The Advertising Agency Client RFP – Go Or No Go
As an agency owner and business development director at Saatchi, I received many RFP’s — Request For Proposals. The reaction to receiving an RFP ranged from delight (YES, a big brand and client is interested in us) to dismay (a brand is asking us to respond to what is clearly an assignment that is not predicated on the client’s understanding of what we do for a living (example, asking us to build Android apps when we didn’t).
Responding to an RFP can be very time consuming and expensive for any agency. The costs include direct labor, out of pocket costs and the cost of deflecting staff attention from existing client and business development work. I outlined the cost of responding to RFI’s, RFP’s and actual pitches in my book “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches”. Believe me, the costs can easily go into the thousands.
The bottom line is for your agency to have a clear set of rules that dictate when you should respond to an incoming RFP. Swinging at every ball is not a great way to hit home runs and manage your business.
Preston Bealle says
It can be a daunting and unpleasant process. It costs the client nothing to make the RFP lengthy and ask detailed questions that are monstrously time-consuming to answer and don’t actually affect their decision. Have seen that a lot. Most of the RFP’s could’ve been cut in half and delivered the relevant information that would lead to a smart decision. They often appeared to have been constructed by a committee where everyone involved was trying to think of something to ask so they could feel involved or demonstrate value by adding on layers.
TG Macro says
In navigating the complexities of the advertising agency RFP process, agencies can gain invaluable insights by examining how specialized consultancy firms like TG Macro approach market analysis and strategic planning, offering a unique perspective that could benefit any agency looking to sharpen their pitch.