Brian Smith; Senior Manager in the financial industry.

The topic of conversation that I'd like to kind of talk about today is the RFP process.  Now it's one that can be kind of cumbersome, question why it goes on.  At the end of the day, it's one where you can go over the details that the company is asking for and from the print buyer's perspective; it's one where you can also learn a lot about the other capabilities that they have to offer.  Yes, you have to go through the process, answer all the questions that the company is looking for; however, it is a chance for you to go through all of the other capabilities you have and it's your time to shine as a printer, and it's also your time to go wow them with all the other capabilities that you can go for.

So, if whether you win the RFP or you lose the RFP, it's one where you have a chance to go talk about all the capabilities that you have and if you lose the RFP at that moment in time, sometimes it's one of the places where you can come back six to eight months later and actually win the RFP because you shared something that the company didn't know otherwise.

So at the end of the day, if you get down towards the end of the RFP process, it's a win/win where you can kind of show off all your capabilities.

RFPs, as they get packaged and shared with the company that's putting the RFP out there can come in various forms.  One way is a very bare-bones approach where it's, again, if its your time to shine, the company taking the time to go package it properly, maybe go with a CD or a disc or a video, other capabilities that kind of full package.  Put in a very nice size box, campaign package type box, versus one that's just stuffed in a folder.  You know, you have a chance to shine a little bit more and if you look at an RFP process in terms of yes you have to answer all the financial questions and yeah you have to answer all the details that the company is asking for, but at the end of the day it's, again, a chance for you to kind of show off all your capabilities and the way you package yourself is important.