In an insightful interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Olivia Bahrami, founder and owner of The RFP House, shared her journey from leadership roles to entrepreneurship and discussed how her firm is transforming the RFP process for small and mid-sized businesses. With over 15 years of experience, Olivia has pioneered a unique approach that simplifies and streamlines RFP content creation through her signature 3Cs—clear, concise, and compelling proposals. She also delves into the common mistakes businesses make when responding to RFPs, how AI is shaping the industry, and the critical role of RFP software in ensuring success. As the only woman-owned boutique firm in this space, Olivia’s passion for helping businesses win more accounts and thrive is evident in every proposal she crafts.
Olivia Bahrami is founder & owner of The RFP House, the only woman-owned boutique firm dedicated to helping small and mid-sized businesses win more and retain existing accounts in financial services, employee health and insurance, and global mobility services through the RFP process. Olivia manages the entire RFP process using her 3Cs approach – creating proposals that are clear, concise and compelling, and empowers businesses to focus on other high priority tasks. Olivia works with clients worldwide and tailors her firm’s solutions to meet their specific needs and all RFPs are completed by her.
Olivia brings 15+ years of progressive experience managing and leading the RFP lifecycle, content writing and administration, RFP software implementation and management, and thought leadership in both individual contributor and senior leadership roles. She is a well-known RFP expert in the proposal management industry and is often called upon to share her expertise and knowledge.
The RFP House is also a Loopio Solutions partner, which is a vetted, trusted and experienced firm that helps businesses scale their RFP lifecycle management, supports clients with their business development efforts and demonstrates to businesses that there’s a simpler way to respond to RFPs and house RFP content.
Olivia’s passion for helping businesses thrive through strategic RFP management is at the core of The RFP House. Her client-centered approach, combined with a commitment to delivering high-quality, personalized service, makes her a trusted partner for businesses seeking to grow and streamline their RFP process. Olivia’s dedication to empowering her clients is reflected in every proposal she crafts, ensuring that they not only compete but excel in their industries.
You’ve had an impressive journey from a junior proposal writer to a leadership role and now as an entrepreneur. What inspired you to leave a stable leadership position to start The RFP House, and how has the transition been?
My parents were both entrepreneurs, and I developed an entrepreneurial spirit, too. I’ve owned several businesses since graduating from university, and I have an affinity with all facets of entrepreneurship. I always wanted to be in the driver’s seat of my own destiny because I had my own ideas, thoughts, and style of work. I didn’t want to be boxed into the ideals and standards of other companies.
I also knew I am talented, innovative and hardworking, so I decided to open up shop where I help small and mid-sized business leaders win more business through clear, concise and compelling proposals, something I am passionate about. Overall, the transition has been fairly easy and positive, and I am very excited about this new venture. In short, I leveraged my skillset, doing work that I truly enjoy and support my clients with their business development efforts.
For small and mid-sized businesses struggling with RFPs, what common mistakes do you see them making, and what advice would you offer to help them improve their success rate?
I’ll focus on three key common mistakes I’ve seen small and mid-sized businesses make consistently when it comes to the RFP process and offer some solutions for consideration:
- Mistake 1: They don’t spend enough time on the capture plan. Solution: Get to know your prospect, their objectives and challenges in detail before the RFP hits your desk. You need to be well prepared and informed so you can customize your offering accordingly. Don’t wait until the RFP arrives to do all of your research. Business development efforts take time.
- Mistake 2: They don’t fully answer the RFP questions. Solution: Pay close attention to each and every word in your response because it matters! Have a team member peer review your response as part of your quality control. Evaluation teams determine if you’ve answered all questions completely and if you don’t, you risk making a negative impression or being disqualified from the RFP process altogether.
- Mistake 3: They struggle to create and manage content that is customized, clear, concise and compelling. Solution: Many business owners are not natural writers, and that’s ok. Engage a professional with extensive proposal writing experience to help you create and manage content. Share your thoughts and ideas with the writer so the writer captures that information in the proposal. Content must be reviewed regularly (at minimum every 12 months) to ensure accuracy and when needed, update as you go.
AI is becoming an increasingly important tool in many industries. How are you integrating AI into RFP content creation, and what are the key do’s and don’ts for using AI effectively in this space?
AI has the potential to help us streamline the RFP process in many ways, but we need to be mindful of how we use it. I’m currently using ChatGPT to prepare the proposal response and understand the client better by doing in-depth research, competitor analysis, and brainstorming win themes for executive summaries.
AI works great if you know what prompts to use and the more you use it, the smarter and more efficient it becomes. I don’t use it to create content because ChatGPT is not private, and RFP responses require customization, however, I do use it to summarize responses, especially if we are required to remain within a certain limit (without disclosing confidential client information). AI is a tool that saves time, but don’t forget to do your due diligence – review responses carefully and thoughtfully.
How do RFP software tools streamline the proposal process, and what features should businesses prioritize when selecting a tool that best suits their needs?
RFP software offers incredible time savings and value because it functions as the “single source of truth” for RFP teams, sales, and subject matter experts. I personally have used Loopio for many years, and within Loopio, RFP teams house and manage their proposal content seamlessly and engage stakeholders to ensure they use the latest and greatest content to date. Loopio also eliminates redundancy, improves workflow and stakeholder collaboration. In short – it’s an important tool that enables simplicity and efficiency in your RFP framework.
When selecting RFP software, businesses need to prioritize features such as intuitive design and navigation, user friendly and easy-to-update content libraries and RFP project workflow, security, reporting and analysis. This is something I also help my clients with – the search, onboarding and management of their RFP tool.
You’re about to launch a LinkedIn newsletter and a multi-part video series on RFP trends and best practices. What key insights or advice do you plan to share with your audience to help them navigate the complexities of the RFP process?
The newsletter will feature best practices, trends, and relevant information pertaining to the RFP process so I encourage everyone to follow and stay tuned. We’ll also include hot topics on what we find frustrating but also fun, and how we can increase win rates.
On the other hand, the multi-part video series will have snippets of conversations on RFPs and guest appearances with RFP experts from different industries. Sharing is caring – we are empowering our business partners to make better decisions and enhance their RFP knowledge.
