The Pipeline

JANUARY 14, 2020

Think of it through the filter of an RFP. All smart salespeople want to have a hand in “helping” their clients write the RFP document. The opportunity in Awareness and Consideration is to shape their thinking, so when they get to Decision mode, you have all but locked things up.

Lead Rank 250

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Buyer Objections 250

SBI Growth

MAY 27, 2013

For example, consider receiving an RFP. All RFP requests begin in the same stage. This was not a static document. When a Sales Opportunity moves forward in the sales cycle, the probability increases. There is truth to this forecasting method, but it ignores all other opportunity information.

Data 323

Data Top of Funnel Hiring Harvest 323

DocSend

MAY 17, 2022

At a high-level, a sales enablement tool can do two things: help teach your sales team how to sell and enable their ability to sell by providing training, documents, and guidance. Get x-ray vision into your deals with DocSend document analytics. What is sales enablement?

Negotiation 98

Negotiation Tools Collateral Hiring 98

Fill the Funnel

MARCH 20, 2012

All of these edits do not actually touch the original document, but rather are all created on an “invisible overlay” over the top of your documents. Simple and elegant – and it works flawlessly. This leaves the original in it’s original form.

Top of Funnel 48

Top of Funnel Microsoft Funnel Tools 48

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 22, 2014

My friend Jim Keenan is stirring up the pot with his latest blog post, Finally The Truth About RFP’s. Don’t get me wrong, I still think RFP’s Suck, we never respond to an RFP that we haven’t written. By the time the RFP is written and issued, the selling is done. And that document is the RFP.

Face-to-face 88

Face-to-face Vendor Competition Education 88

PandaDoc

OCTOBER 14, 2020

The Request For Proposal (RFP) process is broken, flawed, and disorganized. While the editing team can choose a single style and commit it to the guide, RFP creators need something a bit more flexible. To fill that need, RFP automation software exists. It is like a document management system but specialized for the task.

Proposal 139

Proposal Software Software System 139

Sales and Marketing Management

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

The same conversations happen when examining the RFP process. Organizations delay investing in new RFP software for a lot of reasons; maybe legacy systems are doing an adequate job or perhaps there’s a belief that manual RFP work and analog processes are saving the company money. What is the real cost of inefficiency?

Software 166

Software Software Face-to-face Scale 166

LeadFuze

NOVEMBER 30, 2021

You may be excited about the new RFP, but as soon as you start reading it and recognize that it sounds similar to other requests for proposals, your eyes glaze over. But when you skip reading and checking requirements in an RFP, they may think that their business is not worth your time. Product terminology. Font type and size.

Proposal 52

Proposal Prospecting Hiring Vendor 52

Sales Excellence

MAY 21, 2013

One of our global clients recently shared with us that this year nearly 60% of enterprise-level sales opportunities they are engaged in include a Request for Proposal (RFP) as part of their buying process. There are two predominant schools of thought on the subject: One that suggests we simply DON’T respond to RFPs (i.e.,

Proposal 31

Proposal How To Strategy Closing 31

Sales and Marketing Management

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

Author: Beau Wysong RFPs are a pain. For many businesses, the RFP process has changed very little over the years. and RFP software delivers. With an RFP solution, businesses are more efficient, collaborative and successful. Here are four RFP solution benefits you may be missing out on: The Advantage of Speed.

Benefit 217

Benefit Proposal Software Software 217

PandaDoc

AUGUST 29, 2022

The second is the sequence of actions both parties must adhere to in terms of adding any changes to the documents they’re negotiating. In a nutshell, there are restrictions regarding the online sharing of documents that contain people’s private information, and it is imperative that you and your team understand them completely.

Negotiation 98

Negotiation Decision Maker How To Face-to-face 98

Hubspot Sales

AUGUST 21, 2023

In a solicited business proposal, the other organization asks for a request for proposal (RFP). If they've sent you an RFP, make sure you read it carefully, so you know exactly what they want. So, as you draft your proposal, and after checking for the basics, keep scanning this document until it's just right.

Proposal 98

Proposal Examples How To Social Media 98

Fill the Funnel

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

Split the Editor in Two – this allows you to have your document in one side, either horizontally or vertically and a website, photo, or an earlier version of you doc on the other side. Scrivener will gather each of your sections, index cards or lines in your outline and assemble them into one document. In sales, consider the RFP.

