What is the #1 question we’re getting about RFPs from clients and prospects lately?   Is it a tactical question about insurance requirements, due dates or FOIA requests? Or a high-level question about standing out from your competitors?   On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I answer five more FAQs we get about RFPs, including our most frequently asked question around distinguishing yourself in the proposal process.   I explain what to do if your small business can’t meet the insurance requirements and why you should submit FOIA requests for scoring sheets, proposals from other bidders and previous contracts.   Listen in for insight on learning who your competitors are before an RFP hits the streets and find out how our RFP Flash Audit can help you level up your RFP game in the new year!   Key Takeaways   5 of the most common questions we get about RFPs How to ask if insurance requirements can be negotiated to accommodate small businesses Why agencies typically aren’t willing to extend the due date on an RFP Why we recommend submitting FOIA requests for scoring sheets, proposals from other bidders and prior contracts How to find out who your competitors are before an RFP comes out Why it’s crucial to build relationships with buyers long before an RFP hits the streets 3 ways to distinguish yourself in a proposal response   Connect with Lisa    The RFP Success Company Lisa on X Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Email [email protected]   Resources   LIMITED TIME: RFP FLASH AUDIT The Role of Contracts in Successful Prime + Sub Partnerships on RFP Success EP036 How to Develop Your RFP Pricing Strategy on RFP Success EP081 How to Make a FOIA Request Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute

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?   On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I answer five of the most frequently asked questions we get about RFPs, discussing when it’s worth it to bid against the big guys and when it’s not.   I explain what to do if your small business doesn’t meet all the requirements in an RFP and how to price your proposal so it’s a win-win for you and the client.   Listen in for insight on what to do if you’re not getting the scores you deserve and learn how to audit your previous RFP responses in a way that jumpstarts your win rates for 2024!   Key Takeaways   5 of the most common questions we get about RFPs When it’s worth it to bid against the big guys (and when it’s not) How to highlight the benefits of being a small business in your proposal response What to do if you don’t meet all the qualifications in an RFP How to price your proposal so it’s a win-win for you and the client The top 3 signs that an RFP is wired Why you might not be getting the scores you think you deserve What it looks like to write a proposal that resonates with evaluators Why we suggest auditing your proposals every year   Connect with Lisa    The RFP Success Company Lisa on X Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Email [email protected]   Resources   LIMITED TIME: RFP FLASH AUDIT The Role of Contracts in Successful Prime + Sub Partnerships on RFP Success EP036 How to Develop Your RFP Pricing Strategy on RFP Success EP081 How to Make a FOIA Request Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute  

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? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share my M&M analogy for discovering what makes your company different and better than the rest. I discuss why it’s challenging to identify the ‘candy coating’ in your own business and explain what question to ask clients and employees to uncover your differentiators. Listen in for insight on what to do if your business lacks a candy coating and learn how to take your business from simple peanut to delicious M&M in your proposal response! Key Takeaways   Why it’s crucial to distinguish yourself from competitors in an RFP response What happens when you bore, overwhelm or confuse RFP evaluators The legend of how M&M’s got their differentiator—a candy coating Why it’s challenging to identify the ‘candy coating’ in your own business Why I recommend getting outside counsel to help uncover your differentiators What question to ask employees and clients to discover your differentiators What to do if your company doesn’t have a distinguishing candy coating  Connect with Lisa Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected] Resources  Elaborating on RFP Response Answers: The ‘Baked Potato’ Episode on The RFP Success Show EP134 Get on the RFP Success Accelerator Waitlist Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute

Are you losing bids because you aren’t certified as a small or diverse business? Heather Cox is Cofounder and President of Certify My Company, a firm that connects corporations with diverse businesses to create economic value and opportunity. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, Heather walks us through the five primary demographics for certification, explaining how to know if your business qualifies as small or diverse. We discuss private sector national versus state government certifications, challenging you to be strategic in the certifications you pursue to grow your business. Listen in for Heather’s insight on subcontracting opportunities for diverse businesses and learn how Certify My Company can help you win RFPs through certifications! Key Takeaways   How Heather’s team serves small and diverse businesses as well as corporations Why you can’t simply raise your hand and say you’re a diverse business Why it’s advantageous for a small or diverse business to get certified within a state Opportunities for small and diverse businesses to subcontract with large corporations that win state bids 5 primary demographics for certification—women, minority, LGBT, veteran and disability owned The private sector national certifications available to small and diverse businesses How long it takes to get certified through national organizations vs. state governments How certifications can help grow your existing business and land new contracts How corporations benefit from robust supplier diversity programs How to know if your business qualifies for small or diverse business certification How the lack of a certification can be the reason you lose a state contract The benefit of getting help from experts like Certify My Company  Connect with Heather Certify My Company Certify My Company on Instagram Certify My Company on TikTok Diversity Masterminds Email [email protected] Connect with Lisa Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected] Resources  Heather on RFP Success Show EP003 WEBENC NMSDC DBE Program Disability:IN NaVOBA NVBDC NGLCC 8(a) Business Development Program WOSB Heather’s Missed Opportunities Video Get on the RFP Success Accelerator Waitlist Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute RFP Success Audit Service [email protected]

