Supercharge "brand" through RFPs

I hear so many “sales influencers” on LinkedIn talking about how you shouldn’t answer RFPs because they’re a waste of time. I fundamentally disagree with this and I’ll explain why. To say that RFPs are just a waste of time driven by dusty procurement processes that force buyers to look at a few different options is as arrogant as it is shortsighted. Here’s why:

• Buyers have access to more information than ever before and if you’ve ever purchased technology (or received cold emails), it is overwhelming. Bids help buyers cast a wide net and invite a number of businesses they’ve either looked at passively or actively to apply. 
• And yes, it is completely possible that your buyer is in an active sales cycle with a competitor, but that doesn’t mean you should just give up. If a buyer has gone to bid they’ve left a door open for a competitor to impress them. This means that you can (1) submit better responses (2) be invited to demo (3) and if you’re lucky even run a proof of concept. At the very least you can build your brand for the next renewal cycle (especially if your competitor doesn’t impress), at most you can completely disrupt an active sales cycle. 

In summary, a company can use RFPs to build their brand, disrupt sales cycles, and ultimately get in front of a company that they otherwise would never have reached. 

Generative AI is a force multiplier for businesses and sellers who otherwise wouldn’t have the skills, knowledge, or time to field these requests. Now all of a sudden one AE can get 90% of the way to the finish line in minutes as opposed to weeks. So answering an RFPcan be a high leverage outreach tactic. 

On second thought, you should just listen to these sales influencers on LinkedIn that haven’t sold in years (or ever) and meanwhile I’ll feast on all the leads.