RFPs and in the Staffing Industry
Today’s business model is about optimizing operational and cost efficiencies. For most organizations, that means running leaner and consolidating processes where possible -- working smarter, not harder. To help streamline operations, professional outsourcing through qualified service providers has proven to be one of the most effective ways to achieve mission critical business objectives without sacrificing quality or revenues.
The traditional sales approach has become less persuasive and less meaningful to wary clients. They inevitably turn to the almighty RFP. And there’s something to be said about a transition to enterprise sales, or the “capture” process as it’s referred to by Shipley disciples and government contractors. Responding to RFPs dominates our working lives, and we’ve maintained 90- to 99-percent success rates consistently for years, across many organizations. More importantly, we’ve seen countless RFP documents that defy reason -- tenders full of horrendous, repetitive, ambiguous, and meaningless filler questions that we know have very little impact to clients. We’ve been on both sides of this fence and know how to streamline both processes for the good of all.
Proposals are perhaps the most complex, cumbersome, and time consuming sales processes at any firm. They require organization, superior communication, and years of experience understanding the intricacies of sourcing. In the staffing industry, RFPs have all but replaced traditional sales. HR and procurement leaders send them out, workforce solutions vendors send back their bids. Outside of government, we’ve never encountered an industry so invested in RFPs. But where many companies miss the boat is in their creation of the requests -- the foundation upon which a successful proposal can only be built.
RFPs, unfortunately, too often result in a “garbage in - garbage out” deliverable, which ends in the selection of a vendor that turns out to be a bad fit. Then, the business is rebid. It’s a vicious cycle that we can help stop immediately.
