Zelda responded...
Pitching is useless, in my opinion. A person can be a great speaker and pitch a fantastic story to me, but not have the writing to back it up. 99% of the time, this has happened to me as an agent.

It is true that a person could talk a great story but I have to humbly disagree with the comment on pitching. When people pitch to me, I am not just looking at the story, but I am listening to that writer to see if this is a person that: A) gets it; B) understands the business; C) Has a plan that is realistic about where they are going with their writing; and finally D) is professional enough. I am a firm believer that as an agent, I am not simply selling a book but selling a product that includes the author.