EP. 218 Whats The Deal with RFPs Pt. 1

Welcome to SALES with ASLAN, a weekly podcast hosted by ASLAN Co-founders Tom Stanfill and Tab Norris, geared at helping sales professionals and sales leaders eliminate the hard sell. At the end of the day, we believe that selling is serving. ASLAN helps sellers make the shift from a ‘typical’ sales approach, to one that makes us more influential because we embrace the truth that the customer’s receptivity is more important than your value prop or message.

Handling Request for Proposals (RFPs) can often feel like navigating a minefield: exciting to receive yet challenging to manage. In our newest series, hosts Tom Stanfill and Tab Norris explored essential strategies for handling RFPs effectively, focusing on understanding customer needs, early-stage engagement, navigating dark phases, and executing powerful negotiation tactics.

You can watch the full episode here 

Understanding RFPs: Why They Matter and What They Mean

RFPs are often seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, they represent valuable opportunities for new business; on the other, they can be complex, time-consuming, and fraught with challenges.

Tom Stanfill highlighted this complexity clearly:

"RFPs are exciting because they represent potential opportunities, yet they can quickly become overwhelming without the right approach."

Moreover, procurement teams play a crucial role by ensuring fairness, transparency, and ultimately driving down costs. According to an article by Procurement Leaders, procurement departments often measure success based on how effectively they save money, further complicating the RFP process.

Shifting the Focus: Customer Buying Journey

One pivotal strategy discussed by ASLAN is shifting from a seller-centric approach to a buyer-focused strategy. As Tab Norris emphasized:

"The key to winning more RFPs is to deeply understand the customer’s buying journey rather than pushing your sales agenda."

ASLAN defines the key stages of the customer's buying journey:

1. Deciding on a business outcome (destination).

2. Creating a strategic plan (often hard to shift once set).

3. Exploring internal vs. external solutions.

4. Deciding to outsource.

5. Purchasing involvement (where many sales relationships diminish).

By aligning your strategy with these stages, you significantly increase your chances of securing the deal. This is backed by external insights; a blog by Gartner emphasizes that understanding customer journeys improves the quality and relevancy of your responses.

"Big and Bold" Strategy: Early Stage Opportunities

Early engagement can profoundly impact your success in RFP situations. Tom and Tab described their "Big and Bold" strategy, recommending substantial upfront investments when opportunities appear genuinely promising.

Tom Stanfill explained:

"A 'Big and Bold' strategy might mean flying the whole team out to spend two days face-to-face with decision-makers before the RFP is even issued."

This approach contrasts sharply with a "frail and meek" strategy, where sales teams engage only lower-level personnel, limiting influence and effectiveness. According to research published by Harvard Business Review, direct early engagement with key decision-makers significantly enhances win rates.

Navigating the Dark Phase

ASLAN’s hosts remind listeners always to anticipate a "dark phase," where interactions reduce or stop entirely due to procurement involvement. To manage this effectively, preparation is vital.

As Tab Norris advised:

"Always assume the deal will eventually go dark. Use your early access to build strong internal champions, quantify the payoff clearly, and outline best practices."

This echoes recommendations from McKinsey & Company, emphasizing the importance of internal champions and quantified value to maintain engagement when procurement processes slow interactions.

Strategic Negotiations: Drop the Rope

Negotiation tactics covered in the podcast highlighted the importance of maintaining your stance on value. A ASLAN favorite is the "drop the rope" strategy.

Tom Stanfill’s insight was particularly compelling:

"Connect your pricing directly to your ability to deliver value. Make it their responsibility to defend why you should lower your price."

Actionable Insights and Next Steps

Listeners left the session with clear action items:

• Evaluate RFPs rigorously using three key qualification questions:

  • Is this opportunity real?

  • Is it worth winning?

  • Can you realistically win?

• Begin negotiating immediately—even from initial discovery meetings.

• Collect all critical data early, anticipating the deal might "go dark."

• Consider setting regular strategic revenue meetings to brainstorm proactive approaches.

• Make firm go/no-go decisions before heavily investing in responses.

Looking Ahead: Cold RFP Strategies

Stay tuned for Part 2 of ASLAN’s RFP series, where Tom and Tab will delve into strategies for effectively managing "cold" RFPs—those arriving without prior relationships.

For more detailed strategies and sales training insights, visit ASLAN Sales Training.