Advice · 06. September 2019
We were featured on DC's premier podcast for the public relations industry, the Flack Pack. This interview (starts at 17 minutes) truly summarizes all that we're about.
25. June 2015
PR agencies should and can improve their RFP response “batting average” by asking questions and pushing for complete information up front, avoiding the cookie cutter approach, looking inward before responding outward, and being prepared to put their best foot forward during the proposal and presentation process. Those were the recommendations we shared with more than 50 firms when RFP Associates presented to mid-sized PR agency heads and senior executives last month during the PRSA...
15. June 2015
When someone asks what the most critical component is when hiring a public relations firm I often respond: “time.” Time is easily the most under-appreciated element required for working with a PR agency. It begins with the time that should be devoted to identify and hire the most qualified agency, and then it continues through to the weekly time needed to provide the materials required for them to do their job (i.e. get you results).
11. September 2014
Time was, searching for a PR firm meant jotting down a few requirements and shooting it to a few former colleagues or friends of friends at two or three familiar agencies. Sorry. Like everything else in life, finding the firm that will best serve your needs is no longer that easy. And it shouldn't be. In today's bottom line focused ROI environment can you really invest six figures into an agency that may or may not be able
31. July 2014
It bothers us every time we read or hear about a start-up or small business complaining that it wasn’t happy with its PR firm. Sure, there are two sides to every story, but we’re willing to wager that the primary cause for agency dissatisfaction among small businesses is – more often than not - poor planning and consideration before hiring the firm. This is not to point a finger at hiring companies. More often than not, they are justifiably too enmeshed in their own day-to-day details to...
07. July 2014
The PR agency selection process is a mystery that needs unraveling. With fierce competition among agencies and consultants of all stripes and colors, how can one firm distinguish itself from the others? Can a smaller boutique beat out a larger firm in
15. October 2013
It’s no secret that our anemic economy, though technically growing, has not treated public relations agencies very well. RFP Associates has received reports of diminished billings and layoffs at agencies of all sizes, particularly here in our base of Washington, DC, where the sequester and now the government shutdown has paralyzed many once high-flying firms. When business slows and RFPs are few and far between, what is an agency to do? One suggestion: build on your library of client case...
17. October 2012
A couple of months ago the Washington Business Journal contacted us asking advice for their upcoming “10 Things to ask before…Choosing a PR firm” column. This regular feature on various topics includes recommendations from a series of anonymous experts (can’t imagine why) in the industry. With its publication this week the Washington Business Journal offers some good categories (e.g., qualifications, references, chemistry, measuring), but we’re astounded by the column’s utter...
19. July 2012
Question: What’s the most frequent disappointment about agencies, according to a growing number of client organizations? Answer: That they are not providing enough new ideas or thinking outside of the proverbial box.
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Top Concerns of Agencies Responding to RFPs
- Short deadlines
- Budget not provided
- Incomplete scope of work
- Exhaustive response required
- Poorly written RFP - difficult client down the line
Why Organizations Dread the RFP Process
- Agency bait and switch
- Boilerplate response
- Daunting process
- Hard to differentiate agencies
- Want the process to be open and fair
Have others? Email us.
RFP Associates subscribes to and expects all the agencies we work with to adhere to the professional ethics codes outlined by at least one of the following: Public Relations Society of America, the PR Council and the Arthur Page Society.