How to win RFPs isn’t about writing better responses—it’s about avoiding the process entirely. Answering an RFP cold is like showing up to a costume party in street clothes 👕🎭.

You missed the theme, you’re not getting picked, and the host already crowned a winner before you walked through the door.

By the time an RFP lands in your inbox, the decision is usually already made. While most sales teams scramble to “respond competitively,” the chosen vendor is calmly watching the process unfold 😎—because the evaluation criteria were written specifically for them.

They’re not competing.
They’re performing in a play where they already know the ending 🎬.

🎪 The RFP Theater of the Absurd

Here’s what actually happens in 87% of RFPs:

  • Month -6: Your competitor starts building a relationship with the economic buyer. They’re not selling yet—just “educating the market” 🧠

  • Month -4: They run an executive workshop on “best practices for evaluating vendors.” Guess whose best practices they’re teaching?

  • Month -2: They help draft the “vendor-agnostic” evaluation criteria. Somehow it perfectly matches their strengths—and your weaknesses 🧐

  • Month 0: The RFP drops. You have two weeks to answer 147 questions, 83 of which have nothing to do with the real problem 📝

  • Month +1: You lose. You get the polite email about “going in a different direction.” That direction was locked in six months ago 🚪

You weren’t competing.
You were providing procurement cover.

🎭 Why Companies Really Issue RFPs

Here’s the dirty secret: RFPs are rarely about finding the best solution.

  • 43% satisfy procurement requirements when the vendor is already chosen

  • 31% are CYA exercises for the board 🛡️

  • 18% are fishing expeditions for free consulting 🎣

  • 8% are actually competitive

That means 92% of RFPs are some form of theater.

You’re not a vendor.
You’re an unpaid actor in someone else’s procurement performance.

🧠 The Pre-RFP Playbook: Kill It Before It’s Born

The only way to win an RFP is to prevent it from ever being issued.

Here’s how 👇

1. Identify RFP Triggers Before They Go Public

RFPs aren’t spontaneous. They’re the result of months of internal debate—and they leave breadcrumbs everywhere 🍞

Watch for these signals:

  • New exec hires → Full vendor stack reevaluation

  • Competitor displacement → They need a replacement yesterday

  • M&A activity → Vendor consolidation is coming

  • New funding rounds → Fresh budget, fresh tools 💰

  • Hiring sprees → Growth investment

  • Repeated visits to high-value pages → Research mode activated 🔍

See 3+ signals in 90 days?
That account is going to RFP within six months.
Get there first.

2. Engineer the Evaluation Criteria

If you’re waiting for procurement to issue the RFP, you’ve already lost.

Instead, shape the battlefield 🏗️

  • Run Executive Workshops: Position them as “vendor-agnostic education.” Teach buyers how to evaluate solutions. Shockingly, your approach fits best.

  • Seed Sample RFP Questions:
    “Based on 200+ implementations, here are the questions you should ask any vendor.”
    (Bonus: only you can answer them well.)

  • Introduce POC Phases:
    “Any vendor should demonstrate value in 30 days.”
    Guess who already has a 30-day POC ready? ⏱️

  • Create Timeline Pressure:
    “Happy to join an RFP, but our Q4 implementation calendar is filling up…”

Goal: Write the RFP before they know they need one.

3. Force Conversations Pre-RFP

Most sales teams wait to be invited.
Winning teams create inevitability.

  • Activate Past Champions: That VP who loved you at their last company? They’re about to replay the same playbook 🔁

  • Leverage Peer Referrals:
    “I saw you’re both in the CFO Network—Sarah mentioned you might be evaluating solutions.”

  • Offer ‘Vendor-Agnostic’ Insights: Research, benchmarks, best practices. Be the expert—not another pitch deck 📊

  • Create Strategic FOMO:
    “We’re working with 4 of your top 5 competitors. Happy to share what’s working for them.” 😏

☢️ The Nuclear Option: Winning an RFP You Can’t Prevent

Sometimes the RFP is unavoidable. Here’s how to win anyway:

  • Refuse to Play by Their Rules:
    “We’re happy to provide info, but our clients get better outcomes through a collaborative evaluation. Can we discuss your actual needs?”

  • Price High, Then Negotiate:
    RFP responses often become public record. Anchor high (2x), then negotiate live 💵

  • Submit Two Responses:
    One compliant. One that shows what they should be asking.
    “Here’s what you requested. Here’s what actually matters.”

  • Break the Fourth Wall:
    Call out the theater.
    “These requirements suggest you’re optimizing for X. The top performers in your space are solving for Y. Here’s why…” 🎤

🧨 The Bottom Line

The companies that win RFPs aren’t the ones that respond best.
They’re the ones who built the evaluation criteria from day one.

By the time you’re filling out procurement forms, someone else is already picking out furniture in the customer’s building 🪑🏢

If you’re not part of the planning committee, you’re part of the entertainment.

Stop responding to RFPs.
Start preventing them 🚫📄

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