Iris Blog - How to Win More RFPs: A Practical Guide

It might sound counterintuitive, but the first step to winning more proposals is often deciding to write fewer of them. It’s easy to fall into the trap of responding to every RFP that comes your way, spreading your team thin and diluting the quality of your submissions. The most effective teams are selective. They have a rock-solid "Go/No-Go" process that helps them quickly identify which opportunities are worth the investment. This strategic focus allows them to dedicate their full attention to crafting personalized, compelling proposals for deals they have a real chance of closing. Let's explore how to choose the right battles so you can win more RFPs.

What is Capture Management and Why Does It Matter?

Winning high-value RFPs starts long before the proposal is written. Capture management is the strategic process of identifying, qualifying, and nurturing opportunities before an RFP is issued. Done right, it gives organizations a competitive edge by positioning them as the preferred vendor before the competition even starts writing.

Many organizations struggle with tracking and qualifying opportunities efficiently. Iris helps teams streamline the process, providing insights into past wins, proposal effectiveness, and competitive positioning.

Here’s how modern businesses can improve their capture management strategy to close more deals.

Understanding the Numbers: Key RFP Metrics and Win Rates

You can't improve what you don't measure. To refine your capture management and proposal process, you need to get comfortable with the numbers. Tracking a few key metrics will give you a clear picture of what’s working, where your team is spending its time, and which opportunities are truly worth the effort. It’s the difference between guessing at your strategy and building one based on solid data. These metrics act as your guide, pointing you toward smarter decisions and, ultimately, more wins.

Key Metrics for Measuring Success

Focusing on the right key performance indicators (KPIs) helps you diagnose the health of your entire RFP response operation. From initial submission to the final decision, each stage has a story to tell. By tracking metrics like win rate, advancement rate, and cost per response, you can pinpoint bottlenecks, celebrate successes, and allocate your resources more effectively. This data-driven approach transforms your proposal process from a reactive task into a proactive, strategic function that directly contributes to your company's growth and success.

Proposal Win Rate

This is the big one—the ultimate measure of your success. Your proposal win rate is simply the percentage of proposals you submit that you actually win. For example, if you send out 100 proposals and win 44 of them, your win rate is 44%. While it seems straightforward, this single number tells you how well your overall strategy is performing. A low win rate might signal issues with your qualification process, proposal quality, or pricing. Tracking this metric over time is the best way to assess the effectiveness of any changes you make to your process.

Advancement Rate

Before you can win a deal, you have to make the shortlist. The advancement rate measures how many of your submitted proposals get past the initial screening and are seriously considered by the client. On average, about 55% of proposals make it to this stage. If your advancement rate is low, it could mean your proposals aren't compelling enough or are being disqualified for not meeting mandatory requirements. A high advancement rate, on the other hand, shows that your proposals are hitting the mark and effectively communicating your value from the get-go.

Participation Rate

Your participation rate is the percentage of RFPs you receive that you actually respond to. The average company responds to about 63% of the proposals they get. This metric helps you evaluate your go/no-go decision process. A very high participation rate might mean you aren't being selective enough and are wasting resources on low-probability bids. A very low rate could indicate you’re being too cautious and missing out on potential opportunities. Finding the right balance is key to focusing your team’s energy where it will have the most impact.

Cost Per Response

Think about all the hours your team pours into a single proposal—from subject matter experts to writers and designers. Calculating your cost per response helps you understand the real investment behind each submission. This isn't just about budget; it's about making sure your team's valuable time is spent on opportunities with the highest potential return. When you can significantly cut down the time it takes to create a first draft, like with an AI-powered platform, you directly lower this cost and can pursue more high-quality bids without burning out your team.

What the Statistics Say About Winning

So, what does a "good" win rate look like? The industry average hovers around 44%, which is a solid benchmark to aim for. But here’s the really interesting part: teams that follow a clear, consistent response process see a 13% higher win rate than those that don't. This statistic highlights that success isn't just about what you write; it's about *how* you work. Establishing a repeatable workflow, from qualification to submission, is a game-changer. It’s why tools that create that consistency, like Iris, are so critical for improving deal volume and getting your win rate above average.

1. Find the Right Opportunities Before Anyone Else

The best capture management strategies start by pinpointing the right government contracts, enterprise RFPs, and security questionnaire opportunities before they hit the market.

What to Look For in a Winning Bid

Review past performance to identify patterns in successful deals.
Score RFPs based on factors like deal size, competition, and fit.
Research potential clients and decision-makers to understand their needs.

By focusing on high-potential opportunities, teams can prioritize their efforts where they matter most.

