Saying No

A few years ago I was putting the final touches on an RFP response for a well known trade publication. They wanted to refresh their entire website and ecommerce experience into something modern and sleek - we scoped the project at over $1 million.

Half my brain was already doing mental calculations on commission and payout structure. 

The other half of my brain knew we would never win the deal. 

I sent off the proposal. 

I followed up after a week to confirm it was received, and finally got a response a few days later…

Thank you again for your interest in the website/ecommerce project. We received a number of very strong proposals. It was great to connect with your team, however at this time, we are not advancing you to the next round in our process. 

I will certainly be in touch if anything should change for this project, and I will keep you in mind for our future endeavors. I have attached the co-signed NDA for your records.

It was all too predictable. My firm had minimal industry expertise and almost zero ecommerce experience. But when a potential client comes to you with a big budget and lots of nice things to say, what else are you going to do?

Just say no. 

Well, maybe don’t say no immediately. But understand your odds of success and where your firm should be playing. Ask yourself these questions: 

• Do we have more than one recent case study for a similar project?

• Can our team jump in immediately without any extended education on the client industry?

• Can our internal team handle this without significant contractor support? 

If you’re answering “no” to even one of these questions. Consider spending your time elsewhere. 

Saying no doesn’t just mean you’re passing on an opportunity. It means you’re choosing to double-down and focus on higher value activities that fit your niche. 

Not sure what your firm’s niche is? Learn more about creating one here.