Presentation by: Claire MillsapBusiness Development Executive

MMI’s Executive Webinar SeriesHow to Help Your Customers Write an RFP That Makes Sense for You!

Managed Maintenance, Inc.Webinar Series

Next Quarter: Part Four: How to build your annuity business and forecastnext year’s services

Maximizing tools to capture warranty exits and renewals

Managing the different type of services billings

Teach your clients how to provide you with actionable data that leads to new leads on

un-owned renewals.

3rd part in a 4 part series

How to differentiate yourself from competition and lock in your clients

Finding hidden money in your contract renewals

How to help your customers write an RFP that makes sense for you

How to build your annuity business and forecast next year’s services

TODAY’S TOPICS

Today You Will Learn How To:

Position yourself to help customer’s write maintenance and support RFPs

Suggest the best questions and RFP criteria to make sure you have a competitive advantage

Think strategic when answering the maintenance/support RFP.

Know the Facts

According to IT Business Edge, 72% of Fortune 500 companies admitted they had sent out RFPs even though they had already selected the vendor they were going to use.

So, are 72% of RFPs a waste of time?

How do you qualify the RFP before it is written and released?

How do you ensure you are the selected vendor rather than simply a part of the process?

When you respond, what will you need to do to win?

Even if the customer is serious, regulations for RFPs can be a serious impediment to closing a sale.

There are a series conversations that need to happen before the RFP is prepared by the client and answered by you.

The key to winning proposals is to Sell the Customer First:

Understand the Pain or Problem of your Client.

Understand through a series of sales calls the customer’s desires, perceived solutions, fears, hopes, concerns and biases.

During pre-RFP sales meetings talk with the customer to identify ideas, approaches, goals and possible solutions the client will favor.

Qualifying the Opportunity Understand the Pain

Clients Pain Spells Opportunity for VARs

Frustration with service-call denials

Frustration dealing with maze of personnel

OPPORTUNITY Problems reconciling assets for compliance

Difficulty tracking inventory

Inability to accurately budget for maintenance

Difficulty managing multiple

services

Difficulty reconciling invoices

Lack of visibility Into key asset data

Inability to Mine Data

Lack of singlepoint of contact

Once you understand the pain, the conversation of how the customer believes they will move forward will be valuable to your strategy.

Review and Identify technology, the process for selecting a solution and / or vendor and try to identify the following items:

1. Is a proposal necessary or based on your footprint, value-add and qualifications will the client default to you as their selected vendor.

2. Is the customer just browsing and willing to accept your information only to leverage their current or preferred vendor.

3. How will the RFP be developed and by whom. Make sure you are in contact with that person or group.

4. What is the timeline for the process.

5. Is there budget to support the process and the winning proposal.

Qualifying the Opportunity Understand the Process

Developing the RFP as aTrusted Advisor

Winning proposals are sales driven and customer centric. The secret to being actively engaged in developing an RFP with your client happens within three phases:

Phase 1: During your pre-RFP sales

Phase 2: Work to define and/or drive the process of the RFP

Phase 3: Assist in the design and requirements within the RFP Note: This may not be completely possible due to compliance and federal

regulations if the client is in the government, financial or healthcare industry. However, you can still assist with some solution specific requirements as many of these industries require pre-sales before releasing and RFP.

Pre-Sales as aTrusted Advisor

Phase 1: During your pre-RFP sales

By asking questions and identifying favored solutions of the client you will identify potential “win themes”, enabling you to create unique capabilities.

Write resolutions to the pains and test each resolution against your winning themes to further define what will make your organization appear unique.

Demonstrate abilities and solutions that are unique themes to your organization to create buzz and standards of delivery that place you ahead of your competitors.

Uncover your competitors and their weaknesses in order to play off those weaknesses in the RFP development.

Developing the RFP process as a Trusted Advisor

Phase 2: Work to define and/or drive the process of the RFPWhen a customer receives a proposal they don’t know how to evaluate and have no criteria to evaluate against, they often fail to act.

