RFPs: necessary evil… or optional trap?

In this episode of Creative Outcomes, Craig Baldwin breaks down how agencies should think about RFPs (Requests for Proposals) - why clients issue them, what red flags to watch for, and how to qualify opportunities before your team burns weeks of time chasing work you were never going to win.

If your agency is relying on RFPs as your primary growth channel, this conversation is your wake-up call: RFPs can drain your sales and marketing momentum, compress margins, and create “busy work” that feels productive but doesn’t move revenue.

You’ll learn:

- The 3 main reasons clients send RFPs (and what each one signals)

- The #1 deal-breaker: no access to decision makers

- How to estimate the real cost of responding (and why tracking matters)

- A simple litmus test to decide ...