A new approach to finding a business partner

By Paul Ashley, managing director, FirstPerson

The request for proposal, or RFP, is important and for some industries a requirement.

When done thoughtfully, this selection process can be a great experience that leads to meaningful partnerships that endure. It can be an effective question set to learn more about a company; however, it often stops at just that.

I’ve been on the winning and losing side of this process, and as I reflect on how great partnerships are built, even the ones when FirstPerson was not chosen, I see an important theme emerging. When you treat the RFP process like the process you use when hiring talent, great outcomes happen.