR, is widening massively. And this is causing clients — even ones who are happy with the vendors that they have — to shop around a lot more..
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Growth isn’t just about volume. It’s navigating a runaway pitch economy.
There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with clients checking out other options. A bit of healthy competition keeps us all on our toes. The problem right now is the scale of the shopping around multiplied by the sheer amount of work involved in a bid, RFP, or pitch.
Unpaid multi-stage pitches with tough timelines are rampant, with the average agency spending €651k/year according to the European Association of Communications Agencies.
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Right now, client service firms are doing everything they can to scale by winning more work. And it’s not just in the name of growth, it’s survival too. But this becomes a real catch 22 when you start drowning in pitches that eat into your time to deliver quality work — or optimizing the client work you already have.
Recalculating the human cost of “free work”
And clientfishing doesn't just impact margins, it hits people too. Blood, sweat, and tears goes into winning new work, and many businesses are burning out teams with non-fee earning work before they even get to the tasks that keep them in business.
There was a brilliant article last year in Campaign magazine about this, highlighting the lack of good time-tracking systems as a way to protect wellbeing in ad agencies.Agencies are on a constant treadmill of chasing new pipeline, determined to grow even as their ability to deliver becomes less predictable. More contests, more slide decks, and more hoops to jump through. And you’re giving away your best thinking for free! That’s kind of soul destroying if your prospect is only looking for a bargaining chip to haggle with their existing vendor.
Or, as that same agency told me “We were trying to win work but at the same time burning out the team we were relying on to deliver it.
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How to protect time and profit during pitching
There’s a couple of ways to spot a clientfish before they swim off with your best ideas — and team morale too.
The client requests extensive strategy work during pitch phase
They admit they already have an established partner, but are ‘looking around’ for competitive bids
They go cold. You did the pitch of your life, but get radio silence after sending next steps on sending detailed proposals
And here’s what you can do about it. Number one. Set clear boundaries exploratory versus billable work. Frame deeper strategy as a paid discovery phase to protect value while still demonstrating expertise.
Number two. Qualify early by asking what would need to change for them to switch partners. Decide whether the opportunity is strategic visibility or a genuine chance to win. Number three. Stage the proposal so commitment is required before full detail is shared, and align next steps live to avoid sending a “final” document into a vacuum.
One final thought. Real growth isn’t just about adding more clients to your books. It’s winning the right ones and spotting the gaps, leaks, and quick wins in the work you already have. That’s what we do at Teamwork.com on every project.
And as for the work you’re trying to win? We support that too — with tactical ways to protect your time and value during pitching, to actually planning and profiting off the work once you win the job.
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