Companies that are new to government contracting see it as a magic bullet. You respond to an RFP, and you win a lucrative five-year contract! And yes, it’s easy to get excited about an opportunity that seems like a great fit for your business. But if you don’t already have a relationship with the buyer, you’re chances of winning are quite low. So, you’re not doing yourself any favors by bidding cold. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I explain what it means to bid cold and why it’s almost...
Sep 14, 2022•15 min•Ep. 113
Should you build your own internal RFP team? Or outsource the proposal process? If your company is just breaking into the RFP space, you may be looking at larger companies that have as many as 10 dedicated proposal professionals and wondering, is that where we're going? Is that what we should be doing? So, what factors should you consider in deciding whether to buy or build an internal RFP team? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I explore the pros and cons of building your own in-house pr...
Jun 29, 2022•15 min•Ep. 112
The state, local and education or SLED market took a hit in 2020 as COVID shutdowns forced governments to shift into remote or hybrid operations. But federal funding is helping the market rebound. And money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) means opportunities for businesses to break into or expand their reach in SLED government contracting. So, what industries look to benefit most from ARPA? And what can your business do to capitalize on growing opportunities in the SLED market? Chris Di...
Jun 15, 2022•45 min•Ep. 111
Are you struggling with state government RFPs? Though it seems counterintuitive, you will win MORE contracts by bidding LESS. Just ask the team at Highstreet IT Solutions . They reduced their response rate from six to three formal RFPs per month. And doubled their win rate in the process. Josh Ezring is Vice President of Business Development at Highstreet IT. He has more than 20 years of experience as a senior sales leader with top enterprise software companies including Oracle, HP and IBM. On t...
Jun 01, 2022•32 min•Ep. 110
Bidding on RFPs that aren’t a good fit is a waste of time and resources, and it takes a real toll on your win rate—and the morale of your team. But to make better go/no-go decisions, you need a system. So, what does it look like to develop a successful go/no-go decision-making process? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share five steps to developing an effective go/no-go process, explaining how to determine your go/no-go criteria and create a corresponding checklist or scoring tool. I d...
May 18, 2022•12 min•Ep. 109
Let's say you have grounds to file a federal bid protest. What does the process look like? Are there steps your company can take to prepare now, before a bid protest comes up? Carissa Siebeneck Anderson serves as Of Counsel at Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot, and her practice focuses on federal bid protests, government contracts, regulatory compliance and corporate law. Carissa has extensive knowledge around SBA 8(a), HUBZone, women- and veteran-owned programs, and before joining Birch Horton ...
May 04, 2022•43 min•Ep. 108
So, your small business lost out on a federal bid. But you feel like you were unfairly scored or that the contract requirements were biased. Do you file a protest? Carissa Siebeneck Anderson is Of Counsel at the Washington DC Office of Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot . She has expertise in the realm of small business government contracting, SBA 8(a), HUBZone, women- and veteran-owned programs, and she regularly represents clients in bid protests. Prior to joining Birch Horton Bittner & Che...
Apr 20, 2022•40 min•Ep. 107
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill provides an opportunity for small businesses to develop a new revenue stream by way of state government contracting. But if you jump in and start bidding without a game plan, you’ll lose 95% of the time. And while it might feel risky to put significant time and effort into the necessary prep work, you’ll be much more likely to win state contracts than your competitors who bid cold. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share our seven-point plan for break...
Apr 06, 2022•29 min•Ep. 106
To grow a small business, you need more customers. But did you know that too many of the wrong customers is what keeps a lot of companies stuck? According to Charles Fred, low-value clients are high maintenance, hard on your people, and they take up 75% of your time. That’s why it’s so important to define your high-value customers and bid only on the RFPs that fit those criteria. Charles is the Cofounder and CEO of TrueSpace , a research firm founded to support small businesses and help them gro...
Mar 23, 2022•40 min•Ep. 105
We’d like to believe that we make purchasing decisions based on logic. But consumer psychology research affirms that, in truth, we buy based on emotion. And we’re unconsciously influenced by visual cues and sensory language. So, how might we apply the principles of consumer psychology and behavioral economics to the proposal development process? Marketing Strategy Consultant Sean Stewart has 20 years of service marketing experience, serving as a proposal writer, proposal manager and marketing di...
