Skip to main content

The dreaded RFP

Using an RFP to select a vendor is like selecting a girlfriend by how well she writes a book review....of a bad romance novel.

It is my experience that RFPs are for suckers and chumps. They tend to only benefit consultants and write down revenue for incumbents. They are a 'price-first', one-sided discussion that tends to rob the bidding parties of any ability to bring value.

As you may guess, I am working through an RFP bid. It's a biggie, and I am hopeful and optimistic (both of which are signs of weakness in the sales world). But my company is truly a great fit.

I made several mistakes in this particular process, all of which could be traced back to my general distaste of RFPs. Ten years of training has ingrained in me this is a lost cause 95% of the time. I was apathetic. This particular RFP seems to fall in the other 5%.....we will see.

I will embrace this process, push to win, and act as though the RFP is my best friend. I will put on my suit and a smile. I will do everything to see this opportunity as MINE.....mine to win. No other options. I will strive to dazzle and impress. I will rise to, and above, the occasion.

The entire time, however, I will have a voice in my head proclaiming "NO CHANCE"....I hope for nothing more than to prove that voice wrong.....we will see.

Comments

Unknown said…
There are usually two goals at play with an RFP: to turn everyone's offer into a commodity and create a race to the bottom and/or to provide false legitimacy to their biases by writing (or allowing the vendor to write) a biased document. It's tough to win that game if you are not the customer or the favorite. Even if you find a way to "win," it will probably be more painful than it's worth.

But good luck!! :)
November 7, 2010 at 6:38 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Patron Saint of Salespeople

St. Lucia or St. Lucy is the Patron Saint of salespeople. Her story?? She stood strong in her faith and was persecuted because of it. She was hooked to a team of oxen, but could not be moved. She stood strong in her beliefs. Then she had her eyes cut out and was stabbed in the throat. Nice metaphor. In October, I missed my 'quota' for the first time this year. My 2010 personal goals allowed for this (plus one actually), but I was attempting to pitch the sales equivalent of a no-hitter. I missed. Even though I am still at roughly 150% YTD Even though I am guaranteed to go to President's Club (they've already listed it under 'taxable gift' on my last paystub). Even though I will almost assuredly be in the Top 10 nationwide..... Even though I have not been dragged away by a team of oxen, I still feel my eyes on a plate. But, I'm the one doing the gouging. There is no one as critical of me as me. Self-flagellation....works well with the Patron Saint/Catholic mot
Post a Comment
Read more

Telecommoditization: Part 2 / Fungibility

Fungibility is a fun word. I look forward to beating several CIOs and IT Directors over the head with it. Fungibility seems to be the defining word for what makes a commodity. The nut-shell definition for fungibility is "the same regardless of who creates it." Every telecom provider has a multitude of differences, therefore they are not fungible. Since most people tend to LOVE to talk about the negative, let's focus there. Ask any IT professional about their telecom provider. They will generally grumble and whine (typically these people hate their lives) and tell you about EVERYTHING that is wrong with their telecom providers. Each story will have different issues and problems. Each will show the weaknesses of a given provider. Logically this shows that we (telco's) are all different and not fungible. Also if each provider has different weaknesses, we must have strengths. There is an old telecom mantra "Everybody sucks, we suck less." In future blogs I will
3 comments
Read more

One-Quarter Cleansing Cream

In 1955, the now legendary Ogilvy and Mather advertising firm began their campaign with Dove. "One-quarter cleansing cream" is, to this day, a corporate tag-line for Dove. The company was profitable in its very first year, an extreme rarity in personal-care products. Ogilvy and Mather stress their ad campaign and the Dove tag-line they created as being responsible for such success. Dove's ubiquitous tagline was created when David Ogilvy, the dynamic mind behind Ogilvy and Mather asked the question "Well, may I know the formula?" When the good people at Dove explained the ingredients, Mr. Ogilvy found out that the soap he was hired to advertise was only three-fourths soap. One-fourth of Dove soap was a compound with the generic name of "cleansing cream". Mr. Ogilvy saw this as a major differentiator and helped create a brand that became a household name. His trademark pursuit of an exceptional story to tell for his clients, created an approach that
Post a Comment
Read more