How your client evaluates your proposal submission: Sales secrets

How long do you think most clients spend evaluating your proposal document?

10 minutes? Maybe even 20 minutes?

The answer will likely surprise you: Studies show that decision-makers only spend about 18 seconds to 2 minutes evaluating each proposal document.

This may seem discouraging. What’s the point of creating an RFP if the client isn’t even going to look at it?

Do not be disheartened. The clients spend so little time with most documents because they know exactly what they are looking for. Our goal is to provide it for them!

Knowing what your client wants: Business intelligence

Some clients are more price-driven. Others care about the design and beauty of the proposal document itself. Still others are interested in choosing the biggest name brand for their proposal effort. How do we please all of these different perspectives?

Buyers’ behavior isn’t all that complicated. Every decisionmaker want us to show that we understand the pain point driving the RFP.

Note that the boilerplate background information written in the RFP is not adequate to identify pain points. Sales representatives must develop a relationship with the client in order to gain this insight.

Common examples of pain points for software sales include:

• Wasted time and energy managing manual processes
• State and federal mandates to adopt certain management processes
• Financial burdens from an outdated software
• Challenges in managing their growing community or school
• Desire to improve patient or customer satisfaction

Without question, the client’s primary pain point needs to be addressed within the pages of the RFP. You can expect your RFP team to ask you questions about the client’s pain points to help craft a winning narrative and proposal approach.

What does this mean for your company's sales team?

Sales representatives who want to win RFPs will do their research about the client before the document is released. One convenient way to get more information about the client is to respond to an RFI or RFQ that comes out prior to the release of the RFP.

Responsible reps also talk to clients before the release of the RFP. Once the RFP is released, a “cone of silence” descends over the decisionmakers that prevents them from giving us business intelligence. At this time, it may be too late to identify the client’s pain points.

Remember that the best way to win an RFP is to understand and solve the client’s pain points. This requires speaking to the clients and asking questions about their reasons for entering the procurement process. Using your sales skills to tease out those winning themes will lead to a better return on your RFPs.

Kathryn Bennett, CPSM, is a proposal manager and process improvement specialist in Grand Junction, Colorado. She has more than 15 years' experience in project management, process improvement, technical and journalistic writing, and professional services marketing. In her free time, Kathryn trains for strongman competitions, enjoys cooking, and spends time with her dog, Dot.