Here's what they decided to do: They created a strategy and issued a policy that stated, "We will NOT respond to an RFP unless we have requested an opportunity to present our response to the decision maker in person".
They also discussed exception management. They knew that they would encounter some strong objections, as they were changing the way a lot of people think and work. Here is the exception they came up with: they could only get around this policy if they had previously presented to the decision maker and had at least one coach.
Remember, even if the customer/prospect says no, they still have every option. They can still email in their response if they want to. They just know that their hit rate will be better if they are presenting their response in person to the decision maker.
Now their plan is clear and they can manage the team to increased productivity and improved results.