Assist the customer in sufficiently organizing the information and resources they will need to prepare, evaluate and execute the RFP.

Assist the customer in defining minimum requirements of the business and required by law.

Assist the customer in defining monetary limits and related budget deadlines.

Assist the customer in achieving consensus within the organization on the final outcomes/goals, the personnel that will be involved and their individual roles as well as the vendor selection for the participation in the RFP.

WHEW! THE BASICS ARE DONE AND KNOW YOU CAN INCORPORATE COMPONENTS THAT MAKE YOUR COMPANY UNIQUE!

Developing the RFP as aTrusted Advisor

Phase 3: Assist in the design and requirements within the RFP

Encourage your client to include as requirements those services your bring that are unique and were identified as part of your “winning themes”.

Assist the client in creating questions that will allow you as the vendor to develop answers that are inclusive of all the key components (ex: money, services and tools).

Encourage the client to ask questions that when answered will help them see you are stable.

RFP’s are designed to help companies avoid bad decisions not make good ones.

Encourage the length of responses not to be too tightly held eliminating you from providing value statements and using the RFP as a price survey.

Help the client eliminate the ‘request for information’ details that will not impact the program performance and lengthen the decision making process.

Answering the RFP as aTrusted Advisor

Completely understand the requirements and ensure your responses acknowledge your competitors capabilities yet highlight that 10-20 percent unique “winning theme” your organization will bring to the table.

If you need to make several points to a variety of answers (money, intellectual property, tools) you need to make sure your message is clear and consistent in every answer to ensure it is read.

Only commit to what is feasible and can be referenced by other clients in the industry.

Understand the trade-offs for winning and leverage your answer against areas where your organization will bring unique value.

Prepare a proposal within the limits of budget, resource and time.

Collect information in advance of your RFP response to ensure crisp and applicable answers. (See Slide 14)

Preparing for the RFP Response

Identify key features and benefits to the customer. Highlight what makes you unique against your competitors.

List all competitors with strengths and weaknesses. Identify if there is potential teaming opportunities.

Identify key risk factors in the bid and committed performance and identify how to prevent or mitigate risk.

List any wins or client solutions relevant to this one and secure the client’s commitment to be a reference.

Prepare graphics, illustrations or diagrams that highlight key processes, relationships and business practices that are unique to your solution.

Identify the components of the solution to be proposed include (but are not limited to) tools, technology, processes, headcount, etc.

Gather client data including, but not limited to, organization charts, mission statements, budgets, strategic plans, internal and external pressures, and who will participate in the evaluation process.

Winning Themes for Maintenance

Cost Savings Pay less for support while dramatically reducing your administrative support costs and time.

Dedicated SpecialistA Managed Maintenance Services Specialist who acquires an intimate knowledge of the clients business for assistance and problem resolution –reducing downtime.

Free up Valuable IT Resources for other projectsIncreased productivity and peace of mind in knowing that assets are being well-maintained and protected.

Flexible Billing and Invoice Management The convenience of consolidated and customized invoicing with defined billing terms for better money management.

Winning Themes for Maintenance

Contract Consolidation –Ease of ManagementReduction in administrative overhead and pricing leverage, ensuring ease of contract management and inventory control with a single, consolidated contract vs. multiple contracts.

Dynamic Inventory Reconciliation and CreditAs removals and additions are made during the contract period, the records are updated and the financial transaction is recognized immediately.

Warranty ManagementAnalysis and tracking of warranty management.

Portal Based system and toolsOn-demand access required for successful contract management and renewal businesses that includes: automation of all data, integrated processes for transaction tracking, customized reporting available to the client and proactive notifications to the client.

Question and Answer Session

Next Quarter’s Webinar:Part Four: How to build your annuity business and forecastnext year’s services

Contact us at:cmillsap@managedmaint.com