My response to RFPs is a polite “no thank you.”

What’s your response to requests for proposals or Tenders?

More importantly — what should your response be?

Before large companies hire a consulting, coaching or small business for a large-scale project, they’ll often put out a request for proposal (RFP) to receive several proposals and pricing options from different suppliers.

In this podcast, I’ll help you navigate the world of requests for proposals, and you’ll learn how to effectively respond to RFPs.

In theory, RFPs provide you with an opportunity to win a big project and gain a new client.

However, there are many drawbacks you need to be on the lookout for.

It’s not rare for the awarding company or organisation to have already chosen a consulting or coaching firm in their mind before they send out the RFP. But government entities and public organisations are usually required to send out RFPs so that they can ‘consider’ all options.

The firm they already have in mind might be a consultant who helped create the RFP in the first place. Or it’s a consultant they have worked with before and want to use again.

This scenario is more common than you think.

As a consultant responding to RFPs, you might find yourself spending many hours working on your proposal only to find that you are helping the client comply with internal procedures.

And then, they award the project to your competitor.

In reality, your competitor was selected before the awarding company even sent out the RFP.

You never stood a chance anyway.

It’s for this reason that most consultants should not build their business around RFPs.

• You don’t have control over the process.
• You’re competing against others.
• And often, it’s a rigged game.

If you want to build a consulting business that’s profitable and enjoyable on your terms, then your response to RFPs should be a polite “no, thank you.”

Winning consulting business using effective marketing and sales strategies is almost always a much better approach.

You have control over the process. You don’t have to compete against others for the same piece of business.

But it does require you to learn and master marketing and sales — the top 2 challenges for coaches and consultants.

Let’s dive in.