How to win more RFPs using video

How to win more RFPs using video

How to win more RFPs using video. In the early stages of an RFP, a project manager is assigned and asked to collect responses from a variety of vendors. If a salesperson is asked to answer ‘How do you and your competitors differ? They need to know that you specialize in what they need, that you’re reliable, and that you’ll be around for a long time, but they also want to know that you’ll be enjoyable to work with. If you do it wrong, you’ll be ruled out. Send your prospect a video on how it’ll make them feel. As that salesperson, you’re already top of their list. Chris Gillespie Chris Gillespie is the writer and founder behind Find A Way Media which helps great businesses create killer marketing content. Attach Log in with or sign up with Disqus or pick a name Disqus is a discussion network Disqus never moderates or censors. Load more comments Powered by Disqus Subscribe Add Disqus to your siteAdd DisqusAdd Privacy SECURITY WARNING: Please treat the URL above as you would your password and do not share it with anyone.

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There’s one menace that looms over the head of nearly every salesperson, and can strike at any time: the dreaded request for proposal (RFP).

Sometimes, they arrive out of the blue as a mass request to your company sales email. Other times, an RFP can come after an otherwise fruitful conversation with a client, who shatters all hope of an easy deal by saying, “Sounds great. Will you just fill out this RFP?”

However they arrive, RFPs rarely seem like good news. Most begin with a gargantuan, exhaustive lists of granular questions on everything from your data security procedures to your CFO’s favorite ice cream flavor. They’re written to apply to everybody, and because they’re so general, they strip you as a salesperson of much of your storytelling craft. Without the ability to interview your prospect, discover pain, and apply a solution, you’re left to complete this dauntingly large document with little hope of standing out.

And, as a salesperson, no matter how bad you think you have it, your client might have it even worse.

RFPs aren’t fun for anybody

Many salespeople wonder “who actually reads this stuff?” and indeed, that’s someone’s job. In the early stages of an RFP, a project manager is assigned and asked to collect responses from a variety of vendors. Some businesses such as nonprofits or government agencies actually require that these procurement processes be competitive, which means project managers nearly always deal with more companies than they prefer to.

While RFPs do serve a purpose and are designed to make buyers’ jobs easier by standardizing questions, they sometimes fail because every sales team’s responses vary. Anything that’s open to interpretation can, and will be, interpreted. Some salespeople rewrite questions, others don’t get back in time, and some just keep calling and trying to have a talk. The result is often that project managers spend hundreds of hours trying to shoehorn responses back into the template. It’s exhausting work.

Even when responses are clear, they’re usually long. That’s because it’s difficult to say things simply in text, especially when you don’t know who you’re writing to. If a salesperson is asked to answer ‘How do you and your competitors differ? Explain.’ you had better expect a short novel in response. As David Wadler, CEO of the procurement software company Vendorful put its, “RFPs for complex products or services, by their very nature, are usually full of verbiage and jargon.”

One great way to help provide clarity, of course, video. Wadler’s company focuses on making RFPs less arduous, and when asked about the impact of video in a proposal, he replied, “Being able to see a product in action provides incredibly helpful context for the buyer.”

Plus, it’s a huge favor to the project manager.

How about a request for personality?

Video makes your prospects’ job easier because people love video, your prospects are people, and you’re probably the only vendor that thought to use that medium. Your competitors will be busy…

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