In this era of commoditization, we are neither vendors nor victims. We are business professionals who are dedicated to helping our customers improve the way they do business. As a result, we are constantly looking for strategies that can strengthen our positioning, especially in the face of increasingly challenging procurement practices.

Here's a strategy to consider every time you are thinking about responding to an RFP - issue an "RFP" of your own. This is a little different. It's not a "Request for Proposal"; it's a "Request for Presentation". Using this strategy, you are simply requesting an opportunity to present your response to the decision team. You might say, "Thank you for the opportunity to participate in your process. We would like to deliver our response to the decision team in a brief presentation. When could we deliver this presentation?" (For additional ideas on making this request, see Tips from Feb. 2008, Nov. 2008 and May 2009). Notice that you aren't demanding or insisting, you are simply asking.

What's the worst thing that can happen? They say "No". That's no big deal. We've heard it before, and we've lost nothing but the few minutes it took to ask the question. We still have every option available to us - responding, elevating our access, walking away...

What's the best thing that can happen? They say "Yes", and now we have the opportunity to stand up and represent our response, solution and value to the best of our ability. Think about it. What percent of the time might we get a "yes" - 20, 30, or even 50%? Whatever the exact answer is, it's higher than what we get if we don't ask.

Think about one last question - how will your closing rate be affected by presenting your response vs. sending it in? It will be higher; the only question is by how much!