A fellow reader asked the question, “Even before one gets to the RFP stage, how do you even get to the point of getting a prospect? Especially for 1-2 solopreneurs”.
For open RFPs, these are actually hard to find for for-project companies. In the nonprofit industry, there are several public resources, such as philanthropynewsdigest.org, charityvillage.com, or wattslist.info
For closed RFPs, you need to know someone. Or more precisely, someone needs to know you.
This obviously takes longer to set up, but the general idea is you need to be well-known and fairly established. So you may be one of the best consultants on the planet, but if no one knows about you, you won’t be invited to RFPs.
Building a reputation takes effort over long periods of time. It’s not particularly difficult, but you have to be consistent.
The takeaway
Being invited to RFPs is not the only benefit of being an authority. By creating your brand, you’ll be more successful in many different aspects of your career.