Can you leverage AI to write RFP proposals for your business? Since ChatGPT came on the scene last November, people have divided into two camps: Some folks are afraid of the technology, and others think it’s a magic bullet that will write all their copy with minimal effort on their part. But Stephanie Nivinskus contends that when it comes to AI, we should be careful but not scared. So, what’s the best way for small business owners use tools like ChatGPT to write better proposal responses? Are there other AI apps that we should know about? Stephanie is the CEO and Certified AI Marketing Consultant behind SizzleForce Marketing, a firm that combines the power of AI and human intelligence to help growing, mission-driven companies execute digital marketing solutions. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, Stephanie explains what’s wrong with dropping an RFP question in ChatGPT and simply copy-pasting the answer. We discuss how to train ChatGPT on your company’s differentiators before it helps you write content and why you still need a human editor to work together with the bot. Listen in for Stephanie’s insight on the privacy and copyright issues associated with artificial intelligence and learn how to choose the best AI tools for your business goals! Key Takeaways    What inspired Stephanie’s decision to go all-in on AI in her marketing business Why using ChatGPT to write effective copy is not as simple as asking the bot a question What it means to ‘train the bot’ and why it’s so important What’s wrong with dropping an RFP question in ChatGPT and copy-pasting the answer How to train ChatGPT on your company’s differentiators before it helps you write RFP content Why you still need a human editor in conjunction with AI writing tools Why Stephanie recommends Hemingway for writing to a specific grade level How AI can help you build credibility through consistent content and competitive research The biggest mistakes people make when it comes to using AI How to choose the best AI tools for your business goals What privacy and copyright issues we should be concerned about when it comes to AI Stephanie’s favorite AI tools for writing and image creation Connect with Stephanie SizzleForce Marketing Stephanie on LinkedIn Connect with Lisa Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Email [email protected] Resources    Stephanie’s AI Strategy & Execution Session Stephanie’s Blog on Building a Digital Marketing Funnel ChatGPT Hemingway App Midjourney Claude Jasper Grammarly Get on the RFP Success Accelerator Waitlist Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute

If an RFP isn’t asking a question that you think it needs to ask, 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. Just like ordering a baked potato with butter and getting a loaded one. So, what is the best approach to elaborating on RFP response answers? So you stand out in a good way? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I’m sharing my ‘baked potato’ analogy for elaborating on RFP response answers. I explain how it might confuse evaluators if you add or change offerings and describe the challenge of evaluating a response that doesn’t align with the score sheet. Listen in for insight on positioning additional offerings in a way that boosts your score and learn how to demonstrate that the additional information you’re providing serves the client’s needs. Key Takeaways   What to do if an RFP isn’t asking a question you think it needs to ask My ‘baked potato’ analogy for adding additional information to a proposal response How it might confuse an evaluator if you add or change offerings Why you should only include additional offerings IF you can demonstrate how it adds more value to what they need How to position additional options in a way that boosts your score Connect with Lisa Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected] Resources   Get on the RFP Success Accelerator Waitlist Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute  

How do you set yourself apart in an RFP response? We recently helped a small business client get their first RFP win. And they were up against some big players in their industry. So, what did they do to stand out among the competition? On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I’m discussing three categories of content that will take you from MEETS to EXCEEDS expectations on your next proposal response. I explain how to demonstrate DISTINCTION in an RFP and share our top three strategies for catching and keeping an evaluator’s INTEREST to get the score you deserve! Listen in for insight on identifying your VALUE PROPOSITION in a proposal response and find out how our upcoming RFP Success Accelerator can teach you to set yourself apart in an RFP. Key Takeaways   3 categories of RFP content that will take you from MEETS to EXCEEDS expectations How we define distinction as setting yourself apart from everyone else who submits a bid What it looks like to demonstrate industry credibility in your writing How to identify your differentiators and why they can’t be something your competitors do Why it’s crucial to catch and keep an evaluator’s interest in an RFP Our top 3 strategies for keeping an evaluator’s interest (even if they’re skimmers) How we define value proposition as the benefits of your product or service Why your value proposition should change based on the specific RFP opportunity Connect with Lisa Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected] Resources  Get on the RFP Success Accelerator Waitlist Don’t Miss the September 6 LIVE Webinar How to Enable the Readability Feature in Word Sentence Length Comprehension Study Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute

