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EP119: Building Empathy into the Bid Process—with Kevin Switaj
Most proposal professionals understand the importance of putting the client at the center of the bid process. But what if a client centric proposal is not enough? Listen in as Kevin Switaj explains how to build empathy into the bid process and create an emotional connection with evaluators in your RFP response!
EP118: 3 Ways to Leverage Evaluation Criteria in an RFP Response
The evaluation criteria is one of the first things you look at in the process of bidding on an RFP. But are you making it an explicit part of your bid strategy? Listen in for 3 ways to leverage the evaluation criteria and use it to your advantage in the content of an RFP response!
EP117: Opportunities for Negotiation in an RFP Response—with Don Carmichael
Most people think there is little room for negotiation in a proposal response. But if you’ve done your homework to understand a buyer’s needs, you can negotiate in your answers and offer solutions the prospect may not be aware of! Listen in as PreSales Expert Don Carmichael discusses opportunities for negotiation in an RFP response.
EP116: Writing from a Sales Perspective—with Dave Rynne
Yes, your team is qualified and capable of doing the job required by an RFP. But so is every other company that submits a response. So, how do you take your technical content and make it persuasive? Listen in as Dave Rynne explains how to win business by writing from a sales perspective!
EP115: The Value of Systems and Processes
Are you so busy bidding on RFPs that you don’t have time to build systems and processes? Systems may not be sexy, but they are very important. Listen in as I discuss the value in setting up systems and processes and walk you through the 5 parts of the proposal process that should be standardized.
EP114: Mastering Editorial Peer Review—with Jana L. Burge
There’s a lot more to editorial peer review than having someone read through your response and check for spelling errors. And a proposal that hasn’t been through a thorough peer review lacks the professionalism you need to win business with RFPs. Listen in as Jana Burge explains how to conduct an in-depth editorial peer review!
EP113: Why Bidding Cold Is (Almost Always) a Bad Idea
Companies new to government contracting see it as a magic bullet. You respond to an RFP and win a lucrative long-term contract! But if you don’t already have a relationship with the buyer, you’re chances of winning are quite low. Listen in as I explain why it’s almost always a bad idea to bid cold.
EP112: The High Value of Outsourced RFP Support
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? Listen in as I explain when to build your own internal RFP team and when to outsource the proposal process.
EP111: Forecasting the Future of the SLED Market—with Chris Dixon
The SLED market took a hit in 2020, but federal funding is helping the market rebound. Listen in as Chris Dixon, Senior Manager of SLED Market Analysis at Deltek, explains what industries look to benefit most from ARPA funding and how your business can capitalize on growing opportunities in state, local government and education contracting!
EP110: Successes & Lessons in State Contracting: Highstreet IT—with Josh Ezring
Are you struggling with state government RFPs? Though it seems counterintuitive, you will win MORE contracts by bidding LESS. Listen in as Josh Ezring, VP of Business Development at Highstreet IT, explains how his team cut their response rate in half and doubled their win rate by focusing on quality over quantity!
EP109: The Go/No-Go Decision, Part 2 - Creating a Process
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 team morale. But to make better go/no-go decisions, you need a system. Listen in as I share 5 steps to developing an effective go/no-go process for your business.
EP108: The Federal Bid Protest Process, from Debrief to Decision—with Carissa Siebeneck Anderson
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? Listen in as Carissa Siebeneck Anderson shares a high-level overview of the federal bid protest process—from debrief to decision.
EP107: How to Navigate a Federal Bid Protest—with Carissa Siebeneck Anderson
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? Listen in as Carissa Siebeneck Anderson explains when it makes sense to file a federal bid protest and how to navigate the process.
EP106: Breaking Into State Government Contracting
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill provides an opportunity for small businesses to develop a new revenue stream via state government contracts. But if you jump in and start bidding on RFPs without a game plan, you’ll lose 95% of the time. Listen in as I share my seven-point plan for breaking into state government contracting!
EP105: Define & Target Your High-Value Customer—with Charles Fred
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? Listen in as Entrepreneur & Researcher Charles Fred explains how to define and target the high-value customers who will help your business grow!
EP104: Consumer Psychology and RFPs—with Sean Stewart
We’d like to believe that we make purchasing decisions based on logic. But in truth, we’re unconsciously influenced by visual cues and sensory language, and we buy based on emotion. Listen in as Marketing Strategy Consultant Sean Stewart explains how to apply these principles of consumer psychology and behavioral economics to the proposal development process!
EP103: How to Make the Go/No-Go Decision on an RFP
Are you making a go/no-go decision solely on your ability to do the work? When you bid on everything you CAN do, you don’t have the resources to put into the opportunities you REALLY have a chance of winning. Listen in for 11 questions to ask as you decide whether to bid on an RFP!
EP102: Using Visuals to Tell Your Story in an RFP Response – with Ama Cobbina & Megan Skuller
We process visuals 60,000 times faster than we do text. So, what if you leveraged graphics to support the story you’re telling in an RFP? Listen in as Ama Cobbina and Megan Skuller explore the purpose graphics serve and explain how to be strategic in planning the visuals for your proposal response.
EP101: How to Build Your Brand & Win More Sales – with Michael Zipursky
When you write a proposal, you’re not just competing on qualifications and capabilities. In fact, everyone who’s bidding can answer the questions from a technical perspective. Listen in as Michael Zipursky explains how to differentiate yourself with a strong brand and tell the story of your business in the text of an RFP response!
EP099: Partnerships That Work – with Hannah Johannsen & Anne Tarantino
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 partner? Listen in as Hannah Johannsen and Anne Tarantino describe what makes for a successful partnership in the proposal development process—and beyond!