The Five Keys to Winning RFPs
Tom Searcy
Founder, Hunt Big Sales
Susan Zeidman
American Management Association
Todays Presenter Tom Searcy Founder of Hunt Big Sales
$5 Billion in new sales using this system Author, speaker, trainer coach Built 4 fast growth companies from $10M to $100M+, each in less than 5 years
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Reading this book should be the first step your team takes EVERY time you receive an RFP. - Dan Kemper President, Schur Packaging Systems Tom Searcys RFPs Suck! Embodies the same enlightened wisdom and insight responsible for helping our company land a project in excess of $50 million. Working with Tom over the years has been one of the more stimulating and rewarding experiences of my professional life. - Richard Drennen President, Superior Mechanical, Inc. This book is a serious keeper. No fluff. No B.S. Its stuffed with pointers, recommendations, checklists and whatever else you may need to logically and objectively decide whether to respond to an RFP and, more importantly, how to respond to it. - Dave Stein CEO & Founder, ES Research Group, Inc.
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Learning Objectives for Today...
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Learning Objectives for Today...
1. Saying No to no-win RFPs: This objective teaches you the key indicators identifying when you should or should not answer the RFP.
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Learning Objectives for Today...
1. Saying No to no-win RFPs: This objective teaches you the key indicators identifying when you should or should not answer the RFP. 2. Yield and Efficiency: This objective focuses on your companys differentiating itself in its RFP answer to get the most yield from its time and response focus.
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Learning Objectives for Today...
1. Saying No to no-win RFPs: This objective teaches you the key indicators identifying when you should or should not answer the RFP. 2. Yield and Efficiency: This objective focuses on your companys differentiating itself in its RFP answer to get the most yield from its time and response focus. 3. Leverage: This objectives identifies the types of readers and the questions they need answered by your response.
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Learning Objectives for Today...
1. Saying No to no-win RFPs: This objective teaches you the key indicators identifying when you should or should not answer the RFP. 2. Yield and Efficiency: This objective focuses on your companys differentiating itself in its RFP answer to get the most yield from its time and response focus. 3. Leverage: This objectives identifies the types of readers and the questions they need answered by your response. 4. Imagination: This objective discusses the key angles to take by which you can gain an advantage over your competition to win
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Learning Objectives for Today...
1. Saying No to no-win RFPs: This objective teaches you the key indicators identifying when you should or should not answer the RFP. 2. Yield and Efficiency: This objective focuses on your companys differentiating itself in its RFP answer to get the most yield from its time and response focus. 3. Leverage: This objectives identifies the types of readers and the questions they need answered by your response. 4. Imagination: This objective discusses the key angles to take by which you can gain an advantage over your competition to win 5. Strategy: Tricks to getting the most out of the RFP format to ensure your company is a finalist.
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Focus for Today...
1. Saying No to no-win RFPs: This objective teaches you the key indicators identifying when you should or should not answer the RFP. 2. Yield and Efficiency: This objective focuses on your companys differentiating itself in its RFP answer to get the most yield from its time and response focus. 3. Leverage: This objectives identifies the types of readers and the questions they need answered by your response. 4. Imagination: This objective discusses the key angles to take by which you can gain an advantage over your competition to win 5. Strategy: Tricks to getting the most out of the RFP format to ensure your company is a finalist.
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Before we get started.
Before we get started.
RFPs are not fair RFPs are not objective RFPs do not provide an even playing field
Before we get started.
RFPs are not fair RFPs are not objective RFPs do not provide an even playing field
RFPs do not help companies make good choicesthey are designed to help them avoid bad choices.
STRATEGY 1: Saying No to no-win RFPs
Dont answer RFPs
Or at least not very many of them
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Poll 1: What percentage of RFPs that you receive/request do you submit a response to? 1. <25% 2. 26-50% 3. 51-75% 4. 76-100%
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The Facts
72% of Fortune 1000 companies have selected vendor before RFP goes out 83% of RFPs wind up going to the incumbent The #1 way to win an RFP is to design the RFP Your chance of winning a typical broadcast RFP is 3-4%
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Knowing when to say
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Dirty Dozen of RFPs
1. No succinct objectives 2. No budget 3. Repetitive cut and paste 8. Excessive free spec requirements and documentation requests 9. Cycle of Request to Delivery Head fake of the emergency response 10. Tight control of length of response easy on reader not responder 11. Rate card requests 12. No clear reason to leave
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4. No access
5. Boiler plate 6. Too many invited vendors to an open meeting 7. Variety of invited vendors
STRATEGY 3: Leverage
Write for your reader
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When you answer an RFP . . .
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When you answer an RFP . . .
Your job is not to answer the RFP.
It is to: 1. Sell the differentiating core benefits of your company
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When you answer an RFP . . .
Your job is not to answer the RFP. It is to: 1. Sell the differentiating core benefits of your company [Link] away the prospects fears
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When you answer an RFP . . .
Your job is not to answer the RFP.
It is to: 1. Sell the differentiating core benefits of your company [Link] away the prospects fears 3. Appeal to time, money or risk
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Poll 2: Who is the hardest person for you to convince out of these 5 of your typical RFP readers? 1. Money 2. Process Compliance 3. Technology 4. Specialist/Engineer 5. End-user
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5 Characteristics of Winning RFP Writers
1. Strategy know what we are great at and what the competition is not great at 2. Time/Effort Commitment Assess RFP and own company Review cost/benefit ratio of past RFPs Assess chances of success and dont play but if mind games Dedicate large amount of SME and senior exec time 3. Imagination/Curiosity 4. Patience 5. Realistic Stance Say no
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Final Proposal Checklist
1. Is my theme evident and repeated throughout the proposal and is it clearly stated? 2. Have I anticipated and alleviated the whales fears? 5. If no structure was recommended, have I used a logical alternative? 9. Does the body of my response read smoothly and coherently? 13. Have I included page numbers according to the RFP instructions?
6. Have I answered 10. Do I have a all the questions method for posed in the RFP? delivering the response to the correct place at the correct time? 7. Does all my math compute correctly? 11. Is the response legible?
14. Have I correctly labeled pages according to the RFP instructions?
3. Have I appealed to time, money and risk so the whale has a reason to buy? 4. Have I followed the structure as requested?
15. Have I taken all the words to avoid out of my document? 16. Is the company website up-to-date and accurate?
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8. Do my responses reflect the RFPs scorekeeping system?
12. Have I double checked for typos? Misspellings?
Resources
Blogs: [Link] [Link]/author/tom-searcy Email: tomsearcy@[Link]
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Questions?
Download the RFPs Suck eBook! [Link]
Forbes: [Link]/dealmakers/ TomSearcy@[Link] Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn
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AMA Playbook Website
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The AMA Solution:
Winning the Dreaded RFP
Seminar #5201
Increase your chances of winning by eliminating bias in the RFP process
Create your own RFP in real time and receive an expert evaluation How to effectively frame financial quotes, bids and estimates 5 characteristics of winning RFP writers How to quickly calculate the ROI of an RFP response Writing for your reader: How to break down the RFP form to match their needs Use
Promo Use Promo Code: LD9X for $100 Discount
(you must register before April 5, 2013) [Link] or 1-800-262-9699
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