How do you work together to write an RFP—AND achieve a consistent tone that makes your submission easy to read? And is there value in meeting regularly as part of this collaborative approach?

Robin Merritt is the Senior Vice President of Global Strategy for Axsium Group, a global strategic consulting practice that helps organizations with the full spectrum of workforce management-related needs. Robin has 25-plus years of workforce management experience, and she has an extensive background in both helping clients create RFPs and winning business through the RFP process.

Today, Robin joins me to explain the importance of writing RFPs with the reader in mind, customizing your RFP to explain why they should hire you. She offers insight around her success with RFPs, discussing the value of using an assessment tool and writing in a consistent tone. I ask Robin about her collective approach to writing RFPs, and she describes the benefit of jumping on calls together to edit in real time. Listen in for Robin’s advice on selling yourself as the answer to a specific problem and taking FULL advantage of open Q&A to set yourself apart from the competition!

Robin’s background in manufacturing and retail consulting

The importance of writing RFPs with the reader in mind

How to ensure that your RFP has a consistent tone

Robin’s insight on building an assessment tool based on strategy

The challenge around passing up an RFP for the first time

Robin’s collective approach to writing RFPs

How Robin’s team saves time by editing RFPs on short calls

Robin’s advice around selling yourself as the answer to a problem

Why the company soliciting RFPs must be clear in their purpose

How to take full advantage of open Q&A

Lisa’s Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek

If you're struggling to land contracts and your RFP win percentage is bleak, you may be able to turn things around with some simple changes to your approach. So, what are the most common mistakes we make in responding to RFPs?

Today, I'm going solo to walk us through the top 5 missteps companies make in crafting their RFPs. Drawing on my experience reviewing hundreds of RFPs every year, I discuss the most common problems—and how to avoid them!

I address RFPs that get off track and fail to answer the questions asked, offering strategies for structuring on-target responses. I explain why it's so important to engage readers and focus your responses not just on YOU—but how you can provide the solution your prospective client needs. Listen in to understand the value in bidding on contracts for the right reasons and learn how to design a business development strategy that will boost your win rate and generate RFP success!

The #1 buyer complaint around RFPs that don't answer the questions asked

How flipping the questions into statements can keep your RFP on track

My strategy around creating a table to address all parts of a question

Why it's important to engage readers in the text of your RFP

How to talk about yourself in the context of solving the client's problem

The danger in bidding on cold opportunities without a strategic reason

How a proper vetting process leads to a higher win percentage

The value in building relationships as part of your business development strategy

Lisa's Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

Amy Schuman on RFP Success EP002

If you’re struggling to land contracts and your RFP win percentage is bleak, you may be able to turn things around with some simple changes to your approach. So, what are the most common mistakes we make in responding to RFPs?

Today, I’m going solo to walk us through the top 5 missteps companies make in crafting their RFPs. Drawing on my experience reviewing hundreds of RFPs every year, I discuss the most common problems—and how to avoid them!

I address RFPs that get off track and fail to answer the questions asked, offering strategies for structuring on-target responses. I explain why it’s so important to engage readers and focus your responses not just on YOU—but how you can provide the solution your prospective client needs. Listen in to understand the value in bidding on contracts for the right reasons and learn how to design a business development strategy that will boost your win rate and generate RFP success!

The #1 buyer complaint around RFPs that don’t answer the questions asked

How flipping the questions into statements can keep your RFP on track

My strategy around creating a table to address all parts of a question

Why it’s important to engage readers in the text of your RFP

How to talk about yourself in the context of solving the client’s problem

The danger in bidding on cold opportunities without a strategic reason

How a proper vetting process leads to a higher win percentage

The value in building relationships as part of your business development strategy

Lisa’s Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

Amy Schuman on RFP Success EP002

As entrepreneurs and small business owners, we could all use a competitive advantage to tip the scales in our favor and win more contracts—and small and diverse business certifications provide one route to gaining that advantage. What are the major certifications? How do you complete a successful application? And what are the benefits to becoming diversity certified?

