More and more, RFPs specifically ask for concise responses. But how do you decide what to include and what to leave out? Samantha Enslen is the Founder and President of Dragonfly Editorial , an award-winning creative agency known for explaining complex topics clearly, whether the team is writing proposals, marketing communication or thought leadership pieces. Samantha is sought-after in the proposal world for her expertise in content strategy and writing, and she was recently named a 2020 APMP F...
Mar 03, 2021•22 min•Ep. 83
So, you’ve submitted your RFP response. You considered pricing carefully and went as low as you felt you could in the proposal. And now the client is asking for your Best and Final Offer (BAFO). How do you negotiate pricing so that you don’t end up taking a loss on the job or being taken advantage of by the client? Is there some way that everyone can win? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share my top three tips for negotiating your BAFO, challenging you to know your own value and be wi...
Feb 17, 2021•8 min•Ep. 82
How do you decide what your solution is worth? Of course, pricing is dependent on the ask involved in a given RFP. But there are a few guidelines that can help you think strategically about how to price the goods and services you provide. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I’m sharing five best practices for developing an RFP pricing strategy, explaining why it’s crucial to consider your pricing early in the response process and NOT wait until the last minute. I discuss how to tie your pri...
Feb 03, 2021•9 min•Ep. 81
How long should your proposal be? Yes, you want to give evaluators all the information they need so you score the maximum points. But there’s a fine line between adding the right amount of detail and overwhelming your reader! So, how do you describe what you do, how you do it and why it’s important in a concise, accessible way? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I’m sharing my top four tips for finding the right proposal length, challenging you to create a balance between providing suffici...
Jan 20, 2021•12 min•Ep. 80
According to Gallup research, only 15% of US employees feel engaged at work. And when employees aren’t motivated, the bottom line suffers. So, what can leaders do to better connect with their teams—in a time when tensions are high and many of us are working remotely? And how might those strategies for establishing connection extend to the RFP response? Management Consultant Mark Musgrave has advised many federal government agencies, major corporations and the Cabinet of the George W. Bush admini...
Dec 15, 2020•28 min•Ep. 79
“It’s really about that customer intimacy. The more than you can understand what they’re doing, where they’re going, and dialogue with them well before an RFP really makes the difference.” --Jennifer Zonneveld Developing a winning proposal strategy requires that we know opportunities are coming well in advance and build relationships with the organization’s decision-makers. But how do you find out about forthcoming RFPs and then build the kind of customer intimacy that will give you a leg up? Je...
Nov 23, 2020•32 min•Ep. 78
In a perfect world, an organization’s proposal, marketing and business development teams work together, building a strategic plan for RFP success. And yet, a number of proposal professionals continue to be siloed from the rest of the organization and left out of the capture strategy discussion. So, what can we do to demonstrate our value beyond the production of the proposal document and demand a seat at the table? Today, we’re joined Susan Quinn, the Director of Proposal Development at Myers an...
Nov 06, 2020•37 min•Ep. 77
While the COVID era has been a challenge for the RFP industry, we can take advantage of this opportunity to reinvent the way we work, improving our processes and leveraging the tools available to collaborate—whether or not we’re together in the same room. So, what will the RFP process look like in a post-Coronavirus world? Today, we’re joined by David Seibert, President of The Seibert Group and author of Proposal Best Practices: A Practical Guide to Improving Your Win Rate When Responding to RFP...
Oct 09, 2020•44 min•Ep. 76
Do you feel like you don’t stand out? Like you keep getting passed over for new opportunities? Are you ready to change that? You CAN set yourself apart, provided you make a commitment to cultivating a particular set of skills. The skills shared by top performers. On this episode of the RFP Success Show, I’m sharing the top five traits of a top performer, challenging you to go beyond simply doing your job well to EXCEED expectations. I discuss the importance of intellectual curiosity and resource...
Jun 02, 2020•17 min•Ep. 75
There is no user’s manual for what we’re facing right now. The COVID-19 quarantine has disrupted business as we know it and shifted the way companies are spending money. So, what can small businesses do make the best use of this uncertain time? How can we position ourselves as an ideal vendor partner or service provider that corporate decision makers will advocate for when a need arises? Angelique Rewers is the Founder and CEO of The Corporate Agent , a management consulting firm that helps entr...
