RFP Response Recommendations

A proposal needs to blend the skill of the agency creating the work and what the client is looking for. I think it is best to mimic the type of work you will be creating for the client. It is best to always include the logo of the client and your agency. I think another important consideration is including a table of contents and page numbers. There is almost no time where a black and white presentation with Times New Roman will be the most interesting. Of course, if that is what they specify in the RFP, you should follow that. Generally, the colors uses should be inspired by the website and logo of the client. Unless they are completely illegible, like Lemonlight Media I mentioned last week, uses yellow. Yellow font on a white background is hard to read and on black it is annoyingly bright, so use yellow highlights.

I found this article by Sanders (2014) to say exactly what I mean, “Before you even begin to analyze the RFP, study the prospect’s industry and brand.” He recommend to create a theme, and use it consistently throughout the proposal. Do not switch writers in the middle because the voice will be different. You want to fulfill their needs, even ones they haven’t asked for, because you should know the client’s pain. He also mentioned that people might not read the whole work. Always be brief and highlight the important information. Charts and numbers create interest and a break from reading long paragraphs. Should you always use landscape? No. It is hard to set hard and fast rules because your format should change to fit the client.

Technology has created a number of formats for sharing presentations. There is no reason to always go with a word document. Maybe experiment with creating a Prezi or Slideshare presentation because using cloud based resources ensure that they are always compatible with your clients technology (https://prezi.com/)( http://www.slideshare.net/). Microsoft PowerPoint has really lost its edge with these newer companies offering more updated looking presentations. If you are creating a presentation, you need to create a separate handout that has the full details. Assume that there will be people that miss the presentation but still need all the information.

Sanders, B. (2014, January 06). Winning RFP proposals: 10 rules. Retrieved from http://www.sandersconsulting.com/winning-the-rfp-process-10-rules/