Surviving The RFP: How To Answer The "How Will You Work With Us" Question
The RFP (request for proposal) is the lifeblood of the business world. It's one of those dreaded questions that suck all your time and energy away when all you want to do is focus on what you do best and not waste this opportunity. But it doesn't have to be so bad! Don't let the stress of an RFP overwhelm you, because with these things in mind, your chances are slim-to-none in coming up with a good answer.
First, just remember that while they want to hear you say "yes", they also want to find out if there will be any hurdles or pain points along the way. They're trying to project how your company will survive long-term in their market.
Second, there's no requirement that you use their products, so don't be afraid to tell them that you've done business with their competitors and know what they're capable of doing for you. Don't be surprised if they ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement. It's simply a way of protecting themselves from any claims that come later on down the line. This is something I've yet to come across; and I wouldn't want to know anyway! (Yes, the Feds have had cases like this in the past. 50 years ago, IBM was one of the largest companies on earth and then…Semiconductor Technology Corp. came along. A small company built, produced and sold semiconductors for personal computers. Part of their production included chips that were compatible with IBM's mainframe systems!)
Third, don't lie to them! If you have skeletons in your closet that you don't want anyone to know about, then you better think twice before accepting the job. I've already had an extensive background check done on me for a previous job and there are some things I'd like to keep private; but I'm not so stupid as to put them in writing (written form). I know there are people out there who have skeletons in their closet and would love to see them get exposed. So keep this RFP simple and don't lie!
No matter what the RFP says, always be wary of how it's worded. Making it too easy for the companies you're talking with can be a bad thing. It's important to have someone at the table that takes all the information and processes it through a logical process. You want to make sure you're not leaving anything out that might give you an advantage over other companies in the market . Be sure to read up on each of the products they offer so you can make a more educated decision. You don't want to base your decision on a nice sounding title or some fluff description that you'll run across in the RFP.
Don't worry about making an impression. Take their time with the negotiations and let them do all the talking. It's important to let them know what you're looking for and how much you're willing to pay for it. But beyond that, make sure they feel comfortable telling you what they need from you so they can get the project completed in a timely manner – especially if it's a new product for them that hasn't been in production for very long. Be careful not to offend them; otherwise, there may be very little chance of getting the project back on track.
In the end, you want to make sure that both parties are happy with the RFP. The company needs to feel comfortable with your answers on how you'll work with them and you need to feel comfortable with what they're asking for. If everyone feels good about it, then you can begin setup of the project.
***Update***
Recent experience has taught me that when an RFP comes in, you actually have several options to choose from. In one instance, I gave them a spot-on analysis at the very beginning of what their software was capable of doing. It didn't even occur to me that I was actually bidding on it until days later, when I received a counter-offer from them. I asked my girlfriend, "What do you think about all this? Should I take the offer?"
So she told me to talk to my boss first...but he never responded. Finally, three weeks later he emailed back with a page long answer about how we can't do business with any company that is...and then he listed 10 reasons why not! Needless to say, his response failed to turn me on. So I told him that he could save me and himself a lot of time by providing me with the information in writing so we could avoid all of this nonsense in future RFPs.
I was contacted by another company the very same day. How is that for handing you a golden opportunity? One friendly phone call later and they told me they'd like to do business with us, but they wanted to figure out how many servers they needed before they could get started. This is just one of the questions I'm always asked during an RFP, so I had my answer ready and waiting for them.
There was an awkward moment of silence on their part, but then I got their response right on schedule: "Go ahead and order 3 servers at a total cost of $10,000.00. At least that will give me enough time to get the funding for this project in place." Another golden opportunity handed to me on a silver platter; which I failed to take advantage of!
Check out the rest of the series:
How To Survive In The IT Market
How To Survive In The IT Market - Part 2: Sales
or Why your company needs a dedicated salesforce & how we came up with our own sales information network. Check it out now: www.thesaleslion.com or email [email protected] today for more info on how you can make an impact right away.
Like this article? Please share it!
Sean McLoughlin
Like this page? Please share it!
| | | | | | |
Get This Featured Story On Your Facebook Page, Blog or Website Please ensure that your social networks are current. When viewing this page on one of your social media accounts, please make sure that you do not have your website set to private. To view the most recent stories on your profile or blog, please log-in to Facebook and verify that your account is open. You can check this by pulling down the top right corner of the site on any web browser and checking next to the word Account.
Conclusion
I ended up talking my girlfriend into being the point person for all future RFPs. This way I can focus on the major points of a project and let her worry about who to talk to and what they're looking for. If they ask, we'll tell them that she's in charge of all the business aspects of this company and I'm in charge of all the technical aspects. A perfect division of labor which frees me up to concentrate on my job!
So why didn't I take those golden opportunities back then when they were handed to me on a silver platter? It turns out that wasn't good for business...