RFPs For ROI: An Insider’s Advice For Building Better Agency RFPS

Selecting an agency partner can be complex, time-consuming, and frustrating. Or it can be smooth, exciting, and fun.

We spoke to our RFP (Request for Proposal) experts at Leap Group about how to get the most out of your RFP, be efficient with the process, and find the perfect fit for your business.

First of All, Do You Really Need an RFP?

If you’ve ever used a dating app you’ve thought to yourself, “Why can’t I just meet someone in person?” The same goes for RFPs. You might have better luck meeting agencies in person. A casual conversation about your actual needs with an agency president or account rep may go a long way. Even if you do end up sending out RFPs, think of an in-person meeting as a pre-screening. Swipe left on the ones you know aren’t a fit and send an RFI or RFP to the ones that have potential.

“A lot of times companies look at this way too formally. You need to think about this from a partnership perspective. This is a company that is going to be very integral to your company and help you be successful. The fact that you want to keep it so formal, I think, does a disservice to the actual client. If in that initial research phase you think ‘I kind of like what I see from this agency, but I’m not sure,’ do a quick call.”

– Alan Gilleo

When Is It Time to Submit an RFP?

“I think it’s time to RFP when there is a major shift”

– Ryan Smith, (amp) President

A major shift could be in marketing goals, audience targets, market conditions, or internal team changes.

Maybe you have an incumbent agency, but feel like you need a change. An RFP is a great way to hear some new thinking, while also letting your current agency defend themselves. See if the spark is still there. The truth is you may just need to have a heart-to-heart with them about what’s working, what’s not, and why.

You want someone you can trust and grow with. The longer term the business objective the more appropriate an RFP becomes. If you’re going to be working with a partner for a long time you want to do your due diligence to find the right fit.

No, Literally, When Is It Time to Submit an RFP?

Earlier is better.

“Procter and Gamble with their packaged goods products will engage an agency two or three years before the product hits the market. That’s a much different type of relationship the agency has with that brand and with that product or service because you get to figure out how it looks, tastes, feels. Sit in focus groups with people talking about all aspects of it. This is all before you name it. Come up with a logo for it. There are so many steps to the process of just product creation and product development.”

– Walter Harris

The more your agency is part of your entire journey, the more they can advise on all aspects of branding, marketing, even media placement.

Everything is advertising, from what your company stands for to how you show up in the market. Let your agency help, that’s what they’re there to do.

When can an RFP Do More Harm Than Good?

“You have a bad quarter, and the agency goes into review to try to get them to lower their prices or to change what they’re doing. All that does is put a huge strain on the relationship. That’s putting a lot of resources towards the wrong thing and a lot of times that same effort being put towards the current agency relationship could make things better.”

– Ryan Smith, (amp) President

It takes a long time to develop the kind of bonds businesses and agencies need to succeed, so think twice before tossing it away on a shiny new agency.

On the flip side…

When it comes to technology, RFP’ing often may be better. In some cases, it can even be done annually. Technology changes fast and you want to make sure your agency is keeping up. When it comes to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software you need to stay ahead of the curve.

How to Craft the Perfect RFP.

Glad you asked! Here are our “Dos” and “Don’ts”

Don’t Make Anyone Guess.

“Did the agency guess because they have nowhere near enough information to actually do the work and to actually hit it on the head? In that case, you’re almost always choosing an agency based on a little bit of luck. And that’s super dangerous.”

– Ryan Smith

Do Be as Clear as Possible.

The more organized and clear the better. This will probably take some work on your end. The more you can share, the better.

Here are the types of information that can help your prospective agency give you answers that are custom tailored so you can make the most informed decision.

You may not know everything, and what you think you know may not even be right, but the more you give an agency to work with, the better. Don’t just transcribe your anxieties, or previous negative experiences. Stay positive and stick to the facts!

Do Share your Budget.

Really? Yup!

“Why don’t you want to tell me your budget? Yes, we will absolutely use every last dollar. Because you’re hiring us to provide value. What you should require is for us to demonstrate for every last dollar you have available, how much value can we give you?”

– Alan Gilleo

You are hiring an agency to give you the absolute most value for your dollar. Don’t make them guess what’s possible.

Don’t Worry too Much about Technology Capabilities.

“There’s thousands of agencies. All of us have to deal with Martech and Adtech every single day. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best HubSpot shop or Sprout Social shop or Salesforce shop, because at the end of the day we use the same fundamentals in every one. It’ll take an agency trained person two weeks to understand how to use most software and technology. Versus asking, who are the people who are going to be working on my business that I’m going be trusting with it and be in the trenches with every single day. And how does your agency culture match up to our marketing culture?”

– Ryan Smith

Technologies are table stakes. They change all the time. What’s most important is trusting the people you work with to keep up and switch accordingly and efficiently.

Which leads us to…

Do Ask About the People You’ll Be Working With.

“It’s so funny how often we’ll go through an RFP process that’s months long and right up until the very last minute it’s all focused on cost. Then all of a sudden there’s this a-ha moment. All of a s sudden, it’s like, wait a second, “Who are you people and do I like you?

The reason agencies are so powerful for brands, and it can be so wildly profitable for clients, is because it’s about humans and cultures matching up well together. AI is never going to change that. In a world of automation marketing is still about connecting with humans.”

