Responding to RFPs: What's keeping you from getting started?

With huge revenue potential, RFPs can be a very appealing option for many businesses. You search for the perfect RFPs, save the due dates, and add them to your to-do list to get started.

And before you know it, the due date passes with no proposal submitted.

If this has happened to you, don’t worry. RFPs can be overwhelming and challenging to complete. While they sound great in theory, in practice it takes a lot of energy to actually respond to the RFP (and even more to win!).

Below are some of the most common challenges companies face that make getting started with RFPs difficult.

My Biggest Proposal Horror Story (and how to avoid the same mistake)

On a random November Wednesday many years ago I learned that a rainy day in Vegas is not the same as a rainy day in the Midwest.

That particular Wednesday was the due date for the largest proposal I had worked on up until that point. Estimated at $20 million per year with 4 optional renewal years (a total of five years), it was a lot of money, and a lot of work.

Cover letter vs Executive summary: What’s the difference?

Whether a prospect asked you to send over a proposal or you have a formal RFP on your desk, you’ve likely encountered recommendations to include a cover letter and/or executive summary in your proposal. If you’ve read instructions on how to write either, then you may be left wondering, “What’s the difference?”.

While these two sections have many similarities, there are key differences between cover letters and executive summaries, including when and how you should use them.

How to Organize Your Proposal

I started writing proposals in response to RFPs, and while RFPs have many cons, knowing what they want to see in the proposal is typically not one of them. Many RFPs detail the exact format to send as your bid, making my job a lot easier.

This isn’t always the case, unfortunately.

I remember the first time I had to create a proposal that wasn’t an RFP. It landed on my desk, and I asked my boss at least four times, “But how do I organize it?”

In the years since that stressful moment, I’ve worked on more and more proposals that don’t have a specific structure (including creating my own proposals as part of my business). In that time, I’ve developed a proposal structure that works no matter what you’re selling.

Let’s take a look at how you should organize your proposal in a few different situations.

Why I Use Excel to Manage RFP Responses

When an RFP lands on your desk, the first thing you do is open it up and start searching for everything needed to respond and win the project.

As you scroll through the document, you see requirement after requirement, questions followed by more questions, and a seemingly endless compilation of forms to be sent in with your proposal.

By this point you start to wonder, “How am I going to remember all of this?”

If you’ve ever been in that situation, then this post is for you!

7 Decisions to Make When Responding to RFPs

RFPs have the potential to bring large amounts of revenue into an organization while also bringing the risk of wasted time working on these competitive proposals.

To ensure you put your best foot forward, these seven key decisions will help you determine if an RFP is right for your company.

Proposal Writing, Sales WritingDemi UtleyAugust 30, 2022RFPs, rfp, proposal writing, proposal strategy

BTS: My Exact RFP Response Creation Process

Ever since I started working on proposals, I’ve had very few that ran right up to the deadline.

I do everything possible to avoid those situations because they are incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with RFPs; if you miss deadline, you’re out of the running.

I hate working up to the last minute because it means that we likely are behind on establishing a clear win strategy, content came in at the last minute, or changes were being made to pricing and/or the solution right up until it was time to hit submit.

Since those last minute changes can dramatically affect the quality of your proposal (and sometimes result in costly mistakes), I follow a clear process each time that allows me to establish strategy from the beginning, get the content started early, and hit deadlines time and time again.

5 Ways to Streamline Your Proposal Process

One of the biggest complaints I hear is how time-consuming proposal writing can be.

At many companies, proposals fall to the salesperson, marketer, business owner, or assistant, all of whom have many additional responsibilities that must be completed in addition to proposal writing.

If that’s the case for you, then the steps below can help you to streamline your process, so you spend less time creating proposals and more time ticking items off your to-do list.

How you should NOT start your proposal

When I drafted my first proposal, I had zero business writing experience. I knew very little about what would actually help sell within the proposal, and my general idea was that business writing had to be dry, technical, and to-the-point.

