If You Think The Letters "RFP" Are Dangerous, Try "DNC" (Does Not Comply)!

RainToday Note: This article is written in response to the article, The Most Dangerous Letters In Sales Are RFPs, by Steve Waterhouse, published in Rainmaker Report on August 16, 2006.

Wow! It's not often that you find an article with which you both strongly agree andvehemently disagree. Mr. Waterhouse's article The Most Dangerous Letters In Sales Are RFPs makes some valid and valuable points about the proper way in which to respond to an RFP, but the quip that the letters really mean "Real Fools Participate" demeans both the process, and those that must respond to these requests.

Let's talk first about the valid points. Yes, the probability of winning business from an RFP written by a company with whom you have no relationship (we call these "bluebirds") is low. In fact, there is an old bromide, "If the first you hear about it is the RFP – then it isn't for you." And, it is also true that everyone has won one or two of these, and so thinks the odds are much better than they really are.

Bid Or No-Bid?