On this episode of the podcast, guest host Ted Koval, Senior Proposal Manager at the RFP Success Company, sits down with team members Cheri Fisher, Director of Operations and Client Services, and Kevin Cleary, Proposal Manager and Writer, to discuss the top eight mistakes we see our vendors make and how to fix them!

On this episode of The RFP Success Show, I share five of the most common issues that interrupt the RFP process, challenging you to expect missed deadlines and build extra time into your response calendar.

Are you submitting proposal responses but rarely getting the YES? Even when the RFP is right up your alley? If an RFP asks for exactly what you do, but you’re still not winning the contract, your proposal is missing something. Listen in as I discuss the 5 non-negotiables for winning business with an RFP response!

Melissa Emler spent a year bidding on RFPs to grow her event management business, but she wasn’t winning contracts. And the frustration of losing left her playing small. Listen in as Melissa explains how investing in support helped her identify the differentiators that set her organization apart and seek out best-fit opportunities for her business!

The good news is there's a ton of resources out there for finding RFPs in the government space. The bad news is you have to work at finding the RIGHT opportunities.  Listen in and learn 5 strategies for identifying appropriate RFP opportunities for your business in the SLED (State, Local and Education) market.

Sometimes the RFP capability requirements are a perfect fit. But often, we're just shy of what we need to make a great showing. So, what can you do if you don’t meet all the requirements? Listen in and learn my top 2 strategies for overcoming weaknesses in your capabilities—now and in the future!

What do you wish you knew about government contracting? What if you had access to a contracting officer, so you could understand the RFP process from their point of view? Listen in as Kevin Jans shares his experience as a contracting officer for the DOD and explains what COs look for in a vendor!

Are you struggling to win business with RFPs but can’t figure out why? Then you may need to conduct a mini-audit of past proposal responses to identify what’s tripping you up. Listen in as guest host Ted Koval interviews me around the 5 red flags that let you know you need an RFP audit!

Most proposal professionals understand the importance of putting the client at the center of the bid process. But what if a client centric proposal is not enough? Listen in as Kevin Switaj explains how to build empathy into the bid process and create an emotional connection with evaluators in your RFP response!

Yes, your team is qualified and capable of doing the job required by an RFP. But so is every other company that submits a response. So, how do you take your technical content and make it persuasive? Listen in as Dave Rynne explains how to win business by writing from a sales perspective!

It’s important to distinguish yourself from the competition in an RFP, and one surefire way to do that is by demonstrating industry authority. But it's not enough to advertise your years of experience or how many clients you’ve helped. Listen in for insight on the best way to communicate industry authority in a proposal response!