If you’re tired of digging for answers every time an RFP lands in your inbox, you’re not alone. Most teams using Loopio want the same thing: a well-oiled answer library that makes RFP responses faster and less painful. The truth is, most libraries turn into junk drawers—disorganized, outdated, and full of stuff no one trusts.
This guide is for anyone responsible for RFPs, sales enablement, or just making sure your team isn’t reinventing the wheel every time. We’ll focus on what actually works to keep your Loopio library lean, accurate, and useful—without turning it into a full-time job.
1. Start With a Ruthless Library Audit
Before you optimize, you need to know what you’re dealing with. Don’t skip this step.
What to do: - Export your current library. Get everything into a spreadsheet or run a report from Loopio. - Scan for duplicates and outdated answers. If you see multiple answers to the same question, pick the best and delete the rest. - Check for missing info. Look for gaps—unanswered common questions, or placeholders that never got filled in. - Ask real users what frustrates them. The people actually using the library know where it falls short.
Pro tip: Don’t try to fix everything in one sitting. Focus on the most-used categories and questions first—these are your “high traffic” areas.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over rare edge cases or one-off questions you answered two years ago. If you haven’t used it in the past year, archive it.
2. Set Up (and Actually Use) Tags and Categories
Loopio’s tagging and category tools are only helpful if you use them consistently. A messy tagging system is barely better than none at all.
How to do it right: - Create a simple, logical category structure. Don’t go overboard—5 to 10 main categories is plenty for most teams. - Standardize tags. Stick to lowercase, no weird abbreviations, and avoid overlapping terms (“security” vs. “infosec”). - Tag by use case, product, and audience. Think about how people search: by product line, region, compliance framework, etc.
What works: Keeping it simple. Over-categorizing just makes things harder to find.
What doesn't: Letting everyone make up their own tags. Assign one or two people to manage the taxonomy and keep it clean.
3. Write Like a Human, Not a Robot
Most RFP answers read like they were written by a committee of lawyers and robots. That’s not helping anyone.
Tips for clear, reusable answers: - Answer the question directly. Avoid long intros or sales fluff. - Keep it concise. Aim for 2–4 sentences, unless detail is absolutely required. - Use plain English. Technical when needed, but avoid jargon. - Add context only when necessary. Don’t try to make every answer fit every possible scenario.
Pro tip: Pretend you’re talking to a smart coworker, not a judge.
What to ignore: Don’t chase “perfect” language or try to anticipate every possible variation. You’ll just end up with bloated, confusing answers.
4. Build a Maintenance Routine (and Stick to It)
A good answer library is never “done.” If you don’t clean it regularly, it’ll rot.
How to keep things from going stale: - Set review cycles: Flag high-priority answers for quarterly review, others for yearly. - Assign owners: Every main category should have a name attached. No owner = it gets ignored. - Archive aggressively: If it’s outdated, move it out of the main library. You can always dig it up later if needed.
What works: Quick, regular cleanups beat huge, once-a-year overhauls every time.
What doesn’t: Hoping people will “just remember” to update stuff. Put it on the calendar, or it won’t happen.
5. Enable Smart Search (and Train People to Use It)
Even the best-organized library is useless if people can’t find what they need.
What to focus on: - Use Loopio’s search features: Boolean operators, filters, and tags can save tons of time—if people know how to use them. - Document search tips: Make a simple one-pager with “how to search smarter” advice for your team. - Collect feedback: Ask users what they can’t find easily, and fix those gaps.
Pro tip: Show new team members exactly how to search for answers when they onboard. Don’t assume it’s obvious.
What to ignore: Fancy search plugins or add-ons. If your tagging and content are clean, Loopio’s built-in search is usually enough.
6. Keep Answers “RFP-Ready”—But Don’t Over-Template
Templates are great, but rigid, over-complicated answers are a pain to adapt.
How to do it: - Use templates for recurring answers (like security or legal), but leave room for quick tweaks. - Keep placeholders obvious. Use brackets or ALL CAPS for info that needs to be filled in. - Add “edit notes” for tricky answers. If something almost always needs customization, say so in the answer.
What works: Building answers that are 90% ready, with clear spots for last-mile tweaks.
What doesn’t: Trying to make every answer fully “plug and play.” Most RFPs are just different enough that you’ll waste time reworking over-templated answers.
7. Get Buy-In Without Bureaucracy
The best answer library is one people actually use. If it’s too locked down, no one bothers updating it. If it’s the Wild West, it’s chaos.
Balance is key: - Let trusted users submit updates. But have a gatekeeper (or two) approve big changes. - Encourage feedback. Make it easy for users to flag bad answers or suggest improvements. - Celebrate wins. When the library helps land a deal or speed up a response, share it.
What works: Making library upkeep part of real workflows (like weekly team meetings or deal debriefs).
What doesn’t: Endless approval processes or “update days” that feel like chores.
8. Measure and Improve—But Don’t Drown in Metrics
It’s tempting to track everything, but you don’t need a dashboard for dashboard’s sake.
Track what matters: - Response time: Are RFPs getting done faster? - Answer usage: Which answers get reused most (or not at all)? - Accuracy: Are errors or rewrites going down?
How to use it: If certain answers never get used, archive or rewrite them. If you’re still seeing slowdowns, ask your team what’s missing.
What to ignore: Vanity metrics (like “number of answers in the library”). More isn’t better—relevance is.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Lean, Useful, and Iterative
Optimizing your Loopio answer library isn’t a one-and-done project. It’s about building habits: regular cleanups, clear writing, and just enough process to keep things working. Don’t aim for perfect—just focus on making it a little better every month. The less time you spend hunting for answers, the more time you can spend actually winning business.