Those sound like good go/no-go criteria when an RFP comes in. I would probably add a third. If the opportunity described in the RFP so fits our unusually good experience and credentials, I would sleep on it and decide the next day whether to go or not. In most cases the answer would stll be not.

But 375 other firms will choose to go ahead and respond and only one will get it. Those aren’t good odds (Even if the real number is closer to 10 other firms, especially because if you don’t have an advantage of preestablised relationships, someone else almost certainly does.

Those who have not sold much in a market in which RFQs (request for qualifications), RFPs (request for proposal) and Beauty Contests (stand up presentations before a committee of buyers, also called Bake Offs) quite naturally have a hard time grasping how limited the opportunity is. They don’t see how spending the hours that it would take to respond to the RFP on going out and meeting people who have no apparent need for your services now is more likely to result in business than the organization that clearly has a need and a budget and is prepared to hear what you can do to help them. Many people have to lose five or six of these, so called, opportunities before they start to catch on.

Scott, would you be willing to share your ngo/no-record for the passed year? We don’t need client names, just numbers.

Ford Harding

I try to adhere to at least one of the conditions below, when considering to ‘bid’ on new work:

- If I can convince the client that an RFP is NOT needed, given my understanding and value on the project, or

- I am asked to provide insights on the RFP and am a major contributor to the scope