What it takes to write a great RFP response is more than just writing, it is in the knowing. I firmly believe that it requires an understanding of the business and skills you are trying to relate to evaluators about your company.
By this I mean that to be truly effective as a writer of a response, your understanding of your business or industry needs to go beyond your sales and marketing information. Your knowledge should encompass how your business works and what is trending. The more you know about your industry, the better will be your response. Remember, you are communicating how your company has more to offer, and being armed with an insight into your industry can help you convey this crucial message.
For example, in most cases RFP requirements are sent to SMEs (subject matter experts) and they are expected to fill in the answers, after which you review and revise what they sent you. With a deep understanding of your business and how the technical answers are relevant, your task to turn their content into a more effective response is made easier and your response is better.
In many cases, your SMEs may be too busy to give you the best information; but, if you understand your business, you can take their input and extrapolate information from multiple sources, both internal and external, and develop winning content.
I’ve had a few RFPs where I was able to find enough information from different sources and develop a response and then shared this information with SMEs for additional input and review (it is easier for a SME to edit text then produce content on a blank page). This can save time and resources that are critical when RFP closing dates draw really close…however, it is critical that the SME does a thorough review of the content for technical accuracy. They are the experts…you are just trying to streamline the process.
Obviously, this advice is aimed at the people who are working with others to put together a response. If you are a SME you may need a writer to help you craft the message, but that is for another blog. As leaders and developers of RFP responses, our function is to make sure the RFP response has been completed in time to give your company the best shot at winning. The challenges around completing this task are reduced if you have a good working knowledge of your business or industry. Your understanding speeds up the process, helps SMEs with their portion of the response, and allows you to improve the response.
Your knowledge of your business or industry is a valuable tool for success.
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