An RFP (request for proposal) is not at all unique in the advertising industry. Each agency’s approach, however, might be. We can’t tell you the details of the last one we answered, but we can tell you how we went about it.

Dave Rosenberg knew this last RFP, from an industry that’s totally new to us, was something we could all contribute to. The first challenge was coordinating all 13 of our schedules with less than a week’s notice. So we did what we had to outside business hours to continue properly serving current clients, and spent two-and-a-half business days all focused on one goal.

If you would have seen us on day one gathered around our conference table, you would have seen a quintessential portrait of Rosenberg Advertising. Even some who otherwise would have been working off-site that day showed up. There weren’t quite enough chairs, but the window seat makes a perfect perch for brainstorming anyway.

We weren’t given much information about the company we were pitching, and they weren’t open to questions. Nonetheless, every single one of us shared ideas, including some pretty funny ones because, hey, it never hurts to throw them out there. There was plenty of laughter, as usual, and a break for a birthday lunch and cake (also fairly frequent), but by the end of the day, we’d made serious progress and delegated tasks.

The next step was to work separately and quickly, yet keep everybody on the same page, even with the flu keeping one of us home starting on day two. It worked. By 3:00 p.m. on the third day, we’d developed a framework for two strategic, sustainable campaigns as part of a thorough proposal.

While we didn’t end up winning the account in the end, our work did at least make us one of the company’s top two choices out of a dozen agencies. Of course we’re disappointed not to have won, but there’s definitely still a certain satisfaction in working so closely and producing work you’re proud of — especially when you get genuine support and encouragement from your boss (thanks, Dave!).

And that’s just one reason why, time and time again, we’ll keep putting in as much time and attention as needed to every single job we tackle.

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