May 19, 2020•48 min•Ep. 74
These are unprecedented times we are living in and it can be difficult to keep morale and engagement high as work becomes remote. Nobody has all the answers as we transition to a different business environment, but we are all working toward getting a better grasp on how to handle those changes and move toward a new normal. On this episode of the RFP Success Show, Zak Hemraj of Loopio talks about the response from industry professionals to the virtual town hall Loopio hosted and what themes were ...
May 05, 2020•26 min•Ep. 73
It’s no longer enough to simply meet the qualifications in an RFP. Everyone who is bidding meets the qualifications. If we want to win, we have to show the potential client that we know who they are and what they need—and that they can trust us to deliver. So, how do we create that strong emotional connection in a proposal? Dr. Kevin Switaj is the President and CEO of BZ Opportunity Management , a consulting firm that helps small- and mid-sized government contractors navigate the RFP process. He...
Apr 21, 2020•25 min•Ep. 72
A lot of business leaders think of story as fluff. They favor data over description, believing that a list of merits is enough to connect with a potential client. But data doesn’t make you more likable or trustworthy. Storytelling does. Faye Fulton is a professional NSA speaker, author and business storytelling consultant. Her expertise lies in training business owners and professionals around what a story entails, the types of stories used in business, and how to leverage the power of strategic...
Apr 07, 2020•31 min•Ep. 71
What can you do to make sure your small business survives the chaos caused by the Coronavirus? One strategy is to secure government contracts for your particular product or service. But are federal, state and local governments buying right now? Mark Musgrave serves as Regional Procurement Manager at GovPurchase , the nation’s leading online government contracting tool. Mark and his team pair the GovPurchase software, a comprehensive database of existing federal, state and local bids, with person...
Mar 31, 2020•26 min•Ep. 70
We are living through an unprecedented time. The Coronavirus pandemic has a lot of us working from home, learning how to communicate with our teams remotely and stay productive despite the potential distractions. On this episode of the RFP Success Show, I’m sharing my best practices for working remotely. I address how to conduct client communication from home, offering advice on identifying Wi-Fi dead spots and minimizing background noise if at all possible. I share my top work-from-home product...
Mar 24, 2020•15 min•Ep. 69
Procrastination can be really brutal. It’s human nature and something we all suffer from at some point, but the good news is that it is a completely manageable condition. Once you become aware of the source of your procrastination, you can start your recovery process and tackle any challenge. In this episode of the RFP Success Show, I break down the four key reasons we procrastinate and give you some of my best procrastination busters to help you check all those lingering items off your task lis...
Mar 17, 2020•23 min•Ep. 68
“The people who do proposal work have a variety of skills that you just cannot find in just anybody. We’re curious like journalists, we’re problem solvers, we’re salespeople on paper, we’re big-picture focused, we’re detail oriented, we like structure and order but we’re flexible and adaptable, and we’re creatives. We’re here to keep businesses in business. And that’s the bottom line.” Robin Davis is the Founder and CEO of Metre Works LLC , an APMP-certified consulting firm dedicated to helping ...
Feb 25, 2020•27 min•Ep. 67
Why is it that the sales team gets the glory if you win an RFP, but the proposal team gets the blame when you lose? If the leadership in your organization sees the proposal as an operational necessity rather than a strategic imperative, it’s time to build an internal case for the value you deliver. But how do you earn that buy-in from the VP of Sales? How do you demonstrate that you’re an integral part of the sales process? David Bloom is the Senior Director of Sales at RFPIO , a software platfo...
Feb 11, 2020•30 min•Ep. 66
Do you have a stack of RFPs sitting on your desk? Every day that you wait to get started is a day your competitors are using to produce a winning proposal. So, what can you do to jumpstart the process and put together the response you DESERVE to submit? On this episode of the RFP Success Show, I’m sharing my top tips for developing a frontend process that helps you hit the ground running on every RFP. I discuss why it’s dangerous to put off a proposal until the last minute, walking you through t...
Jan 28, 2020•19 min•Ep. 65
Imagine a world where proposal managers aren’t chasing down subject matter experts (SMEs) at the 11th hour for the information they need. A world where content maintenance is part of a SME’s primary work, not something extra they have to do. A world where it’s easy to verify the validity of the content you’re copying and pasting into an RFP response. A world where automation streamlines the workflow, allowing you to spend less time responding to more RFPs—and make more money in the process! Gane...
