Ambulance Marketing 101
Tips for Writing Your RFP Response
By: Michael Shabkie, Marketing911

Owning an ambulance company today is often a tale reminiscent of David versus Goliath. As an owner or operator of an ambulance company, you are faced with many challenges each and every day. Aside from ensuring you have the staff, the vehicles and the equipment to respond to ambulance calls, you are also responsible for growing your business by increasing market share.
Often times, you are faced with competing against one of the large national providers that have unlimited resources and a team of proposal writers dedicated to responding to RFP’s. The question many ambulance company owners are faced with is; how can I compete against Goliath and be successful?

Get Your Slingshot Ready
Developing the resources to respond effectively to a Request for Proposal should occur well before a RFP is released to the market. Many times, company’s wait to the last minute to start gathering the resources necessary to develop a proposal. My advice revolves around the simple premise that “every day is a day we need to submit a proposal.” This means that your company should create a Proposal Database that contains graphics, pictures, company background information and documents that are standard to each and every RPF process. If you have responded to proposal requests in the past, each response should be located in a single electronic folder that will allow for easy “cut and paste” options.

Examples of documents that are usually required in a RFP proposal include:
• Company background and formation documents
• Pending litigation
• Professional references
• One or more years of Audited or Reviewed financials
• Certificates of Insurance (COI)
• Overview of clinical practices
• Overview of operational practices
• Administrative and operational organizational charts

It is never too early to have these developed and saved into your Proposal Database. Developing these resources during a time when no proposals are pending provides your company with the ability to refine the message and edit for pertinent content. The best time to develop your proposal or work with a professional proposal writer is when there is no pressure of an impending submission deadline.

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