How to Make Your RFP Stand Out Without Sounding Salesy

Dear One of the Pile,

Ah yes, the RFP graveyard — a place littered with bullet points, buzzwords, and boilerplate so generic it might as well have been written by a robot.

If your proposals are blending in, it’s not because you’re doing things wrong — it’s because you’re doing them like everyone else.

Standing out doesn’t require neon fonts or desperate pleas for attention. It means showing why you do what you do, not just what you offer.

That starts with voice.

Most RFPs are written in “official-ese”: stiff, over-polished, and utterly forgettable.

Instead of trying to match that kind of language, try speaking like a real human who’s genuinely interested in solving a real problem. Ditch “best-in-class solutions” for language that actually paints a picture.

Next, tell a story.

Not a sweeping novel — just a real example of how you solved a similar challenge for someone else. Case studies with outcomes, pain points, and a bit of personality beat hollow claims every time.

Finally, remember: clarity always beats cleverness.

You don’t need to be flashy, just memorable. Focus less on sounding impressive and more on sounding understanding. Your goal isn’t to win by shouting louder — it’s to make the person reading think, “These folks get it.”

Don’t try to be the loudest. Be the clearest, the most relevant, and the easiest to trust.

Yours in standing out,