> RFPs Suck!
How to Master the RFP System Once and for ALL to Win Big Business
by Tom Searcy
It used to be that you could ignore RFPs. Only a small portion of the market used them in the buying process and you could work around those companies.
Today, governance rules dictated by boards and administered by finance have made RFPs and RFQs a dominating part of the large-deal world. Not only can you no longer ignore them, but you need to know that companies use RFPs and increasingly purchasing and procurement — for many reasons that have little to do with the opportunity offered in the official document. The result? We all have no choice but to go through the expensive and time-consuming process. And though you might like to believe the system is fair, if your company is pitching a disproportionately larger client, you’re at a disadvantage from the moment you begin the process.
WHY?
Because the RFP system is not built for you. It’s built for the big companies and government institutions that benefit from RFPs.
But no matter how hard you try to avoid them, there will inevitably come a day when that irresistible RFP lands on your desk. It’s almost like it was written for you.
This book is your best guide on what to know, to question and to do when faced with that RFP. It will also help you develop the confidence and understanding to know when to quit the process before it even starts and when to stay in it and win big.
Today, governance rules dictated by boards and administered by finance have made RFPs and RFQs a dominating part of the large-deal world. Not only can you no longer ignore them, but you need to know that companies use RFPs and increasingly purchasing and procurement — for many reasons that have little to do with the opportunity offered in the official document. The result? We all have no choice but to go through the expensive and time-consuming process. And though you might like to believe the system is fair, if your company is pitching a disproportionately larger client, you’re at a disadvantage from the moment you begin the process.
WHY?
Because the RFP system is not built for you. It’s built for the big companies and government institutions that benefit from RFPs.
But no matter how hard you try to avoid them, there will inevitably come a day when that irresistible RFP lands on your desk. It’s almost like it was written for you.
This book is your best guide on what to know, to question and to do when faced with that RFP. It will also help you develop the confidence and understanding to know when to quit the process before it even starts and when to stay in it and win big.
Praise for RFPs Suck!
This book is a serious keeper. No fluff. No B.S. It’s stuffed (as in every pixel on every page) with pointers, recommendations, checklists and whatever else you may need to logically and objectively decide whether to respond to an RFP and, more importantly, how to respond to it. If you receive only a single, unsolicited RFP in your career, you need this book to guide you in deciding how to respond to it.
— Dave Stein, CEO & Founder
ES Research Group, Inc.
An RFP can be a wonderful opportunity or a destructive waste of company resources. If you get involved with an RFP, make sure you are in it to win and you know what you are doing. RFPs Suck! will help you navigate the RFP world and give you the ammunition to make the best choices (from the start) to grow your business.
— Joe Pulizzi, Founder,
Junta42
Co-Author, Get Content. Get Customers.
Reading this book should be the first step your team takes EVERY time you receive an RFP.
— Dan Kemper, President
Schur Packaging Systems, Inc.
Tom Searcy, The Whale Hunters Company, Large Account Sales, Business Growth, Sales Process Development, Fast Growth Strategies, RFPs, Key Account Management, Current Account Growth, Sales Management, Breaking Business Growth Plateau's, Prospecting System, Business Acceptance Process, Sales Management Development, Big Sales, Big Deals, Deal Coaching, Transform your company, Explosive Growth, Whale Hunting