RFPs are evil.
May 3rd, 2005
Brace yourself: We are an identity company and we don’t answer RFPs. Really. Thanks to Blair Enns, who has shown us the light, we realized not too long ago that RFPs are a waste of time and money, so we say a gracious “thanks for thinking of us, but no thanks” and move on.
Why would we do such a thing? It’s simple, really. Just like the 4 Ps of marketing were created in the 60s, RFPs have been around for ages and really don’t apply any longer to the real world. But companies still issue them and agencies still scramble to answer them. And in scrambling to answer them, they give away the only thing that they get paid for - their time and ideas. Is that really good business? If you don’t get the account, then you’re out all that time and money. If you win it, then you spend the first two years trying to recoup the money you lost.
When we actually tell a marketing exec that we won’t participate in an RFP, they are stunned. (It’s fun - try it some time.) “Why wouldn’t you want to put your creative chops up against agency X or agency Y?” Because it’s not about competing for business. Well, okay, it is, but we’ve been doing this for close to 25 years now and if we can’t present case studies and work that’s compelling, smart and convincing enough to show a potential client that we can solve their problem, then we shouldn’t be doing this at all.
And the best part? Most clients still invite us to meet. And sometimes we win the account without doing any spec. Each time it happens, the foundation of the traditional agency world crumbles just a little.
Exceptions to our rule: We answer them if they are a one pager that just require info about us, or if we write them for the client ourselves. (The winning agency shall have three words in their title and no last names. They will also employ characteristics that Fascinate, Inspire, Reward and Engage their clients and kindred spirits.)
Other posts by Spike.
Dani Nordin says:
I agree - as someone who’s been in the business a while but has just started going after the Big Boys, I got stuck early on doing round after round of proposals for work I didn’t win (that, ultimately, wouldn’t be worth it anyway).
After that, I decided it was time to just go after people I knew would be a good fit and build a relationship with them. So far, it’s working well - much better than wasting a day writing yet another proposal!
September 18th, 2007 at 8:26 am