If you’re in the business of bringing in business to your company, then you probably already know the often challenging demands of putting together a response to a Request for Proposal, or RFP.
Usually, these requests are very exacting and require a lot of information to be shared with the organization issuing it. They are not only time consuming, but the responses themselves can be 20 pages and more long, not including support materials.
Perhaps not too surprisingly, organizations are increasingly asking for your response to be sent in on a custom USB flash drive. This allows the organization to easily print out the required copies they need to review your proposal as well as have an electronic record of your submission for record-keeping purposes.
Putting RFPs on a custom USB flash drive is not only a good way to make sure your proposal is properly considered, it’s also a good way for you to do a little extra marketing without breaking all the rules and requirements some RFPs put forth.
Of course, the goal of all these guidelines is to ensure that everything is as equal as possible. But that doesn’t mean you can’t add a little marketing pizzazz to your presentation using a custom USB flash drive.
Here are some tips for putting together that winning proposal before you submit it for review.
Write a killer executive summary
Remember that these organizations may be wading through a couple dozen proposals. At 10, 20 or 30 pages a pop, they can all start to look the same after a while. To get yours to the top of the pile, write a killer one-page executive summary of your proposal. Hit just the high notes of why you are the perfect choice, along with the budget and pertinent highlights of what’s in your proposal. Make it a concise, well-written first page.
Don’t ramble
Before you drop your proposal onto a custom USB flash drive, make sure it isn’t overly verbose. Brevity is appreciated in proposals. They don’t want to read hundreds of pages when it could be said in 15. Edit mercilessly until your proposal is concise and to the point. The person who has to read all the responses will be grateful and may even shortlist you for being short and to the point.
Answer the questions
That said, be sure that you answer the questions complete and in enough detail. Consider each question carefully and write an exact response. It doesn’t matter how snazzy your proposal looks on the submitted custom USB flash drive if you didn’t answer the questions in the first place. Puffery and vagueness won’t earn you any brownie points and you may end up getting your proposal round filed.
Tell them why you’re the best choice
Remember that an RFP response doesn’t have to be dry. It should have a good measure of marketing interwoven. Remember, these people may not know you. This may be the first time they’ve ever heard of you. Let them know who you are and why you should be the obvious choice for the job. An RFP proposal is as much a sales pitch as it is a response.
Make it pretty
An RFP’s appearance says a lot about you. As they say, perception is reality. And this is a great time to use a custom USB flash drive to your advantage. You can order drives that match your logo, business cards, letterhead and mailing envelopes. The result is a crisp, unified look that shows you are successful, professional and not only care about your image, but will care about the deliverables in the project as well.
If you’re responding to a lot of RFPs there’s good chance that it will include a flash drive component. So why not make it a custom USB flash drive and really impress your client?