Establish a powerful digital experience custom-built to ensure maximum ROI for all your marketing efforts.
More customers, increased revenue, and peace of mind knowing you have a team of experts driving you forward.
Gravitate Team
October 14, 2022 | Plan a Project
Welcome to Gravitate, and thank you for attending our webinar on using an RFP to hire a website agency. Today we will be touching on:
As a follow-up, you will receive an email with links to resources for writing a website redesign RFP.
This is the second in a series of webinars that Gravitate will be hosting over the next few months. It’s an activity we were doing regularly back in 2012 but lapsed for a bit, and now we’re resurrecting the tradition.
My name is Lynn Elyse, and I’m here with my colleague Flynt Johnson. We’ve both been New Business Consultants at Gravitate for nearly four years now, which means we spend most of our time talking with people in varying stages of readiness for hiring an agency to redesign their website or perform SEO and digital marketing. The funny part is that since Gravitate only brings on one or two new clients each month, we spend the vast majority of our time talking with people who will probably never be our clients.
Our conversations with people go beyond simply talking about our services. In fact, we probably spend far less time talking about our services than we do listening to people express their hopes and frustrations not only with their website, but also about their overall marketing effort.
Over the years, we both came to realize that between the two of us, during these conversations, we’ve accumulated knowledge that’s valuable to a lot of marketing managers, and we figured, why not share it with everyone? So that’s the reason we’re participating in the Gravitate webinar series, and we hope you will gain insight today that you’ll be able to apply immediately toward your work as a marketer.
When it comes to using an RFP to hire a website designer, most agencies don’t like them, and some outright refuse to consider responding at all. And we get why: when the RFP process is conducted poorly, then frankly, it’s an annoying waste of time for everyone. (We can both tell you stories about 45-page RFPs asking 75+ mostly redundant questions—no exaggeration!) But when the process is done right, they can be a great way for a company and an agency to determine whether they’re the right fit. Some of our favorite clients and most advanced websites came to us through an RFP.
The second most important thing to know about an RFP is this: the value in using an RFP process to select a website agency isn’t what you think it is. Many people think that an RFP will give them the most value for their dollar—they’ll be able to make an apples-to-apples comparison and choose the option providing the most features at the lowest cost. You know, that might work when you’re buying a product, but it’s useless when you’re buying a service.
The #1 thing to know about an RFP? The highest value of an RFP process is confidence that you’ve selected the right agency to do the right work.
For a salesperson, do you know what’s even worse than hearing “no” after proposing to do business? It’s hearing nothing at all. That tells me that the person I’ve been talking to has a confidence problem:
A thoughtful RFP process can erase doubts, because it will help you to:
Okay, so this all sounds great, but how to get started?
Well, you need to start with the end in mind. And when I say “end,” I don’t mean the day the new website launches. I mean that you should envision how the website will help to achieve your organization’s goals six months after launch, or one year, or two years, or even more.
So, first visualize how you want that tool to be working for you a year from now, and then identify the barriers in the way of that vision. The main purpose of just about any website is to accelerate a sales process—and if you’re a non-profit, government agency, or other entity that doesn’t “sell” anything, don’t let the terminology distract you. Everyone wants something:
B2B – more, better leads
B2C – more, better customers
E-commerce – more, better orders
Financial Services – more, better accounts
Government – more, better engagement
Healthcare – more, better patients
Non-profit – more, better donations
What are all the problems that are preventing you from getting more of whatever it is you want? Which fall under the marketing umbrella? Which of those might be addressed with digital marketing? Once you can articulate those bigger-picture problems, you’re ready to get started on your RFP process.
We really can’t overstate the importance of identifying problems. The number one mistake we see with RFPs is when they dictate a solution instead of stating a problem. You’re hiring an agency for their expertise with interactive design and online behavior—let them do their job! Identifying problems leads to articulating needs; your ultimate goal will be to explain your needs in the most helpful way possible.
The time it takes an organization to select an agency is a gauge of the time it will take to complete the website project. We’ve had companies take six months to select an agency, and then want a custom website completed in two months. Guess what? It’s not going to happen! They’ve got internal dynamics that I guarantee are going to drag it out.
Before you ever start writing the RFP, map out the full process so that you don’t lose momentum. At the absolute maximum, your RFP process should take three months; two months is a better target. Use this chart as a guide:
Items to note:
Once you’ve defined your needs, mapped out your RFP schedule, and assembled the participating parties, it’s time to write the RFP. We’ll provide you with some resources, but the truth is, writing the website RFP shouldn’t be hard. If you’re finding it difficult, it’s a sign something is wrong: you either don’t really know what you need or you’re trying to dictate the solution. Or, you’re involving the wrong people in the process.
One paragraph stating who you are and what you do.
List the URL (or URLs) that you want redesigned.
List any other services you may need, such as:
List your company’s sales and marketing goals: generate leads, facilitate sales, reinforce relationships, increase orders, etc.
Explain how your website fits into your overall marketing program. What are your primary marketing pursuits and how will they integrate with the website?
Explain your frustration with your overall marketing program and your current website.
Explain the state of your current brand identity. Advise if you have a style guide, and list your key messages.
List your key audiences.
List your key competitors.
Indicate the quality of your current website content and explain your content capabilities. Do you have in-house copywriters, photographers, editors, etc.?
Explain any other in-house capabilities for design, development, or other relevant skills.
List your quantifiable goals, such as traffic, conversions, etc.
List your qualitative goals, such as brand awareness, lead quality, etc.
List any known functionality needs, such as an open-source CMS, integration with a CRM, etc.
What event, business condition, or sales window will inform the optimal launch date?
What return on investment do you require? What is your budget range?
Proposal Requirements for an Agency Response
Share