Heather Cox is the co-founder and President of Certify My Company, the national leader in transforming Fortune 1000 supplier diversity programs into profit centers. A tireless advocate for diversity, Heather is passionate about making the business world reflect the real world, and in her role as a Diversity Certification expert, she supports eligible suppliers in the process of becoming diversity certified and maximizing the benefits of certification.

Today, Heather joins me to share the origin story behind Certify My Company and discuss the financial benefits of a diverse supply chain. She speaks to the Big 5 diversity certifications, explaining who is eligible and how certification can help you win and keep contracts. I ask Heather about the misconceptions around certification, and she shares the significance of accurate documentation in the application process. Listen in for Heather's insight on certification as a valuable tool—not a magic wand—and learn how to take full advantage of the benefits of diversity certification!

How Heather's background in the circus prepared her for entrepreneurship

The origin story behind Certify My Company

Heather's insight on certification as a tool, not a magic wand

The financial benefits of diversifying your supply chain

The Big 5 certifications (women, minority, LGBT, veteran and disability)

Who is eligible for a small or diverse business certification

The importance of accurate governing documents in qualifying for certification

How certification serves as a business development tool for your customers

How certification can tip the scales in your favor

The value of tapping into the diversity ecosystem at conferences

How certification can strengthen your relationship with existing partners

How inaccurate governing documents lead to technical rejections

The strength of a WOSB designation in conjunction with a WBENC certification

How to determine the most effective certifications for your company

The industries that are most favorable to diverse business certifications

How to leverage contracts with existing companies as a certified business

Certify My Company

Email [email protected]

Certify My Company on Twitter

Certify My Company on Facebook

Certify My Company on LinkedIn

Heather on LinkedIn

Lisa's Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

Walmart Survey

CLR Cleaning Products

WOSB Certification

WBENC

WBEC-West

NMSDC

NGLCC

NVBDC

USBLN

Small Business Administration

Diversity Alliance for Science

As entrepreneurs and small business owners, we could all use a competitive advantage to tip the scales in our favor and win more contracts—and small and diverse business certifications provide one route to gaining that advantage. What are the major certifications? How do you complete a successful application? And what are the benefits to becoming diversity certified?

Heather Cox is the co-founder and President of Certify My Company, the national leader in transforming Fortune 1000 supplier diversity programs into profit centers. A tireless advocate for diversity, Heather is passionate about making the business world reflect the real world, and in her role as a Diversity Certification expert, she supports eligible suppliers in the process of becoming diversity certified and maximizing the benefits of certification.

Today, Heather joins me to share the origin story behind Certify My Company and discuss the financial benefits of a diverse supply chain. She speaks to the Big 5 diversity certifications, explaining who is eligible and how certification can help you win and keep contracts. I ask Heather about the misconceptions around certification, and she shares the significance of accurate documentation in the application process. Listen in for Heather’s insight on certification as a valuable tool—not a magic wand—and learn how to take full advantage of the benefits of diversity certification!

How Heather’s background in the circus prepared her for entrepreneurship

The origin story behind Certify My Company

Heather’s insight on certification as a tool, not a magic wand

The financial benefits of diversifying your supply chain

The Big 5 certifications (women, minority, LGBT, veteran and disability)

Who is eligible for a small or diverse business certification

The importance of accurate governing documents in qualifying for certification

How certification serves as a business development tool for your customers

How certification can tip the scales in your favor

The value of tapping into the diversity ecosystem at conferences

How certification can strengthen your relationship with existing partners

How inaccurate governing documents lead to technical rejections

The strength of a WOSB designation in conjunction with a WBENC certification

How to determine the most effective certifications for your company

The industries that are most favorable to diverse business certifications

How to leverage contracts with existing companies as a certified business

Certify My Company

Email [email protected]

Certify My Company on Twitter

Certify My Company on Facebook

Certify My Company on LinkedIn

Heather on LinkedIn

Lisa’s Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

Walmart Survey

CLR Cleaning Products

WOSB Certification

WBENC

WBEC-West

NMSDC

NGLCC

NVBDC

USBLN

Small Business Administration

Diversity Alliance for Science

How does Amy Schuman's RFP team unseat incumbents to land an impressive 70% of the contracts they ship? And how have they kept that winning percentage consistent over the past 20 years, even as the firm—and its number of proposals—has grown exponentially?

