When a response to the RFP is produced, the company’s story--the story of who is responding, what makes them special, and how they came to be--can be an incredibly powerful and important one that needs telling. Telling the company story humanizes the respondent, makes them “real”, and helps to establish their ethos in the marketplace. Communications guru Nancy Duarte has an excellent video on how to tell a story. And the most successful TedTalks almost seem to tell successful stories without effort. As humans, we like stories. They make us who we are and resonate with us intrinsically.
When we write about our company in the RFP response, we have an opportunity to take this compelling storytelling lesson and apply it practically. Each company story is unique and provides an opportunity to differentiate that company from others. Tell the story of growth, how it happened, what contributed to the success etc. So often the “About Us’ description is presented in a very formulaic and, quite frankly, boring way.
So what’s in a good story?
Who you are, your purpose, you core values, and your mission stated simply and elegantly – without fanfare, superlatives, and hubris. If you’re insincere your audience will know.
You come across as authentic, as more than just the product or service you are offering
You engage your reader on a personal level
Two step story process:
Think about how you began. Are there any interesting details about how you were founded that people may not know (e.g. the concept of IMAX allegedly began as a discussion at a relative’s kitchen table). Then write this down!
Next, write a statement about it is that you exist. What do you do differently? Answer the question “why our company”?
There are lots of great examples of compelling company stories to get you started. Check out the story of Parker for inspiration. There are many others.
How your company grew and got to the point it can submit an RFP is surely a story that is worth telling. So why not go beyond the ordinary and bring out your real, authentic history. Breathe some life into the story of “you”. This will show RFP evaluators that your company made up of real people who are living, breathing humans and who care about what they do...and will be successful on their project if awarded the RFP.
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