What is the #1 question we get from clients and prospects? Is it a tactical question about insurance requirements, due dates or FOIA requests? Or a high-level question around standing out from competitors? Listen in as I answer five more RFP FAQs, including our most frequently asked question on distinguishing yourself in the proposal process.

If you had the opportunity to ask an expert questions about winning business with RFPs, what would you want to know? Do you have questions about pricing? Competing with big companies? Or recognizing when an RFP is wired? Listen in as I answer five of the frequently asked #questions we get about RFPs.

To win business with RFPs, you’ve got to distinguish yourself from the competition in your response. But what if you don’t know what your differentiators are? Listen in as I share my M&M analogy for RFPs, challenging you to identify your ‘candy coating’ and leverage it to stand out in a proposal response!

Are you losing RFP bids because you aren’t certified as a small or diverse business? Listen in as Heather Cox of Certify My Company walks us through the 5 primary demographics for certification and explains how your company can win more business through private sector national or state government certifications.

Are you afraid of using tools like ChatGPT? Or do you think AI is a magic bullet that will write RFPs with minimal effort on your part? Listen in as Stephanie Nivinskus of SizzleForce Marketing shares the right way to leverage artificial intelligence to write effective proposal responses and other marketing copy for your business!

If an RFP isn’t asking a question that you think it should, is it okay to provide additional information? While it’s tempting to tell a client what you think they need in your proposal response, it’s not always well received. Listen in as I share my ‘baked potato’ analogy for elaborating on RFP response answers!

We recently helped a small business client get their first RFP win. And they were up against some big players in their industry. What did they do to stand out? Listen in as I share the 3 categories of content you need to set yourself apart in an RFP response—distinction, interest and value proposition.

Here at the RFP Success Company, we get some of the same questions over and over. And in episode 129, we covered 8 of the FAQs we get from our clients and community. Listen in as I answer 7 more of the most common questions business owners ask about responding to RFPs!

Steve Schramm’s team has achieved 80% win rates on state government contracts by making RFPs part of a larger business development process. So, how does he identify prospects and build relationships with them before an RFP drops? Listen in as Steve explains how to recognize, research and raise your visibility with target clients!

Steve Schramm’s proposal team was bidding on 12 state government contracts per year and only winning two or three. So, Steve invested in support, and one year later, his win rate increased from 25% to more than 80%. Listen in as Steve explains what his team is doing differently to win more business with RFPs!

What questions come up when you write an RFP response? It’s likely that you share concerns with our community here at the RFP Success Company. Listen in as I answer eight of the most common frequently asked questions we get from clients, including the most important part of any proposal response!

Shredding an RFP is a phrase we use to describe how we get an RFP ready for the proposal process, right after we receive the solicitation but before we begin writing. Listen in as Ted Koval explains what it means to shred an RFP and how it helps us identify and document every requirement!

On this episode of the podcast, guest host Ted Koval, Senior Proposal Manager at the RFP Success Company, sits down with team members Cheri Fisher, Director of Operations and Client Services, and Kevin Cleary, Proposal Manager and Writer, to discuss the top eight mistakes we see our vendors make and how to fix them!

On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share five of the most common issues that interrupt the RFP process, challenging you to expect missed deadlines and build extra time into your response calendar.

Are you submitting proposal responses but rarely getting the YES? Even when the RFP is right up your alley? If an RFP asks for exactly what you do, but you’re still not winning the contract, your proposal is missing something. Listen in as I discuss the 5 non-negotiables for winning business with an RFP response!

Melissa Emler spent a year bidding on RFPs to grow her event management business, but she wasn’t winning contracts. And the frustration of losing left her playing small. Listen in as Melissa explains how investing in support helped her identify the differentiators that set her organization apart and seek out best-fit opportunities for her business!

The good news is there's a ton of resources out there for finding RFPs in the government space. The bad news is you have to work at finding the RIGHT opportunities.  Listen in and learn 5 strategies for identifying appropriate RFP opportunities for your business in the SLED (State, Local and Education) market.

Sometimes the RFP capability requirements are a perfect fit. But often, we're just shy of what we need to make a great showing. So, what can you do if you don’t meet all the requirements? Listen in and learn my top 2 strategies for overcoming weaknesses in your capabilities—now and in the future!

What do you wish you knew about government contracting? What if you had access to a contracting officer, so you could understand the RFP process from their point of view? Listen in as Kevin Jans shares his experience as a contracting officer for the DOD and explains what COs look for in a vendor!

Are you struggling to win business with RFPs but can’t figure out why? Then you may need to conduct a mini-audit of past proposal responses to identify what’s tripping you up. Listen in as guest host Ted Koval interviews me around the 5 red flags that let you know you need an RFP audit!