The Death of the RFP - How Agencies Are Winning Work in 2026

The RFP is dying. Not technically gone, but losing relevance as a business development tool.

If you're still winning most of your work through RFP responses, you're competing on price and commoditized deliverables. The agencies winning premium work are doing it differently.

The RFP process was designed for large buys from enterprise companies. A client creates a 50-page specification, sends it to five vendors, compares proposals, and picks the cheapest qualified option. It made sense when buyers needed structure to evaluate unknown vendors.

But smart buyers and smart agencies have figured out there's a better way. It's more relationship-based, less process-heavy, and produces better outcomes for everyone.

The Problem With RFPs

RFPs are commodity-creation machines. They force vendors to respond to a standardized spec, which means everyone's proposals look the same. The decision becomes price and "closeness to spec," not actual capability or approach.

They're also expensive to respond to. An RFP response can take 40-80 hours.

If you win one in five, your cost per win is substantial. Most of that effort is justifying why you can do what the spec says, not thinking about what the client actually needs.

RFPs also attract the wrong buyers. Smart clients who know what they want don't need an RFP.

They'll hire a consultant or call a trusted agency. RFP buyers are often less clear on requirements, less engaged, and more likely to have misaligned expectations.

The New Model: Pre-Qualification and Conversation

Smart agencies are winning work through pre-qualification and conversation instead. The process looks like:

1. Build enough visibility (content, community, reputation) that your target clients know who you are.
2. Have initial conversations with prospects before any formal selling happens.
3. Do a small piece of work together (audit, strategy session, discovery) to prove capability and fit.
4. If it's a fit, define the project scope together and propose.

There's no 50-page RFP because you've already understood the problem and proven you can address it. The proposal is a formality that confirms what you've already discussed.

Position Yourself as an Expert, Not a Vendor

When clients are running an RFP, they see you as an interchangeable vendor. When clients come to you knowing your reputation, they see you as an expert they chose. The latter is infinitely better.

Building expert positioning takes time and visibility. It's content, speaking, writing, being active in communities where your clients hang out. It's not flashy, but it works.

The benefit is huge: you control the conversation instead of responding to someone else's brief. You get to explain your approach instead of fitting it to a template. You can charge premium prices because you're not commoditized.

Use Small Engagements as Proof

One of the smartest moves is offering small paid engagements upfront. A strategy session, an audit, a discovery project. Something substantive that takes 2-4 weeks and costs $3,000-$5,000.

This is way cheaper than an RFP response, and it actually proves you understand their business and can deliver results. Most prospects will say yes because the investment is small and low-risk.

From there, if it's a fit, you propose the bigger project based on what you learned. The client already trusts you and knows your approach. There's no formal RFP process needed.

Create Your Own Process

The best agencies have a defined sales process they've created. It might be: initial call, strategy session, proposal, kickoff.

Or it might be different. The point is that you control the structure, not the client.

When a prospect asks you to respond to an RFP, you can say: "We don't typically respond to formal RFPs. Instead, here's how we work with clients." Some will accept it.

Some won't. But the ones who do are higher-quality prospects.

Focus on Relationship and Trust

RFPs turn the sale into a documented checklist. Modern sales is about trust and relationship. Do they believe you understand their problem?

Do they trust you to deliver? Do they like working with you?

These can't be checked off in a proposal. They're built through conversation, responsiveness, and demonstrated expertise.

The best question to ask a prospect is: "Even if we responded to an RFP perfectly, would that actually help you choose who's best for this work?" Usually the answer is no. They'd rather talk to people and feel confident than follow a process.

FAQ

Should we ever respond to RFPs? Only if they're big enough to justify the time investment and you're genuinely the best fit. If you're one of five agencies bidding, your odds of winning are 20%. Most RFPs aren't worth your time.

How do we position ourselves to avoid RFPs? Build visibility and reputation so clients come to you. Create content on topics your ideal clients care about. Speak at relevant events. Be easy to find and recognize as an expert.

What if our target clients prefer RFPs? Some industries and buyers do. If that's your market, you'll have to respond to RFPs. But even then, try to get a conversation before the formal process begins. An informal conversation that leads to an RFP is better than an RFP cold.

How much should we charge for a discovery engagement? Enough that it's real money ($2,000-$10,000 range usually), but not so much that it's prohibitive. You're proving capability and building relationship. Too cheap diminishes the value; too expensive creates friction.

Do we mention we don't do RFPs upfront? Not necessarily upfront. Once a prospect is genuinely interested, yes. "We've found that the best outcomes come from direct conversation rather than formal specs. Can we schedule a call?"

What if a prospect insists on an RFP? You can participate, but first try to get a conversation. "We'd be happy to respond to your RFP. But before we do, could we have a conversation with the team about your actual goals and constraints? That'll help us give you a more useful proposal."