09 Sep DOES YOUR COMPANY ASSIGN THE COMPLETION OF RFP’S TO JUNIOR SALES PROS?
When your company receives a Request for Proposal (RFP), is it usually assigned to junior or new salespeople to complete? If so, this is a mistake.
Let me explain:
One of the struggles that many sales pros face today is whether to participate in an RFP process. They are often a mixed blessing. Completing them is usually a tedious, unpleasant task. And they can be time-wasters. They cannot be ignored entirely because some may lead to significant sales revenue. I have closed millions of dollars in sales as a result of RFPs. Many are issued by consulting firms with which you want to establish positive relationships. The key is to determine which RFP has the greatest probability of your solution being chosen and respond only to those.1
Responding to RFPs: Best Practices
When an RFP is received and the decision is made to participate, the response must be completed thoroughly and professionally. In this process, you’re either all in or all out—there is no middle ground.
Why assigning RFPs to a junior person is a mistake
Some organizations delegate RFPs to junior sales or support staff to complete as a training exercise. Typically, a senior person will provide examples of prior submitted RFPs to the junior person. However, since each buyer’s needs and format differ, this approach can result in weak or inappropriate proposals due to inexperience. While this exercise can be a valuable way to familiarize new sales or support persons with the process and the company’s solutions, their lack of experience often leads to weaker submissions. If junior staff are involved, their drafts must be carefully reviewed and refined before final submission. Remember the old saying that my father emphasized: Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Otherwise, the time and effort invested are wasted.
Because RFPs usually require substantial effort, it’s critical to evaluate which ones merit a response. While they can lead to significant opportunities—especially when issued by consulting firms or strategic accounts—time should be focused on those with the highest potential for success.
Key considerations to decide whether to respond to an RFP include:
- Is the RFP from an existing customer?
- Was it anticipated, and have prior discussions occurred?
- Is the scope clearly defined, or can clarification be obtained?
- Is your solution well-aligned with the requirements?
- Do you have relevant customer references that are similar to the prospect’s scope of need?
- Are adequate time and resources available to prepare a strong response?
- Will you have access to decision-makers and key stakeholders during the submission? During the sales cycle?
- Can your pricing meet expectations?
- Can all conditions and deadlines be satisfied?
If too many answers are negative, it may be best to decline to respond—unless the RFP provides a strategic opening to a valuable new relationship.
I encourage the use of software solutions to assist with RFP and proposal preparation. There are many good solutions on the market. These tools streamline content management, automate response generation, and improve the overall efficiency of the RFP process for both buyers and sellers.
Most RFPs require suppliers to direct questions only to a designated procurement or legal contact, and answers are shared with all. The boilerplate nature of many RFP questions can be confusing. Contacting others within the company is usually prohibited, making it hard to get helpful clarifications and potentially discouraging responses. I have found that many of the
RFP requirements are often onerous and too restrictive for a well-prepared response. Often, your response is graded by someone not familiar with the buyer’s real needs, and it becomes a random selection, frequently influenced by external factors.
Once the decision to participate in the RFP process is made, the response must be professional, complete, and compelling. A professional presentation includes high-quality covers, paper stock, marketing material, table of contents, and exhibits or appendices. Junior staff may assist with drafting, but final submissions require experienced oversight. A disciplined, all-or-nothing approach ensures that every RFP submitted enhances your credibility and maximizes your chances. And your response will stand out positively amongst all that are submitted.
Bottom line: Only pursue RFPs where you can compete to win—and execute flawlessly when you do. Don’t rely on your junior salespeople and support staff to complete and submit your response.
1 Steven Weinberg, Above Quota Performance, Armin Lear Press (Estes Park, CO, 2022), pp. 273-280.