E-BOOK

The Complete
RFP Response Toolkit
Essential templates & tips for winning
Brought to you by

This e-book provides instructions

on how to build an RFP response
template, including examples and
templates of some of the most
common sections that appear in
most submitted proposals. It also
reviews a standard RFP response
process, complete with advice on
how to use the template, when
to engage other response team
members, and where RFPIO can
give you an advantage.

rfpio.com
PART ONE

How to Build Your RFPIO’s enterprise-

RFP Response Template level capabilities
enable multiple
This RFP response template gives you a head start on developing your
business units,
own template that includes all of your brand elements.
including partners,
to collaborate on a
Cover Letter 3 single platform.
It also reduces
Executive Summary 4 communication
channels during
Questions & Answers 5
the proposal
Pricing 6 development
process.
Business Profile 6
PAGE SNIDER,
References 6 Director of Business
Program Management,
Microsoft Consulting
Contract/Agreement 6 Service

Read how Microsoft uses RFPIO

E-BOOK // The Complete RFP Response Toolkit 2

PART ONE // How to Build Your RFP Response Template

Cover Letter
Follow these 7 steps to write your cover letter.

1. Thank the issuer.

Open by acknowledging the opportunity. Include mention of the RFP broker, when applicable.

2. Recite your understanding of the opportunity.

Validate that you reviewed the RFP requirements.

3. List your abilities to meet requirements.

If you can meet all of them, lead with that fact.

4. Describe your value propositions.

You’re trying to portray that, “This is what we bring to the table,
and that’s why we’re the best choice.”

5. Provide a high-level future snapshot.

Help reviewers and stakeholders envision what their business will look like
after your solution is chosen.

6. Conclude with a persuasive delivery of your

understanding of next steps.
“We look forward to the opportunity to discuss our proposal further.” Show that you’re able
and willing to move forward in the sales lifecycle.
See a cover letter example

7. Sign it from the frontline sales representative or executive sponsor.

This should not look like a form letter from the organization as a whole.

E-BOOK // The Complete RFP Response Toolkit 3

PART ONE // How to Build Your RFP Response Template

Executive Summary
Follow these 5 steps to write your executive summary.

1. Create a title using a dynamic verb.

Sadly, the most popular title for an executive summary is “Proposal for Prospect
Company.” Use the title as an opportunity to capture the executive’s attention.
“Increasing lead-generation…,” or “Visualizing revenue forecasting…,” or “Streamlining
cloud storage…” or whatever it is that your solution is going to do for them.

2. Use the recipient’s actual name whenever possible.

It makes recipients feel important and personally attended to when they see
their name on the front page.

3. Aim for a 3:1 ratio of recipient company name

versus your company name.
Make the document feel customized to them, not you.

4. Show how well you understand your prospect’s needs.

Sales or business development representatives should provide this information either
from experience or from a formal discovery phase that needs to happen prior to your
building a proposal with an executive summary. List only 3-5. Six and beyond are
dismissed by the brain as trivia, and are almost never read.

5. Make sure your key functionalities match your

prospect’s desired business outcome. See an executive summary example
If they don’t, it’s probably not a good fit.

Get an executive summary template

E-BOOK // The Complete RFP Response Toolkit 4

PART ONE // How to Build Your RFP Response Template

Questions & Answers

This is the lion’s share of the RFP. Expect questions
on the following topics.

Scope Integration
Do you have similar past experience? How will your solution
work with our existing
Tech requirements solutions?

Are you—or can you be—a good fit?

Competitive
Budget requirements differentiators
Can we afford you? Why is your solution
the best?
Client references
Who else do you work with? Implementation
How hard is your solution
Security, compliance, to onboard? Train?
Support? Can you meet
Automate up
and privacy
Are you a risk?
our timeline? to 80% of the
RFP process
Functional requirements
How can you help us? with RFPIO.
Read how Crownpeak did it

