Last month (December, 2010, Ahead of the Game) we talked about the idea of proactively getting out in front of opportunities and presenting to decision makers before they issue RFPs. The best outcome we could hope for is that the decision maker is inspired by our knowledge, solution and business fit, and agrees to move forward without issuing an RFP. The worst outcome is that we get them thinking about their decision and they make statements like, "Well, we still need to go out to bid for this".

How do we counter a comment like this? Here are a few questions we can ask them:


What will your RFP process be?
Who will administer it?
How long will that take?
How much will that cost in terms of time and money?
What is your desired outcome?
What does it cost you to not move forward sooner?
What could this delay cost you in lost opportunities?


By asking them these kinds of questions, we can get them thinking about the cost of issuing RFPs, and the value of doing so. If we are able to engage them in an open discussion, we could also ask a more direct closing question like, "Can we come back to you with a specific recommendation and try to earn the right to circumvent the RFP process?"

We could also say something softer like, "You've confirmed that we have a good understanding of your direction, and that there is a strong potential business fit between our companies. Can we propose a solution to you that might make the RFP process less crucial?"

Of course, this assumes that the customer is sincere about their desire to find a solution, and not just kicking tires or trying to get their current provider to lower their prices.