Originally Posted by jimmycooper

Here are a few words of advice, Paul.

If you insist on giving traffic brokers the impression that you will be a demanding and difficult client, something that's usually not a recommended first move but can be on a situational basis, and given that you started off the thread by mentioning that you will almost certainly not be the decision maker when it comes to executing the buy, and might possibly just be an annoying middle man trying to squeeze out a cut, the least you could do is provide them with an RFP.

Though you're clearly not very good with the whole inputting of accurate data part of the process, you do seem to be at least somewhat competent when it comes to actually building spreadsheets. So, after you figure out all the variables that you'll be considering, make a spreadsheet sans data which looks just like how you will want your final spreadsheet to look like when analyzing all final offers and highlight the cells that you need filled out by each agency. Email it to them and tell them to fill out those exact cells and those exact cells only and that if they fill out anything other than those exact cells or if they add their little additional notes or whatever to the spreadsheet, that you will not consider them for the buy. Also tell them that if they want to include a pitch, standard rate card, or any other type of data other than what you have indicated on the rfp, tell them that they need to put it on a PDF and NOT in the text of the email. If more than one attachment, tell them to put them in a zip but attach the spreadsheet separately.

I've never purchased traffic before, but I oversaw all local print negotiations for a client who is at least one of the top 10 US advertisers, probably top 5, and if I wanted to open like an asshole, that's probably how I'd do it.

Good luck, champ!