Mar 09, 2022•42 min•Ep. 104
How do you decide whether to bid on an RFP? Too many companies make a go/no-go decision solely on their ability to do the work. But when you bid on everything you can do, you water down your resources. And you don’t have enough time and energy to put into the opportunities you really do have a chance of winning. So, what criteria should you use to make the go/no-go decision on an RFP? On this episode of the podcast, I discuss the 11 questions to ask before you decide whether to bid on an RFP, ch...
Feb 23, 2022•23 min•Ep. 103
We process visuals 60,000 times faster than we do text. And yet, most proposal teams see graphics as a nice-to-have. Something you add in at the last minute to make a response more visually appealing. But what if you leveraged the visuals to support the story you’re telling in an RFP? What if you were just as strategic in planning the graphics as you are in crafting the text of a proposal response? Ama Cobbina is the Cofounder and Marketing Director at mAt, a strategic visualization and marketin...
Feb 09, 2022•46 min•Ep. 102
When you write an RFP, you’re not just competing on qualifications and capabilities. In fact, everyone who’s bidding can answer the questions from a technical perspective. But you can differentiate yourself with a strong brand and tell the story of what sets your business apart throughout a proposal document. Michael Zipursky is the Cofounder and CEO of Consulting Success , a firm that specializes in helping consultants grow profitable, scalable and strategic businesses. Michael has more than tw...
Jan 26, 2022•46 min•Ep. 101
If your company makes it to orals, take a moment to celebrate. But remember, you haven’t won the bid yet! So, how do you prepare for the RFP oral presentation? How can your team leverage orals to build rapport with the evaluators and make them want to work with you? Andy McGowan is Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Initiatives at CommCore Consulting , a specialty public relations firm that helps organizations achieve their communication goals. Andy has 30 years of experience as a s...
Jan 12, 2022•43 min•Ep. 100
So, you have nearly all the qualifications necessary to bid on an RFP, but you need to partner with another business to fill in the gaps. How do you choose the right company as a partner? What makes for a successful partnership in the proposal development process—and beyond? Anne Tarantino is the VP of Corporate Sales at Velocity Tech Solutions , an IT support company out of Roseville, Minnesota. Hannah Johannsen is the Director of Strategic Business Development at Impact Group, Inc. , an IT con...
Dec 15, 2021•40 min•Ep. 99
Everybody assumes that the majority of an RFP response timeline should be devoted to the writing. And yes, of course, the writing is very important. But there are many other pieces of the puzzle that contribute to a win. Pieces that take more time than we realize. So, what does an effective response timeline look like? How much time does the proposal team need AFTER the first pass of technical writing is done? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share my best practices for planning a succ...
Dec 01, 2021•19 min•Ep. 98
As proposal professionals, we know that the work of winning an RFP begins long before the request for proposal is released. And if your team has developed a strong capture planning process, you will already know what issues the potential client is up against and have a solution that addresses their specific needs. Lisa Ehrlich and Tom Gillin are the Vice President of Proposals and Vice President of State Partnerships, respectively, at Cognia , a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to continuous i...
Nov 18, 2021•40 min•Ep. 97
Is there a place for storytelling in business? According to Paul Furiga, story plays a crucial role in differentiating a company from its competitors and attracting customers, employees, partners and investors to the brand. But how do you figure out what your business’ story is and then tell it effectively in an RFP response? Paul is the President and Chief Storyteller at WordWrite , a top-ranked independent PR agency dedicated to helping clients in healthcare, manufacturing and professional ser...
Nov 03, 2021•38 min•Ep. 96
You know it’s important to distinguish yourself from the competition in an RFP response. And one surefire way to set yourself apart is by demonstrating industry authority. But few companies do this well. It’s not enough to say you have multiple years of experience or advertise how many hundreds of clients you’ve helped. So, what is the best way to communicate industry authority in a proposal response? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share some of the generic, blanket statements to avo...
Oct 20, 2021•17 min•Ep. 95
Are you making the time to do a strategic review before you submit a proposal response? If not, you’re missing an opportunity to elevate the level of your RFP and stand out from the crowd. So, what does a strategic review look like? And how can you make it a regular part of your RFP process? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share the three steps to completing a successful strategic review, explaining who should be involved in conducting the review and why it’s so important. I walk you ...
