Procurement often needs a set number of bids, and the users may already have a favourite. Some RFPs are worth answering and some exist to fill a count; the work is telling which before you spend on it.
“There's two different buckets of RFPs, really three different buckets of RFPs. One is a fair RFP, where you stand at equal chance compared to everybody else that's entering and winning or losing that.”
Source: Competitive research, episode 31 of the Oil & Gas Sales & Marketing Podcast.
“If you somebody asked you to respond to an RFP and they won't let you meet the decision making team, don't respond to it.”
Source: The Fundamentals. How to Add New Logo’s and Customers, episode 13 of the Oil & Gas Sales & Marketing Podcast.
“I think that the only reason you're asking me to respond to this RFP is because you need another submittal and I don't have unlimited resources. You can pay me to submit because it costs me time and money.”
Source: The Fundamentals. How to Add New Logo’s and Customers, episode 13 of the Oil & Gas Sales & Marketing Podcast.
“if you walk away, you'll be surprised about 40% of them will come back later and go, okay, we'll let you talk to the decision making team.”
Source: Mastering Sales Negotiation: Insights from Saad A Saad, episode 70 of the Oil & Gas Sales & Marketing Podcast.
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The next step
If the way energy buyers actually buy is costing you deals, talk it through with ModalPoint, the go-to-market firm Matthew Bertram runs. A 30-minute discovery call: no scope, no commitment, and a mutual NDA before anything substantive. You get a reply within one business day, and the first call is with someone who works in the sector.