Submitting a Request for Proposal, or RFP, as it is commonly referred to, for a design project, is the first step in building a relationship with a prospective client. You will want to make sure it is well written and highlights your skills as a firm. However, you’ll be competing with other firms in the RFP process and will need a way to make your firm stand out. One way to make your request stand out is to create an RFP with VR resources that show off your firm’s past work or even mock-ups of your design for the current project.
In this article, we wanted to offer up a bit a of guide and some tips and tricks about how you can set up some VR projects and share them effectively along with your RFP. We hope that you will take this info with you and start developing a way to share VR projects and create a lasting first impression with prospective clients. A quick breakdown of our tips:
- Establish examples of your work or mockups of the current project in VR
- Create an online showcase of your VR projects that can be tweaked for the prospects you are reaching out to
- Include a guide on how to best view your VR projects
Establish VR Examples
The first step would be to establish some examples of the work in VR. These could be past projects or mockups of some possible designs. If you are new to VR entirely and are wondering how you can even get started with the process, don’t worry. Yulio VR has high compatibility with other programs commonly used in design and furniture manufacturing such as CAD and CET designer. It is only a simple matter of converting these into VR projects with Yulio. For a full breakdown of how you can start setting up your first VR project, you can check out the many resources available on this site.
Once you’ve done that, make sure to add to these projects in Yulio. We offer a suite of features and hotspots that you can add to a VR project that can provide more information to someone viewing the project. Think about audio you can add to a project that can help walk someone through the ideas behind the project and provide some background information. Consider adding photo hotspots that can show mockups and planning. If you are using an older project as an example you may want to think about adding photos of how the result turned out in real life to show the journey from planning to execution. Hotspots are a great way to add to old work and showcase all the planning and thought that has gone into past projects with your team.
A photo hotspot is a great way to show off alternative options considered.
You may also want to contemplate creating a mockup of the project you are submitting an RFP for to make yourself stand out. If a reviewer sees that you were already able to come up with the idea that meets their needs and then gets that visual element of seeing it come to life in VR, you will likely make a lasting impression on them. If you have something memorable it will be easier for them to remember your submission during the review phase and your RFP can be top of mind for them.
Create a Consolidated Online Project VR Showcase
Our biggest recommendation is to create a consolidated place online where you can place all the VR projects that you want RFP reviewers to see. Firstly, this is the best way to show the variety of projects you have been working on as they can see how you have worked with other businesses like them and get an idea of your styles and abilities.
Secondly, it is simply the most convenient way to share with your prospective client in an RFP. Instead of having a separate link to each project, you can share one link that covers everything. If you were to link to multiple projects separately, it may overwhelm them and busy up your RFP document. Also, it allows them to explore at their own pace rather than being directed to specific examples.
Offer a Walkthrough
As a part of this consolidated online VR showcase, we highly recommend including some walkthrough/guide for those visiting. You should walk them through your projects and offer some background for each, but more importantly, offer a walkthrough of how they can view your projects with VR.
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Having a quick guide is good for new VR users to get them exploring right away
There’s a good chance that whoever is reviewing your RFP has little experience with VR. You will want to make sure that you give clear instructions that will guide them through the different ways they can view your projects. We recommend that if you are using Yulio, start with simply viewing on a desktop or laptop with the default view. It’s easily embeddable on any website and viewable without any other tech. It would also be worth giving explanations of how they can view the project on a mobile device or headset if they have access to it, seeing the tech is becoming more available. Feel free to share our how-to videos on the Yulio YouTube channel to introduce them to the tech.
Make a Lasting First Impression
We’ve seen first-hand the impact that VR can have on an audience. It encourages users to explore and engage much more than traditional visualization methods. Get the tools to make your firm stand out with VR and can even make it seem like a small firm has the resources of a larger competitor. Start creating your VR projects now and get ready to share them with the world.
Want to learn more about how VR can become a sales-driving machine? Check out our whitepaper to learn how VR can drive more business to your showroom and how to showcase your products despite restrictions in space, location, or budget. Or do you want to learn more about designing in VR? Then check out our guide here.
