I just spent a day writing a proposal for a project that we did not know existed two weeks ago. “The client loves us," said the client manager. "They want us to submit." I find myself in this situation often.
Will we win? Who knows. Should we have submitted? We are asked every day to support pursuits that we did not anticipate. It's always a hard decision.
In general, we are opposed to submitting proposals for unanticipated RFPs, because we know we would not be positioned to win. However, in reality, most professional services firms chase RFPs more often than they admit. And so do we. So, when should it be considered?
1. Someone in the client’s organization coaches you. Or you have a superior relationship with the client and you’re asked to submit a proposal.
2. You are truly uniquely qualified. This may include having a terrific idea for a solution to the client’s problem or expertise only your firm possesses or, better yet, both.
3. You and the competition are all caught by surprise, and the playing field is truly level.
The presence of all of these conditions improves your chances of being successful. But you must be ultra-critical of your strengths to overcome the severe weakness of not knowing the RFP would show up in the mail. Rationalization is an inherent weakness of technical professionals, so you must be ruthlessly objective about your chances of winning.
How often would we chase a "flier?" If it were up to us, we would allow our staff one “get-out-of-jail free” card per year. That’s all.
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