The Go/No-Go Decision: Choosing Which RFPs to Pursue

It’s easy to fall into the trap of responding to every RFP that lands in your inbox, but this approach often leads to burnout and a disappointingly low win rate. The most successful teams know the secret isn't just writing a great proposal, but choosing the right proposals to write. Implementing a formal "Go/No-Go" decision process is one of the most effective ways to focus your team's energy. This strategic pause forces you to evaluate whether an opportunity truly aligns with your strengths before you invest hundreds of hours into a response. If you're submitting many proposals but winning few, it's a clear sign you need to be more selective.

A great question to start with is: "Did we have a hand in shaping this RFP?" If you're seeing the request for the first time along with all your competitors, your odds are already lower. The ideal scenario is one where you've already built a relationship and helped the client define their needs. By focusing your resources on opportunities where you have a genuine competitive advantage, you can dedicate the necessary time to craft a truly compelling and personalized response that stands out from the competition.

2. Connect With Decision-Makers Before the RFP Drops

Winning complex RFPs isn’t just about having the best proposal—it’s about building trust. The most successful organizations engage stakeholders early to shape the RFP criteria in their favor.

Making Your Pre-RFP Engagement Count

Proactively connect with potential buyers through networking and industry events.
Tailor outreach to decision-makers by addressing their specific challenges.
Provide value early, such as industry insights or educational resources.

Building relationships before an RFP is issued increases the likelihood of becoming the preferred vendor.

3. Assemble Your Proposal Team

An RFP response is never a solo project. The most compelling proposals are a team effort, blending different skills and perspectives to create a winning submission. If your company is large enough, your best bet is to bring in people from various departments—like sales, marketing, product, and legal—to contribute their unique expertise. As the proposal lead, your job is to orchestrate this collaboration, ensuring every piece of the puzzle fits together perfectly. This approach not only strengthens your response but also builds internal alignment and gets everyone invested in the win.

Defining Roles and Responsibilities

To keep your proposal process running smoothly and avoid last-minute chaos, clear roles are non-negotiable. Before you even start writing, you need to define a project plan that outlines exactly who is responsible for what and when each task is due. Assign a clear owner for each section of the RFP, from the executive summary to the pricing tables. This structure eliminates confusion, ensures accountability, and helps everyone on the team understand their specific contribution. When everyone knows their role, you can focus on creating high-quality content instead of managing logistics.

Leveraging Subject Matter Experts

Your subject matter experts (SMEs) are your secret weapon. They hold the deep technical and product knowledge that makes your proposal credible and persuasive. The challenge? They’re often incredibly busy. To make the most of their time, it’s crucial to have a system in place. Instead of asking them the same questions for every new RFP, you can build a centralized knowledge library with their best, pre-approved answers. Using an AI deal desk solution helps you store, manage, and quickly find this information, allowing your team to generate accurate drafts without constantly interrupting your experts. This also makes it easier to leverage content from past winning proposals, ensuring consistency and quality across all your responses.

3. Use Data to Craft a Smarter Proposal

Effective capture management ensures that when the RFP finally drops, your team is ready with a tailored, strategic response. Iris helps teams:

Analyze past RFP wins and losses to refine content strategy.
Standardize key proposal sections for consistency and clarity.
Ensure compliance with security questionnaire requirements.

By improving proposal workflows and knowledge sharing, teams can respond faster and with more confidence, increasing both win rates and efficiency.

Best Practices for Writing Your Response

Once your data has pointed you in the right direction, it’s time to write a proposal that stands out. The quality of your written response can make or break the deal, as evaluators are often sifting through dozens of submissions. Clarity, completeness, and readability are your best friends here. A well-structured and easy-to-understand proposal shows respect for the reader's time and highlights your professionalism. It’s not just about what you say, but how you say it. Let's get into a few key practices that will help your proposal rise to the top of the pile and catch the decision-maker's eye for all the right reasons.

Answer Every Question Thoroughly

The fastest way to get your proposal moved to the "no" pile is by failing to follow instructions. Make the evaluator's job as simple as possible by answering every single question completely. Even if a question seems redundant or is asked in multiple sections, provide a full answer each time. Don't make them hunt for information or assume they'll connect the dots from an earlier response. Incomplete or skipped answers can be interpreted as an inability to meet a requirement or, worse, a lack of attention to detail. A thorough response demonstrates your commitment and makes it easy for the evaluator to check off their boxes in your favor.

