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How to write a killer RFP

Denise Zimmerman
Media Planning & Buying Posted on April 09, 2012
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Request for proposal (RFP): The mere phrase makes some cringe. And while we all have somewhat different perspectives, there is some universality in the RFP experience that we share. And I regret to report that overall, it is not very good.

A general consensus among folks that I reached out to is that the RFP process is broken and does not align with the dynamics of our industry. It is an antiquated mechanism that supports laziness and suboptimal results.

How to write a killer RFP

However, very few have a solution or a fix. But there are a number of factors that we can agree on that make for either bad or good practices. And rather than just kvetch and complain, here are some guiding points to make things better.

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Comments

Bob Sanders
Bob Sanders April 10, 2012 at 5:00 PM

Great insight into the whole RFP conundrum. Everyday agencies fill them out. But some agencies win, and others lose.

What really happens during a RFP review? Have you considered the prospects life?
Just imagine sitting at home with dozens of replies to a RFP. What's going through your head? Which one is the best agency, or how fast can sort these and get back to my family? Even worst, there is a review board. How are they going to pick the best agencies to move into the next round?

This past week I was working with an agency to help them win a critical RFP. Our client intended to fill out all the questions, focus on getting the content just right, make it look beautiful with all types on watermarks, design elements, pictures, and packaging.

And lose.

Why? Because that's what everyone does.

I spent the day with them working on approaching the RFP response from a completely different angle.
We answered questions differently, used word pictures to create visual opportunities and changed the format and style of writing. The response was organized and presented in a way that was much easier to read. It included teasers and agency points of views that have been proven successful in driving agencies to the finals. It distinguishes the agency from the others in any cattle call.

The next time you receive an RFP, think about the prospect.

If you really want to win, think about calling Sanders Consulting.

Bob Sanders
President
Sanders Consulting Group
Blog: http://sandersconsulting.com/newbusinesshawk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/newbusinesshawk

Joe Pych
Joe Pych April 9, 2012 at 1:33 PM

Thank you for highlighting NextMark's efforts to fix the RFP process. I want to clarify your point about costs... it's actually free for a publisher to submit a proposal in response to an RFP invitation with the NextMark system. There would only be a charge if you submit an unsolicited proposal via the RFC process that Brian Morrissey describes in his article. This cost is in place to avoid proposal "spam" in the system.