Any good solution provider will be just swimming in RFP requests. And the potential customer is not the only one attempting to make sound business decisions on where to expend
resources. Each RFP costs our team valuable hours and resources. In order to decide which RFP’s we are going to respond to, we need to
understand some basic info like:
- What do you know about us and how did you find
us?
- What system or process is currently in place?
- Who worked with you to develop the
RFP?
- Do you currently have a budget set, and if so,
how much?
- How many organizations have you asked to
respond and who are they?
- What are the selection criteria and
process?
- Who is making the final decision?
Asking the right questions
These are just a few of the items any reputable firm
should be asking. Here's a thought: if the firm you have asked to
respond to your RFP is not asking some flavor of these questions (in essence, protecting their resources) are they really going to be interested in protecting
your resources? Perhaps you can create a new category of evaluation called, “Do
they ask sound business evaluation questions before responding to our RFP?" and then eliminate any "No's" from your final evaluation.
If the responder doesn't think enough of your organization to pour their heart into your RFP to make sure
everything is understood, then why expect future relations (that require commitment) to work out? My thought is that you should keep track of all the
questions that come in and hire the company with the best questions. Also, companies that did not ask the right questions probably shouldn't be handed the right answers (which often happens in the name of 'fairness for all competition'.)
Access
We need only a few things from potential customers who send an RFP, but the most
important is access. Believe me, there's no way to reduce risk or find the best vendor without granting
access to information. Selling enterprise solutions is complex (as RFP-senders know..they (maybe yourself included) spent months developing the RFP or perhaps paid thousands to have it developed.) Therefore, how on earth could we be expected to answer a few questions in a
document, give a demo or two and then have any chance of meeting expectations? We need to talk . We need to understand the situation, the goals, the players. Maybe Betty in Accounting is afraid of change and
needs a little more attention when we do training. Which little box on the RFP
talks about Betty? This only comes from actually meeting the users, talking
with the key stakeholders and from getting to know the organization as well as
the people in it.
You've got to 'jive'
Buying a solution that is going to be around for the
next several years requires--no--demands that the two companies jive. I argue
that if you are looking at reputable industry solutions, each of the
applications will meet your needs. If not, how could they still be in business? Really, at this stage of the game it should be about who is the best fit
from a support, value, beliefs and ideals perspective. I argue that while the
background and feature facts are important, the cultural fit is king and that
this will have a greater impact on the success of a project then how we look on
paper.
Buying a solution that is going to be around for the
next several years, cost thousands of dollars and touches very aspect of your
business should require more face time then say, a blind date. While lots of
people look good on paper and perhaps make a good first impression, it is not
until you spend some time with them, talk with them, get to know them that you
will know if perhaps they are the right partner. If you're considering sending to us a request for a proposal..please, give us the honor to get to know you.