Tools 110

Tools Top of Funnel Proposal Funnel 110

Pipeliner

JANUARY 7, 2021

With your intimate knowledge of their business, you will come up with customized, perfect-fit solutions that go beyond the simple requests, often deeper than any RFP would be able to cover.

Proposal 98

Proposal ACT Sales Methodology Loyalty 98

Openview

MAY 22, 2018

Content Management is document or file-based, so you’re looking for information within documents or content. A Content Management system will point her to a document and a section, which she’ll still have to go into to find the answer she’s looking for. Here is an example to highlight this difference. About Loopio.

Hiring 71

Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring Oracle 71

Mindtickle

JANUARY 9, 2018

The RFP process and what security documents are required for different verticals and industries. Some areas that sales engineers need to be enabled include: Detailed product knowledge that incorporates technical specifications. Customer use cases. The product roadmap and future releases.

Engineering 81

Engineering Sales Enablement Opportunity Guarantee 81

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Ultimately, they develop RFP’s or requirements document, saying “We don’t care about your questions, we just want answers to our questions.” They understand exactly what we are doing and don’t tolerate it. They refuse to see us, they look for “trusted sources.”

Maximizer 93

Maximizer Lead Rank Lead Scoring Promotion 93

Anthony Iannarino

SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

My first attempt to write about the limits of a documented sales process was almost a decade ago when I compared them to a GPS (global position satellite), a device which occasionally provides the guidance, “ turn by turn directions are not available in this area.” Not Following Orders. You’re lost!”. No more pushy sales tactics.

How To 89

How To Follow-up System Intent 89

Mindtickle

JANUARY 9, 2018

The RFP process and what security documents are required for different verticals and industries. Some areas that sales engineers need to be enabled include: Detailed product knowledge that incorporates technical specifications. Customer use cases. The product roadmap and future releases.

Engineering 52

Engineering Sales Enablement Opportunity Guarantee 52

Lead411

OCTOBER 31, 2018

Whether it is reaching out when a company is going through a growth trend, responding in a timely fashion to an RFP, or reaching out to renew an existing contract; timing can mean the difference between revenue and missed opportunity. Time is always a key factor in sales. Emails are less invasive, and can be responded to at a convenient time.

Channels 63

Channels B2B Face-to-face Call-back 63

HeavyHitter Sales

APRIL 7, 2013

They list their needs in RFP documents that are hundreds of pages in length. The real enemy of salespeople today isn’t their archrivals; it’s no decision. Customers will go to great lengths to reduce the stress of buying. They hire consultants to verify that they are making the right decisions.

Study 146

Study B2B Penetration Lead Rank 146

SBI

MAY 16, 2019

APMP selected Upland for its extensive contributions to thought leadership in the proposal management profession, as well as for supporting proposal and bid professionals worldwide through its RFP and proposal automation solution, Qvidian. Greater visibility into KPIs through an improved configuration of Upland Analytics.

Enterprise 57

Enterprise Enterprise Sales Enablement Software 57

The ROI Guy

AUGUST 26, 2011

Influencing the RFP specification before it is issued 3. Develop a ‘value calculator’ tool to document actual value created 2. Influence the RFP specification before it is issued 5. The biggest sales capability gaps included: 1. Getting involved earlier in the customer's decision making process 2.

Decision Maker 74

Decision Maker Face-to-face ROI Proposal 74

Your Sales Management Guru

AUGUST 3, 2012

I will also be including this document/blog in my August newsletter: “ Why Sales Managers Succeed!” , if you haven’t subscribed to our free monthly newsletter simply go to my website. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com. . www.AcumenManagement.com to register. Star salespeople now seek to upend the customer’s current approach to doing business.

Ideal Customer Profile 72

Ideal Customer Profile Sales Leadership Sales Methodology Commission 72

DiscoverOrg Sales

DECEMBER 18, 2018

Sales and marketers who have this insider knowledge can quickly reach out to help with helpful solutions – landing opportunities and sales before an RFP goes out, before a prospect downloads a whitepaper or attends a webinar … and long before competing sales teams even know an opportunity exists.

