How One Agency Won a Six-Figure RFP (And What You Can Learn From It)

Joey Kirk owns a small web design firm in Indianapolis. A few months after subscribing to Folyo, he emailed me to share some big news: he'd won a six-figure project.

The client had issued a Request for Proposal for a website design project. Joey submitted a bid—and won.

What surprised me most wasn't the size of the contract. It was how he won it. His approach was simpler than you'd expect, and it's completely repeatable.

Here's what actually made the difference.

The Winning Move: A Simple LinkedIn Message

You might expect a detailed, polished proposal to be what wins six-figure deals. Joey did submit a thorough bid with everything the RFP requested—but something else set him apart.

Before submitting his proposal, Joey sent a simple LinkedIn message to the client:

"Hi, my company is interested in submitting an RFP. Do you have any more information for me?"

That's it. But because he took the initiative to reach out directly, it opened a dialogue and allowed him to build a relationship with the decision-maker before the bid was even due.

What Joey Learned by Staying Connected

Because Joey connected on LinkedIn, he learned things that weren't in the RFP:

• How many responses they received: Just 6 total

• Why the deadline got extended: Staff changes meant they needed more review time

• How the project scope grew: A second site got added, turning it into a much larger engagement

• When they got funding: Which affected their budget

This insider context helped Joey tailor his proposal to what the client actually needed—not just what the RFP document said.

The Power of Simple Follow-Ups

Joey followed up consistently throughout the process—not aggressively, but professionally.

"I was sort of fearful about coming off as pestering, but I wanted to make sure they had me in the back of their mind. I always told them: 'If you have any questions, please reach out. If I don't hear from you in the next couple weeks, I'm going to reach out.' This set expectations on both sides, and they'd immediately respond."

He touched base every week or two. Not every day—that would be annoying—but enough to stay visible.

Persistence Through a Long Sales Cycle

The hiring decision got delayed from October to November, then December, then January. Most agencies would have ghosted or moved on.

Joey stayed professional and responsive.

"Communication was incredibly important. Ultimately they made their decision based on how quickly we responded to questions. When they asked about adding a second site, we submitted an updated bid within a few hours. The other companies took more than 24 hours."

That responsiveness signaled what working with Joey's firm would actually be like.

The Result

Joey won a six-figure contract for his team of three.

"This project will help sustain our company as we look to continue to grow. As an agency owner, you have your ebbs and flows—over the past 2 years there have been a lot of valleys. But landing a project of this size really helps us prepare for a better future. It's helped us calm any stress and fears we had.

Without landing this project through Folyo, we'd probably be in the same place we were 6 or 8 months ago, stressing to find as many projects to pitch as possible. This is the biggest project we've ever landed, but I've been connected with a number of different opportunities to win work. It's been incredible."

5 Takeaways for Your Next RFP

1. Reach out directly. A simple LinkedIn message can open doors that a cold proposal can't.

2. Stay connected. You'll learn things that aren't in the RFP—timelines, budget changes, insider context.

3. Follow up consistently. Every week or two is enough. Set expectations so it doesn't feel like pestering.

4. Be patient. Big decisions take time. Don't ghost when the process drags on.

5. Respond fast. When they have questions, answer quickly. It signals how you'll work together.

The Odds Are Better Than You Think

The biggest surprise? This six-figure project only received 6 proposals.

RFPs get a bad reputation, but there are plenty of great organizations that have to go through an RFP process to hire anyone. Those are good jobs to go after.

As Mike Monteiro wrote in Design is a Job: "People who tell you they don't go after RFPs and people who tell you they don't have meetings are both lying to you."

Find RFPs Worth Responding To

Joey found this project through Folyo. Every week, we send curated website design and development RFPs to agencies—qualified opportunities with real budgets from organizations ready to hire.

Learn more about Folyo →