From the Long List to the Short List

How do you get from the long list to the short list?

If you're on the long list, you're one of the players in a category. In an RFP, they might open it to tender or advertise the opportunity, and lots of companies rush in. Some are eliminated immediately, and anywhere from five to twenty might end up on the long list. You end up there when you weren't the kind of company that makes it to the mid list.

The mid list is for companies big enough or noticeable enough to be a default option on any RFP. They'll call you and say, we have this opportunity, we're building this, we're deploying that, would you like to participate? You don't have to go find it. You don't need agents running or Google alerts.

And if you're on the short list, you're some combination of safe, noticeable and memorable. Or you're the biggest.