How to Be Concise in an RFP Response – with Samantha Enslen - EP083
Episode description
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 Fellow.
On this episode of the podcast, Samantha joins us to explain how to balance being concise with providing enough information in the RFP response.
She shares her top strategies for guiding technical experts to write more concisely, discussing why it’s helpful to pair SMEs with proposal writers or editors.
Listen in for Samantha’s insight on attracting and keeping the attention of skimmers and get her top tips for deciding what details are relevant—and which ones to phase out.
Key TakeawaysSamantha’s introduction to proposals at a temp agency in DC
How Dragonfly helps clients with RFP responses as well as marketing and communications writing
How to balance being concise with providing enough information
Samantha’s advice on answering the questions up front in a sound bite that’s easy to find
The 2 questions Samantha asks to decide what details to add
- Does this highlight our differentiators?
- Does this explain how we add value to the client?
How Samantha guides SMEs to write more concisely
Why it’s helpful to pair an SME with a proposal writer or editor
Samantha’s recommendations for attracting and keeping the attention of skimmers
- Include the most important info first
- Break the content into easily digestible chunks
- Give each chunk a meaningful subhead
- Set critical info in bulleted lists
How Samantha uses sidebars for details and supplementary info
Why callout boxes should ONLY be used for high-value information
The value in highlighting client testimonials in callout boxes or sidebars
Connect with Samantha Connect with LisaThe RFP Success Company on YouTube
The RFP Success Community on LinkedIn
Email podcast@rfpsuccess.com
ResourcesISO Standards of Plain Language