The SalesEdge Advantage

An easy way to determine if your RFP response will be compelling to a client is to put it through the "so what" test.

The "so what" test is easy to understand. Here’s an example of how it works. Let’s say you're hosting your in-laws for dinner and the toilet in your bathroom is not working! You need to find a plumber. Do you care about the plumber’s certifications, training and industrial plumbing experience – or do you care that he can fix your toilet? You'd probably say “so what” to the certificates, training and unrelated experience. What compels you to hire the plumber is the benefit you will receive – a working toilet before your guests arrive.

What Does Your RFP Response Convey?

• Years of experience – so what?   That you have solved similar problems for others in the past will be more compelling to your client.

When a request for proposal—RFP, RFI, or other detailed questionnaire is presented to your organization, is collaborative teamwork in place to answer the questionnaire, or is it passed around like a hot potato?

Too often, the sales rep tosses the RFP to the proposal manager to answer the questions against a tight deadline, with minimal help from others in the organization. When the proposal manager reaches out to subject matter experts (SMEs) for assistance, SMEs sometimes respond that they are too busy with "other priorities." It becomes a case of the “that’s not my job” syndrome.

Automating your RFP response or sales proposal processes will be exciting for some team members. The thought of going home on time, because they can get their work done faster using RFP software or proposal software technology, provides fabulous incentive to improve existing processes!

However, not every team member embraces change. Let’s face it, some people simply don’t like change. Some team members easily adapt to new technology, while others move more cautiously.

Furthermore, proposal deadlines may be tight. It seems that there is always a proposal project that demands our attention and threatens process improvement.

These challenges are real. With a good rollout plan for your RFP response or proposal process improvement, you can address the challenges. This is to share 5 simple tips that have helped others successfully implement technology with excellent results.

Have you ever wished there was a magic button to answer request for proposal (RFP) questions?  A button that would magically fill in answers to all the questions. That might work if you have a fairy godmother with a magic wand. But most people do not. 

The magic to answering RFP questions is a resource with knowledge and skill. Answering RFP questions requires knowledge of your company, your products—or where to find the information that you need to convey, and an understanding of the specific solution that each client seeks. From the skill perspective, answering RFP questions requires superb communication skills with the ability to tailor answers to each client and their required solution.

Managing sales proposal content can be a challenge. Ensuring that each prospect or customer receives a proposal that helps win more business can be a bigger challenge!

Generally speaking, most companies have some form of a standard sales proposal template that contains approved information. For companies that don’t have a standard template, the sales team usually starts with the last proposal they wrote and makes it the foundation for the next sales proposal.

Here are the three common challenges that I see with new clients who want to improve their sales proposals. Can you relate to any of these?