Amy is the National Marketing Director for Myers and Stauffer, a national public accounting firm that specializes in consulting, data management and analysis services for state and federal agencies managing government-sponsored healthcare programs. She has more than 25 years of experience in professional services marketing for the accounting, architecture and education industries, and she is an RFP authority, contributing to more than 500 state government proposals in her current role.

Today, Amy joins me to discuss the scaling of her team at Myers and Stauffer, and the exponential growth in the number of proposals they generate. She speaks to the danger of procrastination in composing an RFP and the significance of proofreading with 'fresh eyes' prior to shipping. We cover the value in reviewing the RFP evaluation criteria against the proposal, and Amy offers sage advice around targeting your response to what the potential client needs. Listen in for Amy's advice for small businesses on creating systems for the RFP process and learn how Myers and Stauffer succeeds in unseating incumbents to win contracts!

How Amy's RFP team has grown from two to ten in the last five years

The exponential growth in the number of proposals Myers and Stauffer generates

The necessity of implementing systems in the scaling an RFP team

How Myers and Stauffer procures most of its work through the RFP process

Why Amy cautions against procrastination in composing an RFP

The significance of proofreading the RFP with 'fresh eyes' prior to shipping

The value in reviewing the RFP evaluation criteria against the proposal

Amy's advice around targeting your response to what the client needs

Myers and Stauffer's policy to ship proposals two days prior to deadline

The importance of cross-training your RFP team

How call-out boxes can be used to highlight important points in an RFP

Amy's advice for small businesses around creating systems for the RFP process

How Myers and Stauffer succeeds in unseating incumbents to win contracts

The key to Myers and Stauffer's impressive 70% winning percentage

Myers and Stauffer

Myers and Stauffer on Twitter

Amy on LinkedIn

Lisa's Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek

How does Amy Schuman’s RFP team unseat incumbents to land an impressive 70% of the contracts they ship? And how have they kept that winning percentage consistent over the past 20 years, even as the firm—and its number of proposals—has grown exponentially?

Amy is the National Marketing Director for Myers and Stauffer, a national public accounting firm that specializes in consulting, data management and analysis services for state and federal agencies managing government-sponsored healthcare programs. She has more than 25 years of experience in professional services marketing for the accounting, architecture and education industries, and she is an RFP authority, contributing to more than 500 state government proposals in her current role.

Today, Amy joins me to discuss the scaling of her team at Myers and Stauffer, and the exponential growth in the number of proposals they generate. She speaks to the danger of procrastination in composing an RFP and the significance of proofreading with ‘fresh eyes’ prior to shipping. We cover the value in reviewing the RFP evaluation criteria against the proposal, and Amy offers sage advice around targeting your response to what the potential client needs. Listen in for Amy’s advice for small businesses on creating systems for the RFP process and learn how Myers and Stauffer succeeds in unseating incumbents to win contracts!