Like most people, to figure out what I should do, I turned to Google for answers. Our proposal template at the time started with a cover letter, and many cover letter examples (and even proposal examples) had similar opening sentences:

What is Technical Proposal Writing and How to Do It

Technical proposal writing requires an understanding of the proposed solution, your audience, and the main pain points. Writing the technical content of a proposal can be overwhelming and time consuming, but done well, it can result in a new project and/or client.

Proposal Writing, Sales WritingDemi UtleyJune 28, 2022Proposal Writing, RFPs

The One Thing Every Proposal Needs

Most proposals follow a similar structure. They might start with a cover letter or an executive summary before moving into the project scope, solution overview, and so on. Sellers concisely lay out product descriptions, team overviews, and pricing to show buyers exactly what they will receive and when.

Despite all of the perfect summaries and clear explanations, many proposals miss out on one critical component.

That missing piece?

5 Reasons to Build Your Content Library Now

There are many methods to write a proposal. A popular approach is to copy and paste from past proposals to create a new one using your favorite sections. Or you might use an old template that was created years ago with outdated content that you update every time you send it out. Let’s not forget the wait-until-the-last-second-and-frantically-type-everything approach. No matter what group you fall into, rest assured that there is a better way that takes much of the stress out of proposal writing.

5 Books to Help You Write Proposals

Writing is a skill that requires constant work and improvement. Like any skill, sometimes you need a bit of outside help and guidance to continue to improve. There’s no better place to get help than a good book, and the resources on this list are the perfect place to get started. So if you’re ready to take your proposals to another level and curl up with a good writing book, read on!

Questions to Ask During Your Proposal Kickoff Meeting

It’s easy to have the proposal kickoff meeting to be focused only on assigning tasks and aligning on schedule. However, since this is often the one time where the whole team is available, it is the perfect opportunity to dive into your proposal strategy. Whether you use the kickoff call for establishing your strategy or you have a separate meeting, below are a few key questions to address to make sure you’re positioned to win.

How to Get in Front of Buyers

If you’ve done much reading about proposals, then you know you are significantly more likely to be successful if you build a relationship with the buyer before they release the RFP. While this may sound great in theory, you might wonder: how do you actually do that?

Types of RFP Support Services to Win New Contracts

Whether you’re new to the world of RFPs or a proposal writing expert, sometimes you need a little extra help to get that RFP response out the door. In today’s post, we’re covering a few different types of RFP support services available to help you win your next contract.

Proposal Writing, Sales WritingDemi UtleyJuly 8, 2021rfp, proposal writing, RFPs, Proposal Content

4 Questions to Ask to Determine Your Key Differentiators

Many times, when you are creating a proposal, there is most likely at least one other competitor who is submitting a proposal at the same time. The competitive nature of proposals, especially in response to RFPs, makes it essential that your content highlights why your company is the best choice for the project.

Coming up with these differentiators can be difficult, however. Fortunately, there are a few questions you can answer to uncover just why your company is the best fit for a project. Read on to learn more.

Five Steps to Creating a Winning Proposal Format

Stop providing text heavy documents in your proposal submissions. When creating a proposal for a potential client, you will likely focus your attention on two main areas: pricing and content. Read more on how to highlight these key focuses and more.

Sales Writing, Proposal WritingDemi UtleyOctober 6, 2020

How to See Your Competitor's Proposals

When submitting a proposal in response to an RFP, the biggest question everyone asks is “how do I know who else is bidding and what they’re proposing?” Read more to learn a few of our favorite tips for leveling the competition.

Proposal Writing, Sales WritingDemi UtleySeptember 22, 2020Proposal Writing, sales content

What is the RFP Process: Strategic Steps to More Sales

Understanding the RFP process as a seller is critical to your success. Each phase of the RFP process provides an opportunity to connect with the customer and position your company to win the contract. By developing an approach for each phase of the RFP process, you will see your RFP win rates increase and your business grow.

Proposal Writing, Sales WritingDemi UtleyJune 18, 2020rfp, sales content, Proposal Writing, RFPs

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