Is Writing Proposals Really Worth a Consultant’s Time and Effort?

A long time ago I used to write proposals for prospective clients.  It would take me days, even weeks to complete. After all the work and careful thought that went into them, many many times I would not get the engagement. It seemed like a complete waste of time. I hated it.

I don’t like the RFP and proposal writing process for a lot of reasons. One of which is, whether you do a great job and meet all the requirements of the RFP, you still have little or no chance of getting hired.

Here’s why I believe this: A friend of mine (who would like to remain nameless) used to work for a large insurance company. His job was to post RFP’s, review proposals, and then, along with a committee of peers, hire the appropriate consultant or consulting firm under a certain criteria. (Well, that’s what he was hired to do.)

Let me fill you in on a little secret he shared with me over lunch one day:

When companies request proposals, they usually know ahead of time who they want to work with.

Yeah, I said it. Many companies already know who they want to work with.

So, what hiring companies are really doing is not necessarily in looking for the best new company to work with… but looking for great new proposed ideas/strategies/theories, etc. - and - the lowest proposed fee they got, so they can take those ideas and low proposed fee to the company they do WANT to work with.

Case in point: My friend Ramon, who is a marketing consultant to the Value Added Reseller (VAR) market. He helps VAR’s, IT Solution Providers, and IT Consultants & salespeople attract more qualified clients, and teaches them how to be “Trusted Advisors” in their target markets.

Ramon is one of the very best at what he does. He has done great work for his clients, and many seek him out again to help with other projects.

Last week a former client of his who had sent out a RFP, got several proposals, reviewed the top three, and then called my friend Ramon and said, “if you can do these things and for 5% under what this guy was willing to do it for, the project is yours.”

Ramon is the the consultant of choice. The others were merely for informational purposes only.

That kind of ticks me off!

We are consultants - experts at what we do. We should not be peddling for work. We should be sought out - and WE DECIDE who we want to work with. Not the other way around.

In my opinion, writing proposals every day, week, or month and submitting them to “most-likely-lose” situations is not a good use of my time, nor my expertise.

Like you, I am an expert at what I do and I can solve problems for companies. You either seek me out and choose to do business with me because of something you saw, heard, or experienced - or - we probably shouldn’t work together.

My belief is if someone is going to ask me to do a proposal, I should charge for it and consider it a “Plan of Action.”  If they should decide to hire me further to uncover and solve more problems, then the fee for that Plan of Action can be prorated towards the entire project fee.

But, no way - I mean, “NO WAY” should I be treated like a peddler of my expertise.

Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Consultants = Experts at solving problems

Do doctors peddle for patients? Do lawyers beg to become your representation in court? Do accountants peddle to do your bookkeeping or taxes? No. 

You are either referred to them by a friend or colleague. Or, you’ve heard about them through their reputation. Or, you’ve had an experience with them, hearing them speak or read something they wrote, etc.

Does that mean they don’t market themselves? No. It just means they are sought out rather than having to beg someone to do business with them.

As a consultant, I beg of you. Consider my thoughts on this. You are not a servant or service provider. You are an expert who helps solve problems.

Start holding yourself to a higher standard and revere yourself as someone special.  Start doing things that position you as the expert you are and as the “Obvious Choice” to your target clientele.

Do things that get your prospective clients to “raise their hand” and request more information on how to work with you. Use methods other consultants would never think of to reach your prospects, and get prospective clients to ask you for more information. You guide the process, not them.

It’s the best way, really.

If you like this article, please leave a comment. Or, send me an email at Craig@FormerStrugglingConsultant.com

Craig Valine, “The [Former] Struggling Consultant”
http://FormerStrugglingConsultant.com