E-BOOK // The Complete RFP Response Toolkit 5

PART ONE // How to Build Your RFP Response Template

Pricing
Not all RFPs call for pricing, but be prepared for those that do.
Explain how you price your solution and why it will cost the amount you will quote
(possibly later, separate from this RFP response).
Responding to
RFPs in a consistent,
Business Profile accurate, and
Convert your “About” website page into an RFP-friendly format. comprehensive way
This will be boilerplate information about your organization’s size, financial health, awards, locations, is central to winning
and possibly community, charitable, and DEI initiatives. Even though it’s boilerplate, make sure
someone is assigned responsibility to update information on at least a quarterly basis.
more business. The
RFPIO tool, coupled
References with the Content
Assemble customer logos, especially those in the same Library refresh
industry as your target. project, supports
Even better, include quotes from some of those logos. Even better, include name, title,
and contact information of customer contacts willing to speak on your behalf.
our growth
ambitions.
Contract/Agreement MICHELLE JOHNSON,
Likely for informational purpose only, but it will VP of Growth Marketing,
help set expectations. GEODIS Americas

Provide a contract for your solution or service so the contracts department

can review it to see if there are any red flags. Read how GEODIS uses RFPIO

E-BOOK // The Complete RFP Response Toolkit 6

PART TWO

How to Use Your

RFP Response Template
Your RFP response template will be more useful when
it’s supported by powerful systems and processes.

Qualify RFP
Insert a go/no-go evaluation at the beginning of the RFP response process.
Sales will be the loudest voice, but proposal teams, SMEs, and executive
sponsors will need to weigh in to evaluate risk, timing, and strategic fit.

RFPIO Advantage: Check data from past similar RFPs. What took weeks
without RFP software may only take hours with it. All things being equal,
is this RFP winnable?

Kick Off Project

Provide clarity and accountability to the full response management team,
including strategic objectives that everyone can work toward.

RFPIO Advantage: Let the tool create a checklist of open items based on
what remains incomplete in your RFP response template after the automated
first pass conducted at intake by your Content Library.

E-BOOK // The Complete RFP Response Toolkit 7

PART TWO // How to Use Your RFP Response Template

First Response Submit

Make an initial response pass based on reusable content. Deliver polished RFP with reviewed supporting materials.
This step is much faster with RFP software. Follow up to confirm receipt. Keep internal stakeholders
abreast of progress.
RFPIO Advantage: RFPIO RFP technology consolidates all your
previous Q&A pairs into an intelligent Content Library, so you can RFPIO Advantage: Push send from RFPIO or
automatically respond to repeat questions in just a few clicks. your integrated CRM!

Second Response Save & Audit

Tap into resources for new questions, and assign segments that Save finalized responses in a centralized location and
require customization to respective SMEs. commit to regular content audits.

RFPIO Advantage: Assign each RFP question or section as a task RFPIO Advantage: Automatically add any new Q&A pairs or
to individual collaborators from the project dashboard in RFPIO. content to the Content Library for future use.
They’ll then receive a notification from where they’re already
working (e.g., email, Slack, or Teams).
Post-mortem
Winning doesn’t always mean content was perfect. Losing
Review & Revise doesn’t mean it was a bad response. Evaluate what worked
Conduct internal reviews to ensure a high-quality proposal. Link and what didn’t.
review requests to specific purposes (i.e., Are strategic objectives
RFPIO Advantage: Reference Content Library Insights
met? Are responses accurate and high quality? Did we fully answer
Report, the Content Library Timeline, and the Content Library
the question?).
Search Terms Report to drive the conversation with your
RFPIO Advantage: Simplify the review and approval process with response team.
automated reminders and cues across multiple platforms. From
intake, working within your branded RFP response template—along
with populating it with already-approved content—will decrease
how much you have to proofread.

E-BOOK // The Complete RFP Response Toolkit 8

E-BOOK

The Complete
RFP Response Toolkit
Essential templates & tips for winning
Brought to you by

About Us
RFPIO develops technology that advances the B2B purchase
lifecycle and accelerates growth by making knowledge
accessible and collaboration simple. The world’s leading
response management software can complete up to 80%
of an RFP in seconds, turn around higher quality responses
40% faster, and increase win rate by 15%. With more than
250,000 global users, RFPIO customers rely on AI with a
human touch to improve sales outcomes, add transparency
to the B2B purchase lifecycle, and do their best work. RFPIO
supports response management for growing organizations
of all sizes including Google, Adobe, Atlassian, Microsoft,
Tenable, and Zoom Video.

To learn more about RFPIO, visit rfpio.com, or schedule a demo.

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