Make Your Proposal Easy to Read

Imagine you’re the one reading 15 dense, 100-page proposals. The one that’s easy to scan and digest is going to leave a much better impression. Use formatting to your advantage to guide the reader’s eye to the most important information. Break up long paragraphs, use clear headings, and incorporate bullet points to list key features or benefits. Bolding crucial phrases can also help your main points stand out. As one guide to winning RFPs puts it, this isn't about making things pretty; it's about making your value proposition impossible to miss. A clean, well-organized document reflects a clear, organized approach to business.

Actions to Take After Submission

Hitting "submit" on a proposal can feel like the end of a marathon, but the work isn't over yet. What you do after the submission is just as important as what you did before. This is your opportunity to learn, refine your process, and set your team up for future success. Whether you win or lose the deal, every RFP is a chance to gather valuable intelligence that can be used to strengthen your next bid. By creating a feedback loop, you turn every proposal into an investment in your team's growth and your company's win rate. Let's look at how to make the most of this crucial phase.

Conducting a Win/Loss Analysis

Regardless of the outcome, always perform a win/loss analysis. If you win, identify what resonated with the client so you can replicate that success. If you lose, it's even more critical to understand why. Whenever possible, ask the buyer for direct feedback. They can often provide specific insights into where your proposal fell short or what the winning competitor did differently. According to research from proposal software experts, this analysis is key to improving your win rate over time. Internally, debrief with your team to discuss what went well and what could be improved in your process for the next opportunity.

Building Your Content Library

Every proposal you write contains valuable content that can be reused and refined. Instead of starting from scratch every time, centralize your best responses in a content library. This single source of truth saves countless hours and ensures your messaging is consistent and accurate across all bids. Start by populating it with answers from your winning proposals. This is where an AI-powered platform like Iris becomes a game-changer. It not only helps you manage your knowledge base but also proactively identifies outdated information across your systems, ensuring every proposal is built with your strongest, most current content. This turns past efforts into a powerful asset for future wins.

Ready to Win More RFPs?

With the right approach, organizations can identify opportunities sooner, build stronger relationships, and optimize their proposal strategy for better results.

Want to improve your RFP win rate? Visit heyiris.ai to see how Iris can help your team capture and close more deals.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We're a small team. How can we implement a capture management process without getting overwhelmed? Start small and focus on quality over quantity. You don't need a complex system from day one. Begin by identifying a handful of high-value potential clients you'd love to work with. Dedicate a small amount of time each week to researching their needs and connecting with people at those companies. The goal is to build genuine relationships long before an RFP is ever released, so when it is, you're already a familiar name.

What's the first step to creating a "Go/No-Go" process if we don't have one? The easiest way to start is by creating a simple checklist. Gather your team and agree on five to seven critical questions to ask before pursuing any RFP. These could include things like, "Do we have a pre-existing relationship with this client?", "Does this opportunity align with our core strengths?", and "Do we have a realistic chance of winning against the likely competition?" This forces a deliberate pause and a strategic conversation before anyone invests serious time.

If you could only track one RFP metric, which one would it be and why? While all the metrics tell an important part of the story, I'd start with the proposal win rate. It’s the ultimate indicator of whether your entire process—from qualification to submission—is working. If that number is healthy, you know you're on the right track. If it starts to dip, it’s your signal to look deeper at other metrics like your advancement rate or participation rate to diagnose exactly where the problem is.

What should we do if a client won't give us feedback after we lose a proposal? While direct feedback is ideal, it's not always possible to get. When that happens, turn the analysis inward. Hold a debrief with everyone who worked on the proposal and discuss what you think went well and where you could have been stronger. If you know who won the deal, research them to understand their competitive advantages. The goal is to learn from every submission, and you can still gather valuable insights by reviewing your own process and performance.

How does building a content library actually help us win more deals? A content library does more than just save you time. By centralizing your best, most accurate, and pre-approved answers, you ensure every proposal you send is built on a foundation of quality and consistency. This frees your team from rewriting basic information and allows them to spend their valuable time personalizing the proposal and tailoring the strategy to the client's specific needs. That customization is what makes a proposal stand out and ultimately win.

Key Takeaways

Prioritize opportunities with a Go/No-Go process: Stop wasting resources on low-probability bids. A formal qualification process helps you identify the RFPs worth pursuing, allowing you to dedicate your full attention to crafting higher-quality, winning proposals.
Shape the opportunity before it's public: Don't wait for the RFP to drop. Proactively connect with stakeholders to understand their needs and provide value early on, which can influence the proposal's criteria and give you a significant competitive edge.
Turn every proposal into a learning opportunity: Create a repeatable system for success. Centralize your best answers in a content library and conduct a win/loss analysis after every submission to gather feedback and consistently strengthen your future bids.

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How to Win More RFPs: A Practical Guide