– Ryan Smith

Even if there is turnover, if you trust the agency, you’ll trust the people they bring in.

Do Be Honest.

If you don’t know exactly what you need, that’s okay.

“If you’re unclear, come out and say that. Maybe that’s harder for a prospect to even realize on their own. That they don’t even know what they want or what they need help with. That’s the question we’re there to answer”

– Wes Keeton, Corporate Creative Director

Do Be Thoughtful When Asking for Spec Work.

Since you’re not (and shouldn’t) provide a brief, be as clear and precise as possible about what the spec work needs to achieve and what the limitations may be.

There is a lot to look for in spec work: creativity, an understanding of the problem, strategic insight, brand fit, quality of execution, differentiation, proof of capabilities, and attention to detail. Indicate which areas should be prioritized in your RFP.

Eliminate guesswork wherever you can. Offer as much info as you can to judge which work will be the most impactful for your business.

“It’s always better when prospects aren’t secretive. We’ve signed an NDA. If you’re asking for spec work or strategic recommendations, the more you can give us the better, and more tailored, the responses will be.”

– Alan Gilleo

What happens if we get spec work we didn’t ask for?

Great! Consider it extra credit. But here’s the watchout: if you get unexpected spec work and think, ‘This is great, we should have all our prospective agencies do this,’ don’t give the other agencies more information about how to create tailored spec work, which will make the original work you received feel off-target, creating an uneven evaluation between agencies.

Do Understand How Much Work Goes into Your RFP.

“We put our best people on our RFPs, and we put in a lot of time and effort to demonstrate the value we can bring to your business. The more a client respects that, the harder we want to work for them.”

– Ryan Smith

This isn’t about ego. Agencies want to help you succeed because it helps them succeed. Great work and big returns are mutually beneficial. The more respect, communication and understanding there is that everyone is trying to do their very best work, the better the work will be.

So….

Do Hop on a Call!

If an agency has questions, a call can be a much better option than e-mailing back and forth.

“For whatever reason there is just this like kind of like hands-off approach. I don’t know if it’s a fear of not wanting to have conflict or a need for everything to be equalized but what better way to start weeding out companies than to actually have a conversation with them? What is their vibe? What is their culture like? Do you like the team? Was somebody weird on it? Chemistry is so big in all of this.”

– Alan Gilleo

Sometimes a call is where you can suss out the real problems you might not even know you had. You know your company well, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Most agencies have been around the block and have seen it all, so use them to your advantage.

Do be Selective When Sending RFPs.

“Logistically, in a human attention span, you cannot give enough time and credibility and thought to 10 plus responses. It’s too much. If that means there’s one or two that you want to have a quick conversation with, that doesn’t create an unequal playing field, it just means now that you have five to seven agents that you feel legitimately that you could see yourself being a partner with.

– Alan Gilleo

“If you can keep it to 4 to 6, then you can do things that make the agencies really up the ante and really bring the firepower.”

– Ryan Smith

Finally, do Give Time for a Thoughtful Response.

Simply put, the more you want to know, and the more work you’d like to be put into your RFP, the more time an agency should have to put it together.

When it comes to time, information, and respect, the more you give, the more you get!

How To Evaluate the Responses

A point system is often the most efficient way to evaluate RFPs. You create a list of questions and associate each answer with a point value. It’s less guess work, and makes it easy to match, compare, and evaluate answers between prospective agencies.

“People’s BS meters are so strong these days. We’re all hit with so much marketing and communications that you can just feel inauthenticity immediately. You know, whatever the vibe, maybe super excited, laid back, whatever. I think it should be authentic to your organization.”

– Wes Keeton

“For most of my career, I’ve used the hiring technique of three simple questions:

Can this person do the job?

Does this person want to do the job

Do we want to work with them every day?”

– Ryan Smith

Ummm…what about the agencies we don’t choose?

“I can’t imagine somebody wouldn’t welcome that, even if the news is tough, you know that’s gonna like. It’s only gonna make you better.”

– Wes Keeton

“I want the blunt truth… We have to learn.”

– Alan Gilleo

Feedback is a gift, and a rising tide lifts all boats.

Time For a Fit Check!

A good agency talks to its client every single day, so when you get down to the final candidates, get together. Make absolute sure you’re a good match, not just on paper, but in-person.

At Leap Group we sell chemistry. We take creatives, engineers, anthropologists, data analysts, outgoing human account persons and smash them all together into one environment to cohesively deliver outstanding outcomes. It’s not easy, but when it works, it’s beautiful.

“Agencies need to be more than just a vendor relationship. These are people that are highly invested in your business. You want them invested in your business. You want them to think about your business when they’re driving home. When they’re grocery shopping and see something and think, ‘Oh I need to bring that up. This would be so good for them!’

– Alan Gilleo

(And don’t forget, you’re being evaluated too!)

To do great work agencies need to buy into what they’re selling too. They need to believe in your authenticity, in your values, ideologies, and culture. They need to trust that you’ll be open to their recommendations, creativity, and new ideas.

Great RFPs don’t just find the best agency, they attract them. When you’re honest with who you are, collaborative, and clear, you invite partners like you, who bring their best ideas, energy, and people to the table. That’s when the magic starts.