How Amy’s RFP team has grown from two to ten in the last five years

The exponential growth in the number of proposals Myers and Stauffer generates

The necessity of implementing systems in the scaling an RFP team

How Myers and Stauffer procures most of its work through the RFP process

Why Amy cautions against procrastination in composing an RFP

The significance of proofreading the RFP with ‘fresh eyes’ prior to shipping

The value in reviewing the RFP evaluation criteria against the proposal

Amy’s advice around targeting your response to what the client needs

Myers and Stauffer’s policy to ship proposals two days prior to deadline

The importance of cross-training your RFP team

How call-out boxes can be used to highlight important points in an RFP

Amy’s advice for small businesses around creating systems for the RFP process

How Myers and Stauffer succeeds in unseating incumbents to win contracts

The key to Myers and Stauffer’s impressive 70% winning percentage

Myers and Stauffer

Myers and Stauffer on Twitter

Amy on LinkedIn

Lisa’s Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek

Hiring can be a scary prospect for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Yet trying to do it all on your own for the long-term is simply unsustainable. So, how do you go about learning to let go and hiring kickass employees—so that you can have an uninterrupted dinner with your family or even go on the occasional vacation?

Talmar Anderson is the visionary behind Boss Actions, the firm that supports entrepreneurs in making the transition from business owner to boss. A hiring and management authority with 25-plus years of experience, Talmar is dedicated to coaching strategic planning and onboarding processes to facilitate faster business growth. She is also the architect of the Boss Actions Community, a platform allowing business owners to connect and navigate being a boss together.

Today, Talmar joins me to discuss the 'people factor' and ego issues that keep small business owners from hiring. We explain how to avoid bad hires through strategic planning, describing the top mistakes entrepreneurs make in writing job descriptions for 'unicorns' and hiring without planning for the role. Talmar walks us through the process of determining when to hire a part- or full-time employee—or outsource an expert on a per-project basis. Listen in for Talmar's insight on hiring kickass employees based on company need and learn to embrace the freedom of being a boss!

The 'people factor' that keeps small business owners from hiring

How to avoid a bad hire through strategic planning

The top two reasons small business owners hire employees

The difference between a business owner and a boss

How to feed your ego through a shift into the boss role

Talmar's insight around writing job descriptions for a unicorn

How to determine which tasks to outsource to an expert

How to hire full- or part-time employees based on demand

The difference between deliverable and operational tasks

The danger around lumping dissimilar tasks into one position

The significance of setting up systems prior to hiring

Boss Actions

Boss Actions on Twitter

Boss Actions on Facebook

Talmar on LinkedIn

Lisa's Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

Talmar's Free 10-Day Challenge

Boss Actions Community

Hiring can be a scary prospect for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Yet trying to do it all on your own for the long-term is simply unsustainable. So, how do you go about learning to let go and hiring kickass employees—so that you can have an uninterrupted dinner with your family or even go on the occasional vacation?

Talmar Anderson is the visionary behind Boss Actions, the firm that supports entrepreneurs in making the transition from business owner to boss. A hiring and management authority with 25-plus years of experience, Talmar is dedicated to coaching strategic planning and onboarding processes to facilitate faster business growth. She is also the architect of the Boss Actions Community, a platform allowing business owners to connect and navigate being a boss together.

Today, Talmar joins me to discuss the ‘people factor’ and ego issues that keep small business owners from hiring. We explain how to avoid bad hires through strategic planning, describing the top mistakes entrepreneurs make in writing job descriptions for ‘unicorns’ and hiring without planning for the role. Talmar walks us through the process of determining when to hire a part- or full-time employee—or outsource an expert on a per-project basis. Listen in for Talmar’s insight on hiring kickass employees based on company need and learn to embrace the freedom of being a boss!

The ‘people factor’ that keeps small business owners from hiring

How to avoid a bad hire through strategic planning

The top two reasons small business owners hire employees

The difference between a business owner and a boss

How to feed your ego through a shift into the boss role

Talmar’s insight around writing job descriptions for a unicorn

How to determine which tasks to outsource to an expert

How to hire full- or part-time employees based on demand

The difference between deliverable and operational tasks

The danger around lumping dissimilar tasks into one position

The significance of setting up systems prior to hiring

Boss Actions

Boss Actions on Twitter

Boss Actions on Facebook

Talmar on LinkedIn

Lisa’s Website

Lisa on Twitter

Lisa on Facebook

Lisa on LinkedIn

Talmar’s Free 10-Day Challenge

Boss Actions Community