Download - Using what youve got
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Using What You’ve Got: Preparing for RFPs and Proposals
Sara Willson-Thacker & Tricia PeckB2BCamp Summer 2013
Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
When Procurement Attacks• New products and pioneering services make tasty
targets:– Commoditization happens fast– Contacts abdicate “buyer” status– Consultants appear out of nowhere
Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
Prepare by Doing What You’re Already Doing
• Add more value to current info and activities• Acknowledge limited resources• Don’t do more than you need to…yet
Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
Before You Get a RequestYou Need• Aligned Sales & Marketing
messaging, reality-checked by Delivery (Ops)
You Have• Approval processes for
website text & email templates, regular training for ALL, centrally stored competitive intel, etc.
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Why? Because this.
Sales
Delivery/OpsMarketing
Proposal
Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
Before You Get a RequestYou Need• An honest assessment of:
– Buyer internal awareness– Individual contact awareness– Individual contact style
You Have• A CRM tool where you note:
– Buyer stakeholder information
– Relationships and conversations
– Info from additional resources (e.g., LinkedIn)
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Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
Before You Get a RequestYou Need• Reliable flow of information
across the organization– Know who knows what– Share, share, share! – Be comfortable asking for
input, information and ownership
You Have
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Sales
DeliveryMarketing
Market Demand and Feedback
Solution and
Customer Feedback
Competitive Intel & Market
ChatterMarket
Positioning and Demand Gen
Prospect Requests and
Challenges
Solution Capabilities and Creative
Options
Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
Before You Get a RequestYou Need• Someone to steer the ship
– Treat it like any other project– Think about candidates ahead
of time– Know your outsourcing
options in a pinch
You Have• Awesome employees
– Known strengths and weaknesses
– Cross-functional skills– Calm under pressure
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Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
When You Get the Request• Scope it – deliverables, due date, team• Clearly identify and support your designated proposal
manager• Remember your roles, balanced with creative contribution
– Keep your buyer/evaluator in mind – technical, non-technical• Don’t forget all the work you’ve already done• Determine and document who has the “last red pen”
Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
My Unofficial Minimum SLA• Say “you” more than “we”• Answer each question, and answer it directly– Corollary: Get to the “yes” as quickly as you can– Corollary: Don’t be afraid of the roadmap
• Show, don’t (just) tell• Never, never, never lie
Copyright © 2013 AirWatch, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
Don’t Forget the Follow-up• Yes, have a debrief– Assess internal process, communication, content– Revisit what you thought you knew about your buyer– Look at the bigger picture: Was this a one-off? The beginning
of a trend? The emergence of a consultant?– Understand the situation before you take further action so
you don’t waste time, resources or money• Stay in touch with the customer, ask for feedback