RFPs: necessary evil… or optional trap?

In this episode of Creative Outcomes, Craig Baldwin breaks down how agencies should think about RFPs (Requests for Proposals) - why clients issue them, what red flags to watch for, and how to qualify opportunities before your team burns weeks of time chasing work you were never going to win.

If your agency is relying on RFPs as your primary growth channel, this conversation is your wake-up call: RFPs can drain your sales and marketing momentum, compress margins, and create “busy work” that feels productive but doesn’t move revenue.

You’ll learn:

- The 3 main reasons clients send RFPs (and what each one signals)

- The #1 deal-breaker: no access to decision makers

- How to estimate the real cost of responding (and why tracking matters)

- A simple litmus test to decide whether to respond or walk away

- How “pipeline anxiety” leads teams to chase the wrong work

- Why having an internal RFP qualification point-of-view is a competitive advantage

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Why RFPs feel brutal

01:10 — Why clients put out RFPs

03:10 — The “busy work” trap in biz dev

04:35 — Quick fit check (use AI + spot dealbreakers)

05:30 — The biggest red flag: no decision-maker access

06:45 — Estimating true effort + internal cost

07:55 — Why we still say yes (FOMO + pipeline anxiety)

09:00 — Build internal win/loss “house knowledge”

10:10 — Track the cost (hours, roles, rough math)

11:40 — Litmus test: cold vs warm + relationship strength

12:50 — Litmus test: is it work you want (and can win)?

13:55 — Litmus test: delivery risk + subcontracting reality

15:05 — Create an RFP qualification POV (filter faster)

16:20 — If you’re living on RFPs, what broke upstream?

18:05 — Use RFPs to show how you think (challenge the client)