Finding Projects Before They Become RFPs

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Why Waiting for the RFP is Too Late

Clients begin shaping their projects long before the RFP is posted—sometimes months or even years in advance. By the time the proposal is invited, they've lived through the planning, scoping, and decision-making that will influence the award. Firms that wait to appear until the RFP drops are introducing themselves at the moment when it's hardest to make an impact. This topic reframes business development around the client's timeline, showing why visibility, trust, and informal conversations in the pre-RFP phase often shape the outcome, even in “officially fair” competitions.

Building a Lead-Generating Engine

If you want predictable sales results, you need more than ambition—you need a functioning lead-generating engine. This topic introduces the core elements of an engine that finds opportunities before they hit the market. It breaks the process down into three steps: awareness, task identification, and assignment. With practice, this system helps you measure your business development “gas mileage”—how many leads it takes to meet your revenue target—and gives you the tools to improve that ratio over time.

Exposing the Cultural Barriers to Early BD

Many teams don’t generate leads early because of cultural norms, internal resistance, or mistaken beliefs. This topic helps you uncover what's really blocking your team. Using the Pre-RFP Business Development Culture prompt set and companion analysis template, you'll identify common objections, misplaced fears, and quiet habits that undermine lead generation. Instead of relying on gut feel or scattered effort, you’ll have a clear view of your team's mindset—allowing you to coach, support, and evolve it into a proactive, client-aligned culture.

suggested KPIs for this topic

After you’ve completed the units and exercises in this topic, you can use these KPIs to shape your own career development plan or your team’s BD habits.

culture & awareness

  • Each team member can clearly explain the client’s pre-RFP process and why early contact matters.
  • Each person identifies at least three non-RFP sources for new project leads.
  • Completion of the prompt set Pre-RFP Business Development Culture – What Does Your Team Believe About BD?
  • The team holds at least one discussion per quarter to review beliefs and misconceptions about BD.

recording & tracking

  • 100% of “soft” leads heard in conversation are logged within 48 hours.
  • The team maintains a shared list of active pre-RFP opportunities, updated at least once a month.
  • Each person moves at least one lead per quarter from “heard about” to “documented and tracked.”
  • Lead log reviews appear as a recurring agenda item in relevant team or BD meetings.

pull marketing

  • Each professional participates in at least two visibility or outreach actions per quarter (events, talks, community initiatives, client coffees, etc.).
  • At least one new case study, nugget, or social-media story is created each quarter from project learnings.
  • The team records at least three “helpfully early” contacts with clients before RFPs in a given year.
  • Positive project stories and small wins are captured and stored where BD teams can reuse them.

accountability & reflection

  • BD updates appear as a standing item on team meeting agendas.
  • Each member completes the prompt set Pre-RFP Business Development Habits – Sources for Leads Other Than Purchasing Sites.
  • After every major loss, the team records a short reflection on what the competitor likely saw or did earlier.
  • Desirable BD behaviors (logging leads, early outreach, sharing intel) are recognized publicly at least once a month.

Pick two or three KPIs from this list and add them to your own development path, or use them as a starting point for your team’s BD playbook.

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