Company 156

Company Prospecting Oracle Transportation 156

MEDDIC

DECEMBER 13, 2022

Document everything to identify missed steps and where the process can be improved. To be most effective, these systems require your sales teams to be disciplined. They need to follow all the pre-defined steps towards achieving a goal, whether it’s qualifying a lead or closing a deal. Apply best practices rigorously.

Sales Qualified Lead 40

Sales Qualified Lead Sales Methodology System Course 40

Allego

APRIL 14, 2022

The features and capabilities that make it to the top of the RFP list depend on who owns your sales enablement strategy. Leaders say that if companies could document the knowledge locked in the minds of employees, they could increase revenue by nearly 6x.

Sales Enablement 62

Sales Enablement Scale Report Tools 62

The Pipeline

MARCH 16, 2012

One example he gave related to questions submitted by vendors to clarify aspects of the tender document. He highlighted that in most instances it favoured the mediocre and punished creativity. He did not understand why when one vendor submits a question, it is shared with everyone bidding.

Vendor 226

Vendor Trends Benefit Relationals 226

Cincom Smart Selling

APRIL 25, 2016

It doesn’t matter if you are “ball parking” an estimate, responding to an RFP or presenting a final proposal; your credibility and profitability are driven by correctly pricing your product and services. Additionally, all pricing and quoting is documented, saved and retrievable. CPQ functions as your “official” price book.

Margin 63

Margin Up-Sell System Discount 63

SBI

MARCH 6, 2012

This includes evaluating the time required for a rep to create a complex proposal, or respond to an RFP. Do performance obstacles arise because the rep must search for the appropriate marketing content, must write or re-write content, or spend inordinate amounts of time formatting or enhancing the document in a captivating manner?

Proposal 93

Proposal Licensing Tools Software 93

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 27, 2017

Author: Lewis Miller, CEO and President, Qvidian When we survey RFP and proposal teams, nearly half report meeting response timeframes as their greatest challenge. These aren’t brochures you’re sending out – these documents are being carefully evaluated. Complex documents can require the input of a lot of subject matter experts.

Proposal 120

Proposal Margin Survey Incentives 120

Hubspot Sales

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Take responding to RFPs (Request for Proposals) as an example. Loopio’s “2021 RFP Response Trends” survey found that businesses send out an average of 150 RFP responses a year and these responses generate 35% of their revenue. The tools you choose will depend on which aspect of the sales process you need to optimize or automate.

Forecasting 111

Forecasting Lead Rank Lead Scoring Hubspot 111

Trinity Perspectives

MARCH 13, 2017

Above-the-line is the kind of information that might be contained in an RFP document or vendor briefing – its factual, its specific and it speaks to the business reasons this customer has gone out to market.

B2B 62

B2B Decision Maker Infusion Vendor 62

Keith Rosen

FEBRUARY 8, 2014

When we respond to an RFP, all the company cares about is the price. You can start by taking out a piece of paper or opening up a blank document and make four columns. We are the distributors of the same product that our competitors sell. I’m a (consultant, coach, accountant, attorney, etc.) All we get to do is quote the price.

Pipeline 120

Pipeline Competition Coaching Objections 120

Sales Hacker

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Conduct an RFP process and negotiate contract terms among the front-runners. Case studies, documentation, and working through our specific use cases, help the most from a resource standpoint. Select the preferred tool and build a business case for the investment based on costs/benefits.”. – Marcus Lo, Head of Finance, Crunchbase.

Outsourcing Services 77

Outsourcing Services Scale Vendor Pivotal 77

Sales Hacker

DECEMBER 15, 2020

40% of revenue is impacted by the RFP process. Loopio is an RFP response software. RFPs are something you need to get good at. Zak is the co-founder and CEO of Loopio, a Toronto-based software company that streamlines the RFP process for companies like IBM and DocuSign. We are an RFP response software platform.

Scale 83

Scale Lead Rank Lead Scoring Enterprise 83

Seismic - Sales Effectiveness

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

The platforms available today reduce the friction of fulfilling an RFP by providing users with the ability to automate the process, track results, reuse templates, quickly customize a proposal, and collaborate within an organization. Automate the creation of your frequently used documents. Track your documents. Key Features.

Proposal 53

Proposal Tools Software Software 53