Rfp Invitation Email Sample: Fill & Download for Free

The very first thing we assess internally is whether this is “yet another RFP”.The #1 problem with RFPsWe tend to ignore a number of generic “request for proposal” submissions or send a generic template that expects a discovery session or a series of calls. Why?Plenty of RFP processes aim at receiving as many proposals as possible.The odds are obviously lower.The attention span towards a certain company is short.It’s mostly about “making an impression” and you don’t know what will impress a random company out there (i.e. what matters to them).Most of the time, you aren’t talking to a decision maker, but a marketing assistant or someone tasked to collect quotes (and that’s it).Occasionally, the whole act is just an excuse to run a formal selection process when there’s a pre-approved internal company that’s been preliminarily selected.Sometimes, it’s the “race to the bottom” battle of offering the lowest cost, which means cutting all corners and producing a crappy end product.I always try to push for a presentation demo reviewing the proposal together with stakeholders if possible. Sometimes we go the traditional route but talking through the action items is always helpful (and keeps their attention on the right points you want to stress on).Follow-ups are expectedAssuming that we’ve exchanged at least a couple of emails and they went silent, we are quite comfortable following up multiple times because:They have explicitly conveyed interest in talking to us.It is a business relationship opportunity that could be mutually beneficial.We understand they are dealing with a number of bids and regular reminders can help.Due to the limited time, some concerns may not be disclosed unless we mention the right pain point and start a real conversation.A sample follow-up workflowThe specific prospecting strategy may command a different flow, but there are decent templates you can utilize.The context, durations, and the actual email content will vary, but here’s a sample process describing what we would do after sending the RFP in case we don’t hear back. I’ll use John as a sample persona who reached out.“Hey John, making sure the original attachment didn’t end up in your spam folder. Hit me up when you get this email and we can talk through some of the points your team considers important.” (3 days later).“Hi John, touching base again — I’m sure you guys are pretty busy going through a pile of proposals. Want to hop on a quick 15-min call and go through the main action items so that you’re aware what makes our implementation plan unique?” (4 days later).“Hey John, our marketing team has upgraded a popular content piece/case study that generated 10,000 visitors already discussing a similar scenario you are dealing with. I thought this may be of use during the decision-making process - (link)” (1 week later).“Hi John, assuming you’re swamped at the moment, who’s the best person to Cc and talk about the biggest challenges your team is struggling with now that the application can solve? Thanks in advance.” (1 week later).“Hey again, I know the RFP selection process should have been completed already. Is anything dragging due to realigning priorities internally? Happy to talk through other process or automation struggles the team is dealing with and share some tips how we handle these over a quick call, let me know if Thursday morning is open.” (1 week later).We may keep reaching out every 2–4 weeks after until we get a reply. We usually get a response during the first 3–5 emails, 7 at most, and we’ve reignited business discussions multiple times due to canceling original requirements or pushing a project for the next quarter.Whenever there’s anything noteworthy on our end, we shoot follow-ups as well — a relevant case study, a new blog post, a press release for a new tool/service, a guest post of ours in a reputable media.What do we expect from follow-ups?Get an acknowledgment that the proposal is reviewed. In this case, we invite them to a discussion regarding particular features or business problems we may solve in a better manner.Figure out if there’s a change of plans. Then we reschedule or discuss additions that could be beneficial in the future.Dig for a problem. Could be price, lacking information (team members, a capabilities presentation, something else) and discuss this separately.Understand if the process is moving forward and how many proposals are shortlisted. Asking for the main criteria the top proposals are selected by and looking for an opportunity to shine.Confirm if a different agency has been selected. Offer a complimentary code review or a business/marketing assessment of the platform before going live or after launch, which sometimes yields other opportunities.