Sales Tips: How to Position Your Business to Win RFPs
By Connie Schlosberg, Primary Intelligence
Writing the winning responses to RFPs is always your goal. As part of the selling process, we know you have spent hours researching a business, contacting various key players to understand the business needs, and discussing options so you can write a response to the RFP that delivers the most impact. Of course, the response should demonstrate why your solution is the best available option. Nonetheless, bids or responses to proposals should be treated as a selling tool. Here’s why.
How to Write Winning Responses to RFPs
Although the proposal is where you will summarize how you will meet the requirements stipulated in the RFP, you still need to motivate the key decision players to select your solution over the competition. Like you, the decision makers must make tough investment decisions and may have a limited budget at their disposal. So you should present a clear proposal that sells the benefit, eliminates any perceived risks, and reassures them that they are making the best decision.
During the vendor selection process, the evaluators along with the key decision player analyze each proposal and are looking for the most credible offer. To write winning responses to RFPs, you’ll need to provide enough detail – both qualitative and quantitative – to make a strong, positive impression.
What does a successful bid look like?
In our experience, a well-prepared proposal that will appeal to your buyer has the following attributes:
- You have a full understanding of the business issues they need to solve
- Your solution has quantifiable benefits worth investing in
- You’ve explained in detail how your solution works
- You presented your company as a consultative partner, not just a transactional vendor
Would you like to take a deeper dive on crafting effective responses to RFPs?
Download this guide so you and your team can be successful at winning proposals.