Oct 06, 2021•19 min•Ep. 94
Only focusing on getting things done faster is NOT a sustainable solution for your RFP process. That's why Kathryn Bennett encourages using Lean principles over Agile ones to get work done right the first time. Kathryn is the Director of RFP Excellence at Loopio, a Toronto-based software company that streamlines the RFP response process for more than 1,000 leading organizations, including IBM and DocuSign. Loopio has twice earned a spot on the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and was selected as one ...
Sep 22, 2021•43 min•Ep. 93
Crafting your #RFP to get a win is a large and technical undertaking. But telling the story of why your business is going to do something wonderful for this world can be the key to getting on your reviewer’s good side. How can you make sure you are doing everything you can to get your RFP approved? Does taking a moment to step back and reflect on your mistakes help you get ahead as an entrepreneur? Deb Zahn is the Founder and CEO of Craft of Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping accomplished p...
Jul 07, 2021•25 min•Ep. 92
The pandemic was perhaps the world’s most difficult stress test. But you can emerge stronger if you take action NOW. So, what should businesses be doing to recover from the disruption of COVID? How might you benefit from the American Rescue Plan? And how can you put yourself in the best position to win stimulus dollars through RFPs? Deb Zahn is the Founder and CEO of Craft of Consulting , a firm dedicated to helping accomplished professionals start, build and grow their own consulting business. ...
Jun 23, 2021•27 min•Ep. 91
When the pandemic began, businesses scrambled to create systems for working from home. But now, we have a chance to take a breath and rethink our processes. To be more intentional in our sourcing of technology. To find efficient ways to collaborate, in or out of the office. Dave Hulsen is a Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer at RFP360 , the premiere RFP management software solution for buyers and proposal teams. In his role as a technology consultant, Dave gained years of experience both issu...
Jun 09, 2021•26 min•Ep. 90
The American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March, and with it, we anticipate an exponential increase in buying for infrastructure projects. So, what should your business be doing TODAY to get ready for the coming influx in RFPs? Dave Hulsen is the Cofounder and COO of RFP360 , a full-circle RFP management software solution that improves the way businesses issue and respond to RFPs. He has an extensive background as a technology consultant, where he gained experience on both the buyer and re...
May 26, 2021•28 min•Ep. 89
Yes, you need an effective strategy, efficient processes and engaging content to build a winning culture on your RFP team. But the keyword here is TEAM. You need the fourth and final piece of the puzzle, the PEOPLE, to execute on the first three elements of our 4x4 framework. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I address the four components of a successful RFP team, explaining how to make sure you have the right people in the right roles. I offer advice on how to keep your proposal team mot...
May 12, 2021•12 min•Ep. 88
Now that you know how to build an effective RFP strategy and establish efficient processes, it’s time to tackle the meat and potatoes of the proposal response—CONTENT. So, what questions should you be asking as you write the proposal itself? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I cover the four key guidelines for creating proposal content, reminding you to address the question at hand and position the content around your solution. I explain how to write to the evaluation criteria, focusing y...
Apr 28, 2021•11 min•Ep. 87
Once you have the right RFP strategy in place, it’s time to take a look at your proposal PROCESSES. And while we don’t want to overburden you with processes, having a few key systems in place can save you a LOT of time and trouble. On this episode of the podcast, I discuss the four processes you need to get a proposal out the door efficiently, starting with your process for learning about RFPs for your target clients. I explain why it’s crucial to have an assessment process that moves quickly an...
Apr 14, 2021•10 min•Ep. 86
To consistently win bids with your proposals, you need four puzzle pieces in place—strategy, process, content and people. And here at the RFP Success Company, we call these components the 4x4 Framework for RFP Success. For the next four weeks, I’m walking you through each of the four elements of the framework, beginning with STRATEGY. So, what does a successful RFP strategy look like? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I discuss the four types of strategy a company needs to enjoy a win rat...
Mar 31, 2021•13 min•Ep. 85
Proposals that win business are easy to read. But how do we make technical content accessible without dumbing down the material? And what tools are available to help us improve the readability of an RFP response? Samantha Enslen is the content strategist and technical editor behind Dragonfly Editorial , an award-winning creative agency known for explaining complex topics clearly. The Dragonfly team creates content for some of the world’s leading consulting firms, including PricewaterhouseCoopers...
Mar 17, 2021•24 min•Ep. 84