Jan 14, 2020•29 min•Ep. 64
We tend to associate intelligence with success, believing that the smartest and most highly skilled among us come out on top. But I would argue that fostering emotional intelligence is equally important because it makes us better communicators and expands our influence. So, what does it look like when someone has a high EQ? And how can we cultivate our own emotional intelligence? On this episode of the RFP Success Show, I’m introducing the five elements of emotional intelligence and explaining w...
Dec 10, 2019•15 min•Ep. 63
As proposal professionals, we work in a high-stress environment, and we spend a lot of time sitting at our desks. The shocking truth is, even if we work out for an hour a day, seven days a week, that’s not enough to counteract the other 23 sedentary hours! So, what can we do to prioritize our health and manage the stress of working in the RFP space? Cheri Fisher has been a fitness professional for more than 20 years, working in both commercial gyms and community parks and recreation. She spent t...
Dec 03, 2019•28 min•Ep. 62
In the last 20 years, proposal professionals have done a lot of work in developing best practices around the proposal process, defining the skills and competencies required to craft a winning RFP. But we have yet to clearly define what professionalism means for our trade craft in terms of mindset or attitude. So, how has the proposal industry evolved over time? How can our community set the trends for a better future? How do we want others to see us? Ajay Patel has an extensive history in the pr...
Nov 05, 2019•40 min•Ep. 61
Generating an RFP response is about WAY more than simply answering the questions provided. If you want to win business, the first step is to think through a proposal strategy with your team. But what is the most effective approach to creating an RFP strategy? And how do you define your unique competitive advantage? Ajay Patel is the President and CEO of SMA , a management consulting firm that helps companies compete to win business. Ajay has a demonstrated history in the space, developing expert...
Oct 29, 2019•27 min•Ep. 60
When it comes to proposals, less is more. And yet, many of us make the mistake of writing to IMPRESS rather than EXPRESS. We use stilted language, and we write too much—making the reader do all the work to find the answers they need. So, how do we learn to write RFPs in plain language that’s easy on the eyes and brain? Ronnie Moore is a well-known trainer, speaker and author with 27 years of experience in the field of spoken and written communication—and 1,200 presentations under her belt! As a ...
Oct 22, 2019•24 min•Ep. 59
So, you’re ready to fill some key roles on your proposal team. But how do you know you’re hiring the right person? How do you write an appropriate job description? Where do you go to find top talent? And what can you do in the interview process to ensure alignment for the long term? Devon Underwood is the Founder and Lead Strategist at The Talent Store , an executive search and talent strategy firm based in Tucson, Arizona. Devon has 15 years of experience in the space, and she is an expert in b...
Oct 15, 2019•34 min•Ep. 58
I see a lot of small businesses make the mistake of assigning one person to the production of an RFP response. The problem is, if you’re the only one working on a proposal, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. You’re too imbedded in the details to think strategically. So, how many people do you need on a proposal team? What are the key roles you need to fill? And what is each team member responsible for? On this episode of the RFP Success Show, I’m defining the four key roles on a proposal...
Oct 08, 2019•19 min•Ep. 57
The beauty of storyboarding is that it creates an artifact to represent the story in your head, and it can be used throughout the RFP process. You can leverage storyboarding to make the go/no-go decision, to think critically about your overall strategy, and to find holes in your solution. So, how exactly do you get started? What does the storyboarding process look like? Marketing and Proposal Professional Ama Cobbina specializes in graphic design and graphic facilitation in the RFP process. She ...
Oct 01, 2019•32 min•Ep. 56
We know that storyboarding has its roots in animation. But how might we leverage the process for business? How can storyboarding support us in creating different types of action plans? And can we apply the practice to the development of an RFP? Natalie Sayer is an NSA Professional Speaker and Certified Global Executive Coach who catalyzes organizations to improve results through the power of people, processes and culture. With more than 15 years of experience in management consulting, she is hig...
Sep 24, 2019•37 min•Ep. 55
Large proposal teams working in the federal space leverage color reviews to produce first-rate RFPs. The process ensures that all requirements are met and that an appropriate story is told throughout the response. So, how might an understanding of this process help smaller teams write better proposals? And how might you adapt parts of this process to win more business with RFPs? On this episode of the podcast, I’m walking you through the six color reviews used by large teams bidding on federal c...
Sep 17, 2019•16 min•Ep. 54