Here at the RFP Success Company, we get some of the same questions over and over. And in episode 129, we covered eight of the most common questions we get from our clients and community. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I’m answering seven more FAQs, explaining why you can’t wait until orals to go into detail on your requirements and what to do if you don’t think the procuring agency is asking the right questions. I discuss why you shouldn’t assume the evaluators aren’t going to read your entire response (even though they may not) and challenge you not to use the answer, ‘Yes, we will meet the requirement.’ Listen in for insight on the benefit of including graphics and tables in your proposal response and learn how to use the client’s language in an RFP—without repeating the question word for word. Key Takeaways   Why you can’t wait until orals to go into detail on your requirements for an RFP How to provide enough information about your qualifications without overwhelming the evaluators How to guide the agency in your response if you think they’re not asking the right questions What to do if you’re uncertain about the client’s objective in an RFP Why ‘yes, we will meet the requirement’ usually isn’t a good enough answer Why you shouldn’t assume the evaluators aren’t going to read your entire response (even though they may not) The benefit of using graphics and tables vs. answering with a wall of text What to consider before you add an ‘additional notes’ column to the RFP Excel doc The problem with copy-pasting the exact wording of the question in your response How to use the client’s language without repeating the question word for word  Connect with Lisa Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected] Resources  Robin Davis on RFP Success EP067 Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute  

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 Steve identify target clients and build relationships with them before an RFP hits the streets? How does he track prospects and recognize when opportunities are coming down the pike? Steve serves as Founder and Managing Director at Optumas, a strategy and actuarial consulting firm out of Scottsdale, Arizona, that specializes in publicly sponsored health and welfare programs. Steve is responsible for the design, development and implementation of healthcare reform projects, supporting clients in the realm of strategy development, risk analysis and communications. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, Steve is back to explain how to nurture relationships with target clients, challenging us to research and raise our visibility with prospects before an RFP drops. Steve discusses why it’s crucial to build a sense of trust with state government clients, describing how to demonstrate creativity and convey trustworthiness in a written response.  Listen in to understand Steve’s system for tracking prospects and learn how to identify optimal opportunities for your business to work with high-value state government clients! Key Takeaways  How Optumas builds and nurtures relationships with prospects before an RFP drops Steve’s insight on how to identify, research and raise your visibility with target clients Steve’s response to someone who says they don’t have time to research prospective clients Why practically-focused creativity and innovation works in state government RFPs What qualities a company needs to be successful in state government contracting Why it’s crucial to build a sense of trust in a proposal and how to do that in a written response The challenges Steve has faced in state government contracting work (and how he overcame those challenges to retain the client through the next RFP round) Steve’s advice on owning your mistakes and customizing your communication skills to serve state government clients Steve’s system for tracking prospective clients and when their RFPs are coming out Steve’s first 3 steps for responding to a perfect-fit RFP in less than 7 days 3 questions to ask yourself before you respond to a request for proposal   Connect with Steve Optumas Steve on LinkedIn Connect with Lisa Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected] Resources  ‘17’ by Mahalia Fred Again’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Dr. Art Pelberg Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute

Steve Schramm’s proposal team was bidding on 12 state government contracts per year and only winning two or three. He was frustrated by the amount of time and effort they were putting into RFPs with such a low ROI. So, Steve invested in support, and one year later, his team’s win rate increased from 25% to more than 80%! What are they doing differently? And what can you learn from Steve’s team to win more business with RFPs? Steve is Founder and Managing Director at Optumas, a strategy and actuarial consulting firm that specializes in the publicly sponsored health and welfare programs. Steve is responsible for the design, development and implementation of healthcare reform projects, helping his clients with strategy development, risk analysis and communications. On this episode of The RFP Success Show, Steve joins me to explain why ‘find and replace’ is not an effective RFP strategy and how his team pivoted their writing style from an internal to external focus. Steve describes how to tailor an RFP response to the specific needs of a prospective client, discussing how his approach differs when Optumas is the incumbent as opposed to being a new bidder. Listen in for Steve’s advice on collaborating with partners on a proposal and learn how responding to fewer RFPs has dramatically increased his win percentage and made his team more effective, efficient and happier! Key Takeaways  How Steve’s proposal team learned that ‘find and replace’ is not an effective RFP strategy How writing from the client’s perspective demonstrates your competitive advantage How to answer questions from a client’s perspective in your RFP response The challenge Steve faced in pivoting his team’s writing style from an internal to external focus How to tailor an RFP response to meet the specific needs of a prospective client How Steve’s RFP strategy differs when he’s the incumbent vs. new bidder Why you shouldn’t bid on an RFP if you can’t do the job better than your competitors How a cookie cutter response makes the client think the incumbent doesn’t value their relationship Why you need a writing guide to successfully collaborate with partners on an RFP What made Steve willing to invest in support with the RFP process How Steve’s proposal team increased their win rate from 25% to 80% in 12 months How responding to fewer RFPs makes Steve’s team more effective, efficient and happier Connect with Steve Optumas Steve on LinkedIn Connect with Lisa  Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected]   Resources   Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute