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RFP Survival Guide: 5 Ways to Protect Your Energy and Still Perform

Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Tips on balancing heavy RFP demands with relationship management and renewals.


Why This Season Feels Heavy





Every BT Seller knows the RFP season grind. Submissions stack up. Clients chase updates. Local accounts still need attention. And somehow, you’re supposed to keep relationships alive while hitting production goals.


Here’s the truth: this season doesn’t have to break you. With the right focus, you can protect your energy, show up for your clients, and still perform like the sales professional you are.

This guide gives you five moves that work every time.


1. Master the Daily 3

Your to-do list may be miles long, but momentum comes from focus. Choose three things that must happen each day—whether it’s submitting a bid, calling a local account, or checking in with a client.

  • Block them in your calendar.

  • Knock them out first when your energy is highest.

  • Treat everything else as “bonus.”

Consistency beats chaos every single time.


2. Renew While You RFP

Don’t let local renewals slip while chasing global bids. RFPs win the future, but renewals protect the now.

Here’s the play:

  • Prioritize proactive outreach to current accounts.

  • Secure renewals early before distractions set in.

  • Celebrate small wins—it keeps you and your leadership team encouraged.


3. Protect Your Presence, Not Just Your Process

Anyone can fill out a spreadsheet. Few can keep relationships warm when inboxes are full and stress is high.

Pro tip:

  • Schedule 15-minute “relationship resets” weekly.

  • Call a local partner and check in. (Be brief and kind)

  • Send a thoughtful note to a traveler or EA.

You’ll stand out by showing up, not only when contracts are due.


4. Guard Your Energy Like Revenue

Think of your energy like ADR—you can’t discount it away without consequences.

  • Take intentional breaks (walk, reset, quick journal entry).

  • Fuel your body—protein, water, movement.

  • Protect evenings where possible; you need rest to sell strong tomorrow.

When you protect your energy, you protect your performance.


5. Play the Long Game

RFPs feel like sprints, but BT Sales is a marathon. Every conversation, every follow-up, every renewal adds up.

  • Focus on what you can control (clarity, speed, accuracy).

  • Release what you can’t (client timelines, committee delays).

  • Remember: staying visible matters as much as staying perfect.


Framework Connection

This is the Make Them Stay™ way: win the bid, protect the renewal, and keep the relationship alive in between. That’s how BT Sellers rise above the noise and become indispensable.


The Lie, the Lesson, and the Truth


The Lie:

“RFP season means everything else has to wait.”


The Lesson:

You don’t pause relationships or renewals—you layer them into the rhythm of your sales flow.


The Truth:

The sellers who protect their energy and balance RFPs with relationships are the ones who win long-term.



Download This Week’s Free Resource


Free Resource: The RFP Energy Tracker

Stay on top of your performance without burning out. This printable tool helps you:

  • Set your Daily 3 priorities.

  • Track renewal touchpoints.

  • Log relationship resets.

  • Build recovery into your week.





The Reframe:

You’re not surviving RFP season—you’re sharpening yourself in it. Protect your energy, keep your presence strong, and the season will work for you, not against you.

That’s how you Make Them